The Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which occurred on a busy Friday, were designed to cause maximum loss of life, writes Christine Newman
During the rush-hour on a busy Friday evening in Dublin just as people were going home from their offices and the shops, three car-bombs exploded in the heart of the city-centre.
The devastating explosions killed 26 people and shattered the lives of their families and the hundreds of injured.
The evening was May 17th, 1974, and the bombs ripped through Parnell Street, Talbot Street and South Leinster Street.Later on the same day, a fourth car-bomb exploded in Monaghan, where seven people were killed.
The atrocities are the single greatest loss of life in recent times in the island of Ireland.
On that Friday it was a warm spring day. There was a city bus strike on and so more cars were in the city and parking was more difficult than ever. As people made their way home from their offices, places of work and the shops, the bombs exploded without any warning in the rush-hour traffic. They were designed to cause maximum loss of life. Many of the hundreds of injured were maimed for life.
Among the dead was an entire family - a mother, father and their two baby daughters, who were killed in Parnell Street.
According to some reports, the cars that were used in the bombings were hijacked in Northern Ireland. A blue Ford Escort was parked in Talbot Street near the Lower Gardiner Street junction. In Parnell Street, a green Avenger with Northern plates was parked. A green Austin 1800 with Northern plates was parked in South Leinster Street near Lincoln Place.
The bombs in Talbot Street and Parnell Street exploded at almost the same time, without warning. The emergency services were on the scene in minutes. As they began to deal with the deaths and injuries on the northside of the city, a third explosion ripped through South Leinster Street on the southside.
Nearly an hour and a half later, a car-bomb exploded outside Greacen's pub in North Road, Monaghan town, killing seven people.
Gardaí set up roadblocks and searched all transport, particularly in Border areas. A special Garda Task Force was established to collate data and begin investigations.
Members of the Government were recalled to Government Buildings for an emergency session at 6.30 p.m. and the then Taoiseach, Mr Liam Cosgrave, went on television and radio in an address to the nation in which he condemned the atrocity and all paramilitaries.
No one ever claimed responsibility for the bombings. Over the years, there have been allegations of collusion by the British security forces but nothing has ever been proven.
Nobody was ever charged in connection with the murders. The bombing of Dublin and Monaghan remains the largest unsolved crime since the foundation of the State.
Last year, Mr Justice Barron was assigned to look into the bombings in an independent investigation. Part of the remit of the Barron inquiry is to try to establish whether the British security services assisted the UVF in the attack. The report is expected to be published in September.