No ceremony for 46th anniversary of Dublin-Monaghan bombings due to Covid-19
33 people lost their lives and almost 300 were injured in the Dublin Monaghan bombings 46 years ago today.
However, there will be no ceremony to mark the anniversary due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Four loyalist bombs exploded on the evening of May 17, 1974, three in Dublin City and one at a pub in Monaghan soon afterward.
The attacks were coordinated in the middle of the evening rush hour.
The first of them went off at 28 minutes past 5 on Parnell Street, followed by Talbot Street and South Leinster Street at two-minute intervals.
Around an hour and a half later the fourth bomb exploded at a pub in Monaghan.
Táiniste Simon Coveney has called on the public to pay respects to the victims, their loved ones and survivors,
He said it is unfortunate that we can't stand together at an organised memorial service this year because of Covid-19.
"Today we remember the thirty three people who were killed and the hundreds who were seriously injured in the Dublin & Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974, which saw the largest loss of life on a single day in the Troubles."
— Irish Foreign Ministry (@dfatirl) May 17, 2020
Tánaiste @simoncoveney
📝https://t.co/nstHrlPyH3 pic.twitter.com/RyIBckywtE
Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan added that Government are committed to exploring every avenue to uncover the truth about the attacks.
Statement by the Minister for Justice & Equality @CharlieFlanagan on the 46th Anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. pic.twitter.com/NK6FZm1NKM
— Department of Justice 🇮🇪 (@DeptJusticeIRL) May 17, 2020
In a statement, Minister Flannagan said: "Dealing effectively with the legacy of the past will be one way to honour the memory of all those killed and injured in the dark days of the Troubles, including those victims of the Monaghan and Dublin bombings who are foremost in our thoughts today. "
Last year the Government was urged to launch legacy investigations into Troubles killings that took place in its jurisdiction.
Northern Ireland’s Victims Commissioner Judith Thompson made a number of proposals on the legacies of the Troubles to the Oireachtas committee on the Good Friday Agreement.
Among her recommendations was for Ireland to establish a mechanism similar to the proposed Historical Investigations Unit in Northern Ireland to carry out investigations into incidents that took place in the Republic.
