Belturbet remembers

50th anniversary commemoration to take place at 12 noon.

The town of Belturbet will today commemorate the 50th anniversary of the loyalist car bombing attack that killed two teenagers.

Age 15 years, Geraldine O’Reilly was inside Slowey's chip shop when the estimated 100lb bomb packed into a red-coloured Ford Escort, parked near the town's post office, exploded at 10:28pm on December 28, 1972.

Patrick Stanley (16) from Clara, Co Offaly also died that night. A gas delivery assistant, he was in a phone box nearby having stopped off to call his family and let them know he'd be late home.

Close to a dozen more people were also seriously injured by the blast.

The 50th anniversary commemoration of the bombing will take place at 12 noon on December 28, 2022, with a wreath laying ceremony conducted at the memorial erected in the centre of Belturbet in memory of Geraldine and Patrick.

Cavan County Council is involved in organising the ceremony, in liaison with Margaret Urwin of Justice for the Forgotten, who has advocated on behalf of the families of Geraldine and Patrick as well as other families of victims of the Northern conflict.

Frank Shouldice, who directed the RTÉ Investigates programme ‘Belturbet: A Bomb That Time Forgot’, has been invited as guest speaker, as has Ms Urwin.

Cathaoirelach John Paul Feeley, will address the event on behalf of Cavan County Council who is organising the commemoration together with Justice for the Forgotten.