INTERVIEWS We moved then from Castletown Cross to Dundalk. My father was on the Fire Brigade in Dundalk and we had to move into town and we Bridie went to the firemen’s houses in Market Street. Jack, my eldest brother, was in the army at the time and as my father grew older Jack O’Byrne eventually left the army. He got my father’s job in the Council driving on the fire brigade and nee Rooney, steamroller and things. boRn Roscommon, 1919 Then unfortunately in 1975 a bomb exploded in ’m Bridie O’Byrne - nee Crowes Street (Dundalk). I was working in the Echo at the time and I was outside the Jockeys Rooney. I was born in (pub) in Anne Street where 14 of us were going Glenmore, Castletown, out for a Christmas drink. It was about five minutes to six and the bomb went off. At that in Roscommon 90 time I didn’t know my brother was involved in years ago 1 . My it. We went home and everyone was talking Imother was Mary Harkin about the bomb and the bomb. The following day myself and my youngest son went into town from Roscommon and my to get our shopping. We went into Kiernan’s first father was Patrick Rooney to order the turkey and a man there asked me from Glenmore. I had two how my brother was and, Lord have mercy on Jack, he had been sick so I said, “Oh he’s grand. “Did you brothers Jack and Tom and He’s back to working again.” And then I got to not know my sister Molly; just four of White’s in Park Street and a woman there asked me about my brother and I said to her, “Which that your us in the family. I lived there of my brothers?” And the woman on the other until I was three when we side of me said, “Did you not know that your brother brother was in the bomb explosion last night.” I was in moved to Castletown Cross. nearly died. I just ran out of the shop with We were very happy and we Patrick and came home. I think it was Fr. the bomb were a contented family. We Hackett was here at the time, he was waiting outside the house for me and he took me up to explosion had everything a family the hospital to see him. That was how I heard last could want. We had eight about Jack. night.” cows, hens and pigs, butter, It was a terrible time. The nuns were in the milk and everything and we hospital and they said to me not to tell my were well off. I never knew mother because she was elderly and I didn’t tell her. He lived for three days but they couldn’t get what it was like to be poor the shrapnel of the car out of his side. They until I got married I have to worked as hard as they could on him but they couldn’t save his life. I was there with him when tell you the truth. he died. It was a terrible time. I look back on it and it was a terrible day. I used to have a bicycle and I went from here to the hospital on my bicycle and from there I went down to my mother’s little bungalow in Ladywell Square. When I went into the house she said to me, “Bridie what’s wrong?” And I said, “Nothing’s 1 Born in 1919 INTERVIEWS wrong.” I was trying to hide what had Ireland; whatever went on with our happened, that he had died. I was only into the government here and the army there. I don’t house and the two nuns came in behind me and know what went on. It was like secret service they said, “Oh Mrs Rooney, poor Jack, poor at the time and he would never tell you what it Jack.” And she said, “Bridie why didn’t you tell was. Anyway I think they are sworn to secrecy me? I knew there was something wrong.” And in the army, that you couldn’t talk about what I told her the truth. I said, “The nuns had told went on with the officers. That was Jack’s job me not to tell you.” when he was in the army, driving Captain Stack up and down across the border. That was the When we did hear about it (Jack being in the only thing we had to do with the trouble at the explosion) I rang Maura, Jack’s daughter, and time. Then we were told it was the Red Hand she said that they were very confused that night Commandos 2 that planted the bomb. We were because Jack was to take Maisie, his wife, to the never really told much about it. The Guards Christmas draw; they won a turkey that year never came to me and Maura was saying that but they didn’t get going. They hadn’t a clue nobody went to her either or the mother after because he should have been home after six it. The government said they would pay for o’clock and didn’t come home. They were funeral expenses and anything that was round everywhere; Maura’s husband was incurred but they didn’t pay for anything. Like round everywhere and they didn’t find him and nobody even came near us, even nuns or priests. I just then they went to the hospital and he was there. The only one that came was Fr Hackett and it was that day that I went to town to get me couldn’t It was a terrible Christmas because he was shopping. He was waiting at the door when I buried on Christmas Eve; that was the Friday got home to take me to the hospital. My mother understand before Christmas he died and he was buried on didn’t go to the hospital at all; the nuns it; a woman Christmas Eve. The weather was very bad and wouldn’t let her go up there to see him and then my mother was in terrible shock over it. She they didn’t want her to go to the funeral so she that was wasn’t able to go to the funeral. It took a terrible didn’t get going at all. It was just as well too left like that lot out of the whole of us. My mother kept because he was in Quinn’s Funeral Parlour and asking where was Jack, where was Jack; she I went in to see him. I was in and out at with a bomb couldn’t get over that he hadn’t gone to see her different times with him but I remember the day explosion for Christmas. She just went senile. It was such before he was buried. I was there and I lifted up a terrible shock on the family; the whole lot of the sleeve of the shroud on his left arm where and to say us. he had got all the thing (shrapnel) and, Lord have mercy on him, his arm was all decaying that the Jack was walking past the town hall (when the where the shrapnel was in it and they hadn’t priests bomb went off) and Hugh Waters (also killed been able to get it out. He couldn’t have lived, in the explosion) was coming out of the pub. just couldn’t. wouldn’t go He was a tailor and he was after taking in to her or trousers for the man in the pub, Mulligan. He Nobody went near them (Jack’s family). Even had just left the trousers into the pub and got the priest didn’t go to Maisie, his wife, or the Guards paid for them and got on his bicycle to go home anything. I was telling Maisie about the priest when the bomb went off. He was at the door of coming here to me every first Friday. At the either. the pub and Jack was walking past at the town time she had been living there in Cox’s hall; just past the doors of the town hall it Demesne and she said that no priest had been happened. When the car blew up most of it going to her. Even when she moved over the went over the road and into Jack’s side; all bridge to one of them little houses, they never down his left side and what didn’t go into his went there to her either. I just couldn’t body went up on top of the town hall. understand it; a woman that was left like that with a bomb explosion and to say that the When Jack was in the army he used to drive priests wouldn’t go to her or the Guards either. Captain Stack up and down to Northern I was amazed that the Guards didn’t come here 2 Loyalist paramilitary organisation. INTERVIEWS to me being who I was like, Bridie Rooney. I they were good. They all came to the funeral know I was O’Byrne (married name), but still and the bosses were there; they sent a wreath. you would have thought they would have come The army were there. They all came to Jacks’ because I was the only sister he had here. house and that, you know, and they went to the People in Belfast knew more about it – Molly funeral.