'It was the 9/11 of its day': Dublin and Monaghan bombings

Survivors and the families of victims gathered in Dublin to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, the atrocity which stripped 35 people from their families.

On May 17 1974 three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre with another one in Monaghan town.

Those lost in the blasts included a woman who was nine-months pregnant and a family of four, including their five-month old baby. An estimated 300 people were injured.

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, while working on Operation Kenova investigating crimes during the Troubles, described it as was one of the bloodiest days of the Troubles, the "9/11 of its day".

No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings but the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) admitted responsibility in 1993.

The 1974 attacks

The string of loyalist attacks began in Dublin's Parnell Street at 5:28PM, killing 10 people including five-month-old Anne-Marie O'Brien with her sister Jacqueline and parents Anna and John O'Brien.

The second attack took place two minutes later in Talbot Street in Dublin claiming the lives of 14 people including Collette Doherty who was five months pregnant.

A short time after the third bomb exploded in South Leinster Street killing two people.

The final attack took place at 6:58PM in Monaghan town claiming the lives of seven people.

The blasts resulted in the biggest loss of life on any single day of the Troubles yet the truth of what happened has never been fully discovered and families have been left with many unanswered questions.

'There was no one brought to justice', families say

A wreath-laying ceremony took place in Talbot Street, Dublin to mark the 50th anniversary of the deadly attacks where survivors and families of victims gathered to recall the fateful day and call for the truth.

Alice O’Brien who lost her sister Anna, her brother-in-law John and the couple’s two young children Anna and Jacqueline- in the bomb on Parnell Street.

Speaking at the anniversary in Dublin she said: “We’ve been forgotten for 50 years, so hopefully now we might get the files (on the case) off the British government,” she said.

Ms O’Brien claimed the UK and Irish governments wound down the investigation into the murders in 1974 as they were trying to preserve the troubled Sunningdale power sharing agreement in Northern Ireland.

“There was no one brought to justice, even though they knew who done it, they had identification of people and they still done nothing,” she said.

Ms O’Brien said she still has vivid memories of the day of the bombings.

“I was only 15 when it happened and then when they went down to identify the bodies it was like a slaughterhouse in the mortuary,” she said.

She said she hopes the Denton report in 2025 will finally deliver “truth” for the families.

Irish Government call for the truth

Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said that all Irish Government held files in connection to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings should be released to inquiries, as he paid tribute to the victims.

He continued, "I hope that the current investigation, known as Operation Denton, into the activities of the Glenanne gang – who are suspected of involvement in the bombings – will also assist families when it eventually makes its report."

The PSNI has released all documentation related to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings to the Operation Denton investigation, the chief constable has said.

Jon Boutcher also said the PSNI had committed to providing “unfettered access” of unredacted material to the new commission of investigation of legacy cases.

Mr Boutcher said he “hoped” the Denton report would be published before the end of the year.

Asked if he supported a call for the UK government to release information about the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, he said: “Each each jurisdiction, each government has got a responsibility to its citizens to release material about cases such as this.

“So I would support absolutely any request from any state to investigate cases such as Dublin and Monaghan that occurred in their jurisdiction where there’s information that sits elsewhere.

“That’s a matter of democratic responsibility for each government so I would expect that to happen and I’d support that.”

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