Monument will honour victims of 1974 car bombs

A MEMORIAL is to be erected in Talbot Street, Dublin, commemorating the 33 victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974…

A MEMORIAL is to be erected in Talbot Street, Dublin, commemorating the 33 victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974.

The monument, which the families of those killed have sought for more than 22 years, will not, however, be put in place until after the anniversary of the atrocity next month.

Architects in Dublin Corporation have designed a white limestone monument, which will stand near the entrance to Gardiner Street, but a list of the names, which relatives want put on the memorial, is still to be completed, according to a spokesman.

Ms Michelle O'Brien, who was eight when her mother, Anne Byrne, died in the Talbot Street explosion, said of the announcement: "It's 23 years too late, but at least it's being done."

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Meanwhile, victims relatives are continuing to press for a public inquiry into why prosecutions were never brought against those responsible for the bombings.

Three car bombs planted by loyalist terrorists went off at the height of the capital's rushhour on Friday May 17th, 1974, killing 26 people and injuring up to 250 more. The devices detonated in Parnell Street, Talbot Street and South Leinster Street, resulting in hundreds of people running from one explosion and into another.

A separate bomb claimed seven more lives in Monaghan just 90 minutes later.

A granite stone was initially erected outside the Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square and was later moved to Cathal Brugha Street. However, the names of the victims did not appear on this memorial.

Ms O'Brien, from Donaghmede in Dublin, said the memorial in Talbot Street would serve as a reminder of a massacre which appeared to have been forgotten.

"A lot of people remember Warrington and Enniskillen, but people don't remember the Dublin and Monaghan bombs. It will make people sit up and take notice," she said.

Mr Michael Stubbs Dublin Corporation assistant principal officer, said the decision to create a memorial in Talbot Street coincided with the refurbishment of the street.

Although it was hoped that the monument would be in place before the 23rd anniversary of the bombings, an exact list of the victims' given names had not been completed. "Some of the families have emigrated to Australia and we can't get in touch with them. We want the names on the monument to be correct," said Mr Stubbs.