TWO DONEGAL councillors have begun discussions on the possibility of erecting a memorial to Lord Mountbatten and his fellow victims of the Mullaghmore bombing in Co Sligo.
Lord Mountbatten was killed 30 years ago on this day along with his grandson Nicholas Knatchbull (14), Fermanagh teenager Paul Maxwell (15) and Baroness Bradbourne (83) when a 23kg IRA bomb exploded on his fishing boat, the Shadow V.
Mayor of Donegal Brendan Byrne and veteran councillor Seán McEniff are working on this project. “Thirty years have passed and this country has undergone a massive transformation for the better. It is now time to move forward,” the mayor said. “I feel that it is now time that, as a people, we do something to commemorate what was a travesty of history with the murder of these innocent people like so many others on both sides.
“The people of this island north and south have a greater maturity now and stemming from that we now have the confidence to commemorate this tragic event by erecting a suitable commemorative feature,” Mr Byrne said.
“As a council, we would require permission from all the relatives of those involved to proceed with this. Should this be forthcoming we would take the views of all the families on board and commission a suitable commemorative feature.Ideally, I would like to see this overlooking Donegal Bay where this fateful event took place.”
Mr Byrne said Ireland’s confidence would be gauged by “how we deal with the past”.
“This place where Mountbatten found solace and peace down through the years now has to be the place that treats the victims of this disaster with serenity and respect by commemorating their lives,” he said.
Mr McEniff, who was one of the first on the scene at Mullaghmore 30 years ago, said: “I remember the day as if it was just yesterday – it was a terrible day for Ireland. Ironically, this tragedy brought about dialogue between the Irish and British authorities and was a prelude to the peace process. It is also quite ironic that Lord Mountbatten was a firm believer that the reunification of Ireland was inevitable in the long term. If we are to move on as a nation, we must recognise our failings as we celebrate our achievements. I firmly believe that a fitting memorial should be erected indeed to all the victims of that tragic day. This is an incident in our history that needs closure.”
Sinn Féin councillor Padraig MacLochlainn said if the council put up a monument, it should be “mindful that well over 3,000 people from all sides lost their lives in the conflict. It would be wrong to erect a monument in relation to any one incident – it should be for all those who lost their lives if the objective is to achieve peace and reconciliation”.