Film on bombing that killed Clara youth set to be screened locally

A documentary on the Dublin Monaghan bombings due to be screened in Tullamore next week will include a segment on the 1972 Belturbet Bombing, which claimed the life of 16-year old Patrick Stanley from Clara.

The feature length documentary, titled “Anatomy of a Massacre” will be screened in Esker Arts Centre at 8pm on Friday, October 18 next, and will feature an interview with the tragic Clara youth's sister, Susan Stanley, who, along with other members of her family, has campaigned tirelessly to bring the perpretrators of the Belturbet Bombing to justice.

Susan is a member of the 'Justice for the Forgotten' group which was established in 1996 by the bereaved families and survivors of both the Dublin Monaghan Bombings and the Belturbet Bombing with the aim of campaigning for truth and justice for the victims of the two atrocities.

As well as claiming the life of Patrick Stanley, the no warning 100lb bomb which exploded at 10.28pm on December 28, 1972 in Belturbet also claimed the life of 15-year-old Geraldine O'Reilly, whose relatives were also interviewed for the powerful documentary.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent this week, Susan Stanley said all her family and the families of the other bombing victims want is for “the truth to come out” and for the perpretrators behind both the Dublin Monaghan Bombings and the bomb in Belturbet which claimed the life of her brother and ripped her family apart to be brought to justice.

“Anything that keeps the spotlight on the bombings is most welcome,” she said, adding that she was “delighted” that a segment on the Belburbet Bombing was included in the documentary which is currently being screened at selected locations around the country.

'Anatomy of a Massacre' which is directed by award-winning filmmaker, Joe Lee and produced by Fergus Dowd, primarily tells the story of the Dublin Monaghan Bombings on May 17, 1974 when a total of 34 people, including an unborn baby, lost their lives in a series of deadly no warning bomb explosions.

Families and survivors who have spent decades campaigning for justice for their loved ones tell their compelling stories of what life was like for them in the wake of the explosions, for which nobody has ever been charged. Susan Stanley's contribution to the documentary tells a similar story, as nobody has ever been brought to justice for the death of her brother and of Geraldine O'Reilly in Belturbet over 50 years ago.

Tickets for 'Anatomy of a Massacre' are priced at €8 each and are available for purchase from Esker Arts Centre.