Plaque unveiled in memory of bomb victims
December 2000
At precisely 6.22pm on 19 December the tolling bells of St Patrick’s Cathedral are a poignant reminder of the grief shared by the families of Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters as they gather for the unveiling of a commemorative inscription in honour of the two men who lost their lives during the 1975 Dundalk bombing.
It was at that moment 25 years earlier a car bomb exploded outside a pub opposite the town hall.
Chairman of Dundalk Urban District Council Cllr Pearse O’Hanrahan speaks of the mixed emotions which the families must be feeling.
‘Obviously, there is great sadness as the images of what happened on this night twenty-five years ago come flooding back.
‘ The shock, the horror, the disbelief, and then the numbing despair when once faces to the stark fact that a loved one has been taken away, in the most cruel and senseless way.’
Mr O’Hanrahan continues that Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters were decent, hard-working men, the kind of people who provide the backbone to any society.
Maisie Rooney, Jack’s wife, adds there isn’t a day that goes by that she doesn’t wait to see him crossing the door.
‘But I am glad the bombing has not been forgotten by the people of Dundalk, and we are very grateful to all those who put work into the unveiling of this plaque.’
Also present are representatives from the emergency services who responded to the incident including Dundalk fire service and gardaí.
They are joined by Hugh Brennan, husband of Nancy who tragically lost her life in a car accident the same night as she was travelling to operate the telephone exchange during the emergency.
‘Her death also leaves a vacant space in the lives of those who knew and loved her,’ the council chairman remarks.