Claudy Bombing

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Memorial to the victims of the Bombings.

The Claudy Bombing occurred on Monday, 31 July 1972, when three car bombs exploded mid-morning in the centre of the town of Claudy in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The motive for the attack has never been discovered, and no group has admitted carrying out the attack which happened without a warning.

The three car bombs were placed at intervals along the town's High Street, which was busy with shoppers at the time of the attack. There was widespread condemnation of the attack which killed 6 people immediately, with 3 later dying from their injuries. Three of the victims were children. Five of the victims were Roman Catholic, and four were Protestant.

1 The dead
2 Suspected involvement of IRA
- 2.1 Ongoing Investigation
3 References
4 External links

[edit] The dead

Joseph Connolly, 15 (Died on the 8 August)
Kathryn Eakin, 9
Arthur Horne, 40 (Died on 12 August)
James McClelland, 65
Joseph McClosky, 38
Elizabeth McElhinney, 59
Rosemary McLoughlin, 51 (Died on the 3 August)
David Miller, 60
William Temple, 16

A memorial to those killed and injured as a result of the bombing was later placed in Claudy High Street, with a bronze figure of a girl as the central part of the site, which also includes a number of plaques.

[edit] Suspected involvement of IRA

The Derry City wing of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) denied involvement at the time of the attack. However, Londonderry politician Ivan Cooper claimed that the PIRA was involved in the attack and that a local Catholic priest, Father James Chesney, who died of cancer in 1980, was the leader of the attack. Cooper stated:

"Within a couple of days, a man lurked like a scared rabbit outside one of my constituency offices. He told me the IRA was behind the bomb and I had every reason to believe him. He gave no names and I asked no names. That is the way it was then. It was dangerous to know too much. But several months later, I became aware of the identities and I have absolutely no doubt that Father Jim Chesney was involved."^[1]

Father James Chesney before his death in 1980.

According to 2002 press reports Chesney was a suspected member of the IRA's South Derry brigade, and is alleged to have joined the paramilitary group after Bloody Sunday. His level of involvement in the bombing is unconfirmed and varies according to different sources. It is so far unknown whether the witness that made the original claims of Chesney's involvement has made an official statement.

It is claimed that after the bombing Chesney was questioned by the then Bishop of Derry Neil Farren, and that he denied all involvement in the attack. After the attack Chesney is known to have been moved from the parish near Desertmartin to Malin Head in County Donegal, where he died in 1980.

[edit] Ongoing Investigation

No person was arrested for the attack at the time but following calls for a new inquiry into the attack, a fresh investigation was started by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in 2002.

On 30 November 2005, the PSNI detained four people in connection with the bombing attack.^[2] However, all were released without charge on 1 December 2005. Those interviewed deny involvement in the bombings.^[3]

The attacks coincided with Operation Motorman, a British Army operation to re-establish control of areas in Belfast and Londonderry which had become "no-go areas". Operation Motorman was considered a success at the time although one IRA member and a 15-year old boy were killed in the operation.

[edit] References

^ Ivan Cooper quoted in a Guardian Newspaper article September 21, 2002 available here.
^ BBC News report available here.
^ See BBC News article available here.