The RTÉ Studio bombing was a 1969 bomb attack carried out by the

Ulster Loyalist Ulster loyalism is a strand of Unionism in Ireland, Ulster unionism associated with working class Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland. Like other unionists, loyalists support the continued existence of Northern Ireland (and formerly all of I ...

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

group the

Ulster Volunteer Force The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalism, Ulster loyalist paramilitary group based in Northern Ireland. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former Royal Ulster Rifles soldier from North ...

(UVF) in Dublin, Ireland. It was the first Loyalist bombing in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

during

the Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

Background

In March and April 1969 the UVF and

Ulster Protestant Volunteers The Ulster Protestant Volunteers (UPV) were a loyalist and Reformed fundamentalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. They were active between 1966 and 1969 and closely linked to the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee (UCDC) and Ulste ...

(UPV) carried out a number of sabotage bombings in and around

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

and blamed them on the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

(IRA) in an attempt to get rid of the current

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

Stormont government who hardline Loyalists felt was too liberal towards

Irish nationalism Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...

Bombing

The attack took place on 5 August 1969 at 1:30am at the

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

television studios. The blast was heard over a wide area of Dublin city, even as far as Howth, seven miles away. RTÉ security officer Vincent Brien was knocked to the ground when he was standing 25 feet from the blast, but he was uninjured. The bomb is believed to have been planted at the rear wall of the studio building and little structural damage occurred except for the shattering of glass panels and some light interior damage. Hours earlier, on the previous day, a petrol bomb had damaged BBC headquarters in Belfast, while the RTÉ bomb was assessed as a plastic explosive. Later that morning, the main Irish daily newspapers carried front-page coverage of the blast.

Aftermath

This was the start of a Loyalist campaign of bombings in the Republic of Ireland that would continue until the mid-1970s, with the deadliest being the

Dublin and Monaghan bombings The Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974 were a series of co-ordinated bombings in Dublin and Monaghan, Ireland, carried out by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Three car bombs exploded in Dublin during the evening rush hour and a ...

which killed 34 civilians in May 1974. On 19 October 1969,

(UVF) and

member Thomas "Tommy" McDowell was electrocuted while planting a bomb at an electricity sub-station in

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 road (Ireland), N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 road (Ireland), N15 crosses the River Erne. The town was inc ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

. He died of his injuries three days later. On 24 October, the UVF claimed responsibility for both the Ballyshannon and RTÉ bombings. The statement read "the attempted attack was a protest against the Irish Army units still massed on the border in Co Donegal". The statement added: "so long as the threats from

Éire ( , ) is the Irish language name for "Ireland". Like its English counterpart, the term is used for both the island of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the sovereign state that governs 85% of the island's landmass. The latter is distinc ...

continue, so long will the volunteers of Ulster's people's army strike at targets in Southern Ireland". Until then the Irish security forces believed the RTÉ bombing was the work of

Irish republicans Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed various tactics and identities, simultaneously elective and militant and has been both w ...

who had a grudge against RTÉ. The UVF carried out two more bomb attacks in the Republic that year: on the

Wolfe Tone Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone (; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a revolutionary exponent of Irish independence and is an iconic figure in Irish republicanism. Convinced that, so long as his fellow Protestantism in ...

memorial in

Bodenstown Bodenstown Graveyard () is a cemetery located in County Kildare, Ireland. Containing a ruined medieval church, it is best known as the burial place of the Irish patriot Wolfe Tone (1763–1798). History The stone church dates to before 1352 ...

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

on 31 October, and on 26 December on the O'Connell Monument in Dublin. Six months after the RTÉ bombing, the UVF struck again at RTÉ. On 18 February 1970, it bombed a 240-foot radio mast on Mongorry (or Mongary) Hill, near

Raphoe Raphoe ( ; ) is a small town in County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan. It gave its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was l ...

, County Donegal, putting the transmitter out of action. The mast had allowed RTÉ radio signals to be broadcast into

. The UVF claimed responsibility the next day. UVF sabotage bombings continued sporadically in the Republic throughout 1970 and 1971.

References

Sources

*CAIN Web Service: A Chronology of the Conflict - 196
CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1969
* *

Jim Cusack Jim Cusack (2 November 1930 – 29 November 2019) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australi ...

& Henry McDonald (writer) - UVF: The Endgame {{coord missing, County Dublin 1969 in the Republic of Ireland Building bombings in the Republic of Ireland Explosions in 1969 August 1969 in Europe Attacks on buildings and structures in 1969 Terrorist incidents in Dublin (city) Terrorist incidents in Europe in 1969 Terrorist incidents in Ireland in the 1960s Ulster Volunteer Force actions RTÉ history 1960s building bombings 1969 crimes in the Republic of Ireland The Troubles in Dublin Attacks on mass media offices in Europe

Background

Bombing

Aftermath

See also

References

Sources