Ballygawley Land Mine Attack
| Ballygawley land mine attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Troubles | |
 |
|
| Location | Near Ballygawley, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Coordinates | 54°31′42″N 7°12′39″W / 54.52833°N 7.21083°WCoordinates: 54°31′42″N 7°12′39″W / 54.52833°N 7.21083°W |
| Date | 13 July 1983 19:00 p.m. |
| Target | Ulster Defence Regiment personnel |
|
Attack type
|
Roadside bomb |
| Deaths | 4 UDR soldiers |
|
Non-fatal injuries
|
0 |
| Perpetrator | Provisional IRA |
The Ballygawley land mine attack was a bomb attack carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) on the 13 July 1983. The IRA exploded a landmine under an Ulster Defense Regiment's (UDR) mobile patrol at Ballygawley Road, near Dungannon in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Four UDR soldiers were killed in the incident.
After the 1981 Irish hunger strike floods of recruits signed up to join the IRA. Republicans in Tyrone were especially angry over the death of Martin Hurson from the small Tyrone village of Cappagh, one of the small village's famous & well liked sons. Lots of young men flocked to join the East Tyrone Brigade to avenge Hurson's death. Some of those who joined after being radicalized by the Hunger Strike would go onto become famous IRA Volunteers like Declan Arthurs & Martin McCaughey who were both small children when the conflict broke out in 1969 and who died in SAS attacks; Arthurs at Loughgall police station in 1987 & McCaughy in a barn also in Loughgall in 1990. Cappagh was a stronghold for the IRA & Irish Republicans. The Cappagh Monument - In the middle of the Cappagh village is a monument to local people who were killed by British security forces and paramilitaries during The Troubles. It features a stone figure of a Provisional IRA volunteer, in front of a number of stone plaques commemorating various aspects of the conflict, such as the hunger strike of 1981 and local Republican guerrillas who died. The focal point is the plaque for eight Provisional IRA members who died during a gun and bomb attack on Loughgall Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, and are referred as the "Loughgall Martyrs" by locals and supporters. The monument reflects the srong Republican tradition of the village population & Cappagh village itself is mentioned in many Irish rebel songs.
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