Film to be shown in Offaly features story of Belturbet bombing
A documentary on the Dublin Monaghan bombings which includes a segment on the 1972 Belturbet Bombing that claimed the life of 16-year old Patrick Stanley from Clara, will be screened in Esker Arts Centre in Tullamore next week.
The feature-length documentary, titled “Anatomy of a Massacre” will be screened in Esker Arts Centre at 8pm on Friday week, January 24 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 perpetrators of the Belturbet Bombing to justice.
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.
Susan Stanley 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 two atrocities.
'Anatomy of a Massacre' which runs for 95 minutes, is directed by award-winning filmmaker, Joe Lee and produced by Fergus Dowd. It 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' - which was originally due to be screened in Esker Arts ast October - are priced at €8 each (+ booking fee) and are available for purchase from Esker Arts Centre or online at www.eskerarts.ie