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Claudy bombing

1970s in County Londonderry1970s murders in Northern Ireland1972 disasters in Ireland1972 in Northern Ireland1972 murders in Ireland
1972 murders in the United Kingdom20th-century mass murder in Northern IrelandCar and truck bombings in Northern IrelandExplosions in County LondonderryImprovised explosive device bombings in 1972July 1972 events in EuropeMass murder in County LondonderryReligious scandalsTerrorist incidents in County LondonderryTerrorist incidents in Ireland in the 1970sTerrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 1972The Troubles in County LondonderryUse British English from July 2022
Plaque, Claudy geograph.org.uk 813680
Plaque, Claudy geograph.org.uk 813680

The Claudy bombing occurred on 31 July 1972, when three car bombs exploded mid-morning, two on Main Street and one on Church Street in Claudy in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The attack killed nine civilians, injured thirty and became known as "Bloody Monday". Those who planted the bombs had attempted to send a warning before the explosions took place. The warning was delayed, however, because the telephones were out of order due to an earlier bomb attack. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) issued an immediate denial of responsibility, and later stated that "an internal court of inquiry" had found that its local unit did not carry out the attack. On the thirtieth anniversary of the bombing, there was a review of the case and in December 2002 it was revealed that the IRA had been responsible for the bomb explosions.On 24 August 2010, following an eight-year investigation, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland published a report into the bombing, which stated that the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) believed in the early 1970s that Father James Chesney, a local Roman Catholic priest, was the IRA's quartermaster and Director of Operations of the South Derry Brigade. The report found that the possibility of his involvement in activities including the Claudy bombing was covered up by senior police officers, government ministers and the Roman Catholic hierarchy.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Claudy bombing (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Claudy bombing
Church Street,

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Latitude Longitude
N 54.911388888889 ° E -7.1547222222222 °
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Church Street
BT47 4AA
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
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Plaque, Claudy geograph.org.uk 813680
Plaque, Claudy geograph.org.uk 813680
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Burntollet Bridge incident

Burntollet Bridge was the setting for an attack on 4 January 1969 during the first stages of the Troubles of Northern Ireland. A People's Democracy march from Belfast to Derry was attacked by Ulster loyalists whilst passing through Burntollet. The march had been called in defiance of an appeal by Northern Ireland Prime Minister Terence O'Neill for a temporary end to protest. The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association and some Derry nationalists had advised against it. Supporters of Ian Paisley, led by Major Ronald Bunting, denounced the march as seditious and mounted counter-demonstrations along the route.At Burntollet an Ulster loyalist crowd numbering in the region of 300, including 100 off-duty members of the Ulster Special Constabulary (USC), attacked the civil rights marchers from adjacent high ground. Stones transported in bulk from William Leslie's quarry at Legahurry were used in the assault, as well as iron bars and sticks spiked with nails. Nearby members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) did little to prevent the violence. Many of the marchers described their assailants' lack of concern about the police presence. The violence was followed by renewed riots in Derry City. Terence O'Neill described the march as "a foolhardy and irresponsible undertaking" and said that some of the marchers and their supporters in Derry were "mere hooligans", outraging many, especially as the attackers had evaded prosecution. Loyalists celebrated the attack as a victory over Catholic "rebels".The ambush at Burntollet irreparably damaged the credibility of the RUC. Professor Paul Bew, an academic at Queen's University Belfast who as a student had participated in the march, described it as "the spark that lit the prairie fire" (i.e. led to the Troubles).