Gardai commemorate 50th anniversary of local bombing

An Garda Síochána on Friday marked the 50th anniversary of the Garryhinch bombing, on the Laois and Offaly border, which occurred on October 16, 1976.

The commemoration was held to remember Garda Michael Clerkin, who lost his life in the line of duty.

The ceremony also remembered his colleagues, Sergeant Jim Cannon, Detective Garda Tom Peters, Garda Gerry Bohan and Detective Garda Ben Thornton, some of whom were seriously injured in the explosion.

Gardai had received an anonymous call claiming IRA members were at an abandoned farmhouse in Garryhinch, and were planning an attack on then TD, Oliver J. Flanagan.

Five Garda members attended the scene and as Garda Clerkin entered the building, explosive were detonated, and he was killed instantly.

Those in attendance at the ceremony included Deputy Garda Commissioner Paul Cleary, Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman, Chief Superintendent Anthony Lonergan, Superintendent Brian Farrell, former Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan and Tom Conway, President of the Garda Síochána Retired Members’ Association.

Chief Supt Lonergan highlighted that the day’s event was about remembering people who served, were courageous and who suffered in the line of duty, and in the case of Garda Clerkin, made the ultimate sacrifice.

"I assure you that we will remember the impact that this event has had on An Garda Síochána, on you as families, and indeed the wider community,” he said.

"We remember Garda Michael Clerkin who was killed in the explosion that night,” said Deputy Commissioner Cleary, before also acknowledging three of the other members who passed away in the interim: Detective Garda Tom Peters (who passed away in 2018), Detective Garda Ben Thornton (who passed away in 2024) and Sergeant Jim Cannon (who passed away in 2025).

"Since our last major commemoration we have lost three of the members who experienced those events,” he said.

"We remember them today and with respect and gratitude, we extend our thoughts to their families,” he added.

Deputy Commissioner Cleary then commented: "We are also thinking of Garda Gerry Bohan who is unable to join us today, and we send him our warmest wishes.”

In 2017 the five members involved in the tragedy were awarded Gold Scott Medals in recognition of their courage.

Deputy Commissioner Cleary said that was very important but added: "No medal can fully capture what a person experiences in such circumstances, of the lasting impact on the person who was injured and on those who loved them.

"The Garryhinch bombing stands as one of the most shocking atrocities of the Troubles. It took place at a time of great tension and uncertainty in this country, against a backdrop of emergency measures and serious threats to the security of the state.”

He said the consequences of what happened that night in 1976 didn’t end when the immediate danger had passed and that the impact of the explosion was profound.

"We must acknowledge that, despite a comprehensive investigation and an arrest, nobody has been made amenable for Garda Clerkin’s murder or for the grievous injuries inflicted on his and our colleagues,” said Deputy Commissioner Cleary.

"That remains a painful and deeply significant reality,” he added.

"Garda Clerkin deserves to be remembered, not only for the circumstances in which he died, but for the life he lived and the service he gave.”

A wreath-laying ceremony also formed part of the day’s events with the formalities brought to a close with a playing of ‘The Last Post’ and ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’.