In my last post I wrote a little about the Dublin-Monaghan bombings that occurred 40 years ago during the Ulster Worker's Council (UWC) strike. I did not add that I was pregnant with my first child at this time. Perhaps it was being pregnant that made me feel so thin-skinned about everything that had happened. I remember walking at dusk feeling as if a cloud of dread was enveloping me. I felt terribly apprehensive to be bringing new life into the world at such a dangerous and precarious time.
Daddy brought the terrible news to us. A young man, Michael Mallon, from Cargin, near Toome, had been found beaten and shot on the outskirts of Belfast. He was twenty years old, a student at Queen's University in Belfast. I did not know Mickey but my sister did and our family knew his family. My father and my sister went to his funeral. So did my Uncle Sean, who is supposed to have remarked that the funeral was a big one and he hoped not to be at such a one for a very long time. His own funeral would be held less than a week later.
Mickey Mallon was the closest that the Troubles had come to us but it would be closer again within days. I will write about it on the anniversary.
Michael Joseph Mallon was found murdered, at the age of 20, forty years ago today.
3 comments:
Those not touched by tragedy have no idea...
I am so sorry about this. Thank you for writing and telling us about it.
Forty years later... we are moving on. Hopefully to something far better. Does it add some perspective to consider that the entire island of Ireland is about the same size as the state of Indiana? And our little six county province, part of the United Kingdom, is only about 20% of the entire island. A lot of troubles in a small place. There is probably no one here over the age of forty who has not been directly affected and, because of the number of service personnel killed, many soldiers and their families in England, Scotland and Wales.
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