Death of Samuel Donegan

Samuel Donegan (20 November 1911 – 8 June 1972) was a member of the Garda Síochána who was killed by a booby-trap bomb left by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1972.

Early life

Samuel Donegan was born on 20 November 1911, and was a native of Ballintampen near Longford in County Longford, Eire.

Garda career

Donegan joined the Garda Siochana at the age of 23 years old on 4 September 1934, being issued with the Service No.8586. He received a promotion to the rank of Sergeant in 1952. He had served attached to Garda stations in County Mayo and County Sligo in the early part of his career, until being promoted to the rank of Inspector in 1967, when he was transferred to the County Cavan district.[1]

Booby-trap at Drumboghangh

On 8 June 1972 Donegan was leading Garda patrol in conjunction with an Irish Defence Force detachment on the Ireland-Ulster border between County Cavan and County Fermanagh. In the Drumboghanagh neighbourhood to the South of Newtownbutler they found a tea-crate apparently abandoned in the road painted with comical style lettering saying BOMB!, which on examination turned out to be empty. Further along the country lane the patrol found a second identical tea-crate, which suddenly detonated whilst they were examining it, the blast killing Donegan and badly wounding the leader of the Irish Army patrol, Lt. John Gallagher.[2]Donegan was in his 37th year of police service, and was 61 years of age.[3]

Personal life

He left a family of a wife and adult 6 children.

Subsequent events

In January 2013, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams issued a statement in which he apologised on behalf of the IRA to the families of Gardai and the families of all members of state forces injured or killed by the Provisional IRA, but denied knowledge of who was responsible for planting the bomb that had killed Inspector Donegan.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Garda Siochana Roll of Honour, Garda Siochana website, entry for Samuel Donegan. https://www.garda.ie/en/About-Us/Our-History/Roll-Of-Honour/Roll-Of-Honour-description/Donegan-Samuel.html
  2. ↑ 'I forgive the men who blew me up', 'Daily Mail', 28 June 2010.
  3. ↑ Garda Siochana Roll of Honour, Garda website 2018. https://www.garda.ie/en/About-Us/Our-History/Roll-of-Honour/Roll-of-Honour-description/Donegan-Samuel.html
  4. ↑ 'Adams denies involvement in IRA murders', 'Independent.ie.', 30 April 2013. http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/adams-denies-involvement-in-ira-murders-29230176.html
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