This undated account of the unveiling of a memorial plaquel to Castleblayney bombing victim Patrick Mone is by journalist Patsy McArdle and it comes from the website of The Comet Bar, Castleblayney, County Monaghan. It appears to date from 2003.
A photograph of the plaque appears at the bottom.
The Comet Bar was formerly the Three Star Inn, and it was the target for the loyalist bombers who murdered Mr Mone on Sunday 7 March 1976.
The Ludlow family applauds the family of the late Mr Mone for their unflinching stand for truth and justice for Mr Mone, another innocent victim of sectarian killers, whose murder was swept under the carpet many years ago by the Dublin authorities.
Town
Council unveils plaque to bomb victim
A
solemn ceremony to commemorate an horrific car bomb attack in Castleblayney some
27 years ago, in which a 53-year-old local farmer lost his life, took place in
the town centre on Friday evening last.
A plaque was unveiled on the wall outside The Comet Bar in Main Street to perpetuate the memory of the late Patrick Mone, who was killed by the bomb which
also injured 17 others and caused widespread damage to premises in the town. The plaque unveiling ceremony was organised by Castleblayney Town CouncilBY
PATSY McARDLE
The late Mr Mone had driven into the town on the evening of the bomb attack. He had parked his own car beside the Mark 3 Ford Cortina containing the bomb.
It was stolen in the Shankill Road area of Belfast and driven into Castleblayney around 4 pm on the afternoon of Sunday, March 7, 1976. Although the car used by the Loyalist gang had false number plates with one digit too many it remained parked outside the Three Star Inn from 4 pm that afternoon undetected until the bomb exploded at 8.21pm
The bomb caused extensive damage to the Three Star Inn and several other premises in the Main Street. The Three Star Inn subsequently changed hands and was completely rebuilt. It has now been renamed The Comet.
Many local authority members and officials, as well as other leading public figures and community representatives attended Friday's ceremony.
The general attendance included the Mayor of Castleblayney, Council Chairman Sean McCooey; Town Clerk Marie Deighan; local parish priest Very Rev John McCabe PP. and Mrs Anna Mone McEneaney, wife of the late Mr Mone. Other members of the bomb victim's extended family were also present from both sides of the Border.
Apologies for inability to attend were received from Brendan Smith ID; Rev Jonathan Heyhoe, Church of Ireland Rector; Rev Nancy Cubitt, Presbyterian Minister, First Castleblayney Presbyterian Church, and Declan Nelson, Monaghan Co Manager. An apology was also received from Colr Joe Brennan, Castleblayney. At the outset, the Town Clerk Ms Deighan welcomed the large gathering and introduced theMayor, Mr McCooey who addressed the crowd prior to the unveiling.
Mr McCooey also welcomed those present for the ceremony to mark the terrible bomb tragedy which the town suffered 27 years ago, particularly Mrs Mone McEneaney and her family members. The Town Council, he said, were pleased to erect the plaque at the request of the Mone family, he said it was also appropriate that he should pay tribute on the occasion to the owner of The Comet Bar, Mr P J Ward, for permitting the Council to erect the plaque on his premises.
Very Rev Fr McCabe recited a prayer of peace as the Mayor, Mr McCooey unveiled the plaque.
Mr Tom Mone, on be half of the Mone family, thanked the Council and all those concerned in the erection of the memorial plaque.
Concluding, the Town Clerk again thanked all for their attendance and also the Council staff for assisting in organising the event. She added that the plaque would be seen as a grim reminder of the terrible tragedy and loss which the Mone family suffered and indeed others in Castleblayney who were injured in the atrocity
The
unveiling ceremony was followed by a reception at The Comet Restaurant,
Castleblayney.
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You can also download the Final Oireachtas Sub-Committee Report on the murder of Seamus Ludlow from the Oireachtas website (pdf file) Visitors are welcome to leave messages on our new Bravenet guestmap Guest Book. You can indicate your country or state of origin by using the map supplied. The Ludlow family supports the campaign by the Rooney and Watters families of Dundalk for an inquiry into the murderous Dundalk Bombing of 19 December 1975 which resulted in the sectarian murder of Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters. A Barron Report on this other sectarian attack in Dundalk, and other attacks along the border, was published 5 July 2006. An Oireachtas sub-committee also held public hearings on the Dundalk bombing and issued a further report on 29 November 2006.The Oireachtas report found damning evidence of British state collusion between UK army and intelligence agencies and loyalist terrorists in this and other atrocities along the border Download: Download
the International Report on Collusion from the Pat Finucane Centre
website
Download
the Oireachtas Report on the Dundalk bombing and other collusion attacks
Further information can be
accessed at their Dundalk bombing campaign
website.
Download the MacEntee Commission of Investigation's
Final Report
on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974 from the Justice
for the Forgotten group's campaign website. The 2nd.Barron Report on the Dublin
Bombings of 1972 and 1973, and other incidents along the Irish border,
can be downloaded in pdf form from: http://www.oireachtas.ie/documents/committees29thdail/jcjedwr/Dublin_Barron_Rep031204.pdf
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