Coleraine set to commemorate those killed in 1973 IRA car bomb
An act of remembrance and unveiling of a permanent sculpture is happening at Coleraine Town Hall
Last updated 12th Jun 2023
A remembrance service is happening in Coleraine, County Londonderry, to mark 50 years since a double car bombing in the town.
Six civilians all aged over 60 were killed and more than 30 other people injured in the attack by the Provisional IRA.
All those injured or killed were caught up in the first explosion, which went off on Railway Road.
A few minutes later another car bomb went off in Hanover Place.
'A waste of a life. A waste of six lives.'
Barbara Crockett’s Aunt Elizabeth Palmer (60) was one of the victims killed that day.
Ms Palmer, who was engaged, worked in hospitality all her life, and was working in a shop on Railway Road.
Mrs Crockett said her aunt was not supposed to be working but was filling in for her boss.
She told Downtown/ Cool FM that her aunt was a “remarkable woman” who moved from Belfast once she felt violence had escalated further in the city.
She said: “She was a great baker, a great family person. If her family was happy, she was happy.
“It could have been worse my brother would have helped her stock-up the shelves at night and he was to be there that day, only he had an A-level exam, or he would have been killed too.
“I was 14 at the time and it just doesn’t seem like 50 years. A waste of a life. A waste of six lives.
“She was a loss; she was engaged to be married and all that was taken away.”
Memorial
Victims’ families have campaigned for a permanent memorial for years.
David Gilmour spearheaded the effort up until he died last year aged 59 from cancer.
Mr Gilmour was 10 years old at the time and he was sitting in a car across the street when the first device exploded.
Last year a plaque in the ground was unveiled in Coleraine town centre which Mr Gilmour was there to see.
However, Mrs Crockett thinks it is a shame he will not be present today (Monday) to see the final memorial.
She said: “he said he was delighted that he was able to see that. But it is just unfortunate it has taken this long.”
“I just go down to Coleraine the day of the bomb and just thing. It will be nice now to have a memorial that you can go to.”
An act of remembrance and unveiling of a permanent Memorial Sculpture is happening at 3pm at Coleraine Town Hall.
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