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Remembrance Day bombing

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54°20′39″N 7°38′3″W / 54.34417°N 7.63417°W / 54.34417; -7.63417

Remembrance Day Bombing
The aftermath of the bombing showing the destroyed gable wall of the Reading Rooms in the background
LocationEnniskillen, Northern Ireland,
United Kingdom
Coordinates54°20′39″N 7°38′3″W / 54.34417°N 7.63417°W / 54.34417; -7.63417
DateNovember 8, 1987
10:43 a.m. (UTC)
TargetRemembrance Sunday commemoration ceremony
Attack typeBomb
Deaths12
Injured63
PerpetratorsProvisional Irish Republican Army

The Remembrance Day bombing, also known as the Enniskillen bombing or the Poppy Day massacre, occurred on 8 November 1987 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. A bomb placed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) at the town's war memorial (cenotaph) exploded during a Remembrance Sunday commemoration ceremony for those killed in all conflicts involving the British Army, resulting in eleven deaths. The bombing has been described by the BBC as a turning point in The Troubles, and an attack that shook the IRA "to its core"

Target

The bomb was thought by British and Irish authorities to have been coordinated and organised by up to three units of the IRA from both sides of the border, and of such magnitude that it must have been sanctioned by IRA Northern Command. The IRA and Sinn Fein deny this, with Danny Morrison describing himself as "shattered" on hearing that the IRA was involved. It has been suggested that Martin McGuinness had prior knowledge of the attack, that he and three other IRA members had been stopped while travelling through County Donegal three days days earlier, and that he had travelled to Fermanagh in the hours after the bombing, to "question members of the local IRA unit to find out what had gone wrong". The IRA released a statement claiming that a "Crown Forces patrol" had been the target, but it has been alleged that the bomb was intended to kill Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers who were parading to the memorial, with the civilian deaths deemed acceptable collateral. On the same day a bomb four times larger than the Eniskillen bomb was placed at a similar but smaller parade 20 miles (32 km) away at Tullyhommon, where the parade was conducted by members of the Boys Brigade, Girls Brigade and "three of four members of the security forces in uniform there to lay a wreath". That bomb failed to explode.

In Enniskillen, politicians Sammy Foster and Jim Dixon were among the crowd; the latter received extensive head injuries but recovered. The device, having been made in Ballinamore, County Leitrim and transported to the town over 24 hours by up to 30 IRA men, was placed the evening before against the gable wall of the inside of the towns Reading Rooms, and exploded at 10:43 am. The explosion destroyed the wall, a vantage point of the parade favoured by several of the victims, blowing masonry towards the gathered crowd, many of whom were standing nearby.

Casualties

Eleven people were killed in the Enniskillen bombing; all except one were civilians. One of the dead, Marie Wilson, was the daughter of Gordon Wilson. Wilson went on to become a peace campaigner and member of the Seanad Éireann. One further person, Ronnie Hill, died after spending 13 years in a coma. Sixty-three people were injured.. Local business man Raymond McCartney captured the immediate aftermath of the bombing on video camera while at the scene. His footage, showing the effects of the bombing, was broadcast on international television. All the victims were Protestants.

Reactions

The bombing led to an outcry among politicians in the Republic of Ireland and the UK. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Tom King denounced the "outrage" in the House of Commons, as did the Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Brian Lenihan in Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament), while in Seanad Éireann Senator Maurice Manning spoke of peoples' "total revulsion".

Aftermath

In the aftermath of the attack the IRA insisted that its leadership had not sanctioned the bombing, and its Fermanagh Brigade was stood down. The incident is now seen as a major tactical error by the IRA. In killing people honouring their war dead the IRA created a backlash which was perceived to have undermined its claim to be a non-sectarian organisation defending nationalists. The bombing also had a negative impact on Sinn Féin's electoral support. In 1989, in the first local elections held in Fermanagh after the bombing, Sinn Féin lost four of its eight council seats and was overtaken by the SDLP as the largest Nationalist party. It was not until 2001, 14 years after the Enniskillen bomb, that Sinn Féin support returned to its 1985 level.

The site of the bomb, which was owned by the Catholic Church, was rebuilt as a Youth Hostel in 2002. The hostel was opened by and named after former US President, Bill Clinton

In 1997 Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams apologised for the bombing on behalf of the republican movement.

See also

References

  1. Mary Harney (2001). "Dail Remarks by Mary Harney, T.D., Tánaiste and Leader of the Progressive Democrats in Response to the Recent Terrorist Attacks on the United States". DETE press release. Retrieved 2008-05-07.,
  2. Henry McDonald. "Gadaffi sued by 160 victims of IRA". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  3. http://www.bbcactive.com/BroadcastLearning/MediaSupportFiles/Age%20of%20Terror%20synopses.pdf
  4. ^ "Age of Terror" (Television Documentary). BBC. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  5. ^ Suzanne Breen (October 28, 2007). "Attempt to airbrush Enniskillen from history". Sunday Tribune. Nuzhound. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  6. ^ Olinka Koster (22nd April 2008). "Martin McGuinness 'knew of IRA's plan to bomb Enniskillen'". Mail on Sunday. Retrieved 2008-05-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Who knew about Enniskillen plans?". BBC. Monday, 21 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. Howell raines (November 15, 1987). "Terrorism; With Latest Bomb, I.R.A. Injures Its Own Cause". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  9. ^ House of Commons Official Report 9th November 1987 Column 19
  10. ^ http://www.nuzhound.com/articles/irish_news/arts2007/nov5_Enniskillen_anniversary.php
  11. "IRA bomb victim buried". BBC. Saturday, 30 December, 2000. Retrieved 2008-07-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. Seanad Éireann - Seanad Éireann - Volume 117 Column 1346 - 11 November, 1987
  14. ARK elections
  15. ARK
  16. "Clinton 'optimistic' about peace in NI". BBC. Sunday, 27 May, 2001. Retrieved 2008-07-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. "Adams apologises for Enniskillen bombing". BBC. Saturday, November 8, 1997. Retrieved 2008-07-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

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