The Bombing of Dublin's North Strand, 1941: The Untold Story

Kevin C. Kearns

ISBN 10: 0717146014 / ISBN 13: 9780717146017

Published by Gill, Ireland, Dublin, 2009

About this Item

On a gloriously starry night four bombs fell, the last and most devastating at precisely 2:05 a.m. on 31 May. There was a thunderous explosion and the earth quaked. Tremors were felt as far away as Enniskerry and Mullingar. Panic and pandemonium reigned in a city seized with fear. Destruction was astonishinghomes and shops in the North Strand were largely demolished, 2,250 buildings in the city suffered some bomb damage, over forty people were killed, about 100 seriously injured, many more wounded. Hospitals and morgues filled within hours. Almost 2,000 people were rendered homeless refugees. It would later be determined that in terms of destructive performance a monstrous perfect bomb had done the deed. For two-thirds of a century, no book was written on what the Evening Herald proclaimed a Night of Horror. Later called a seismic event in Dublins history. Finally, near the end of the century both the Irish Military Archive and Dublin City Archive declassified their documents on the bombing some stamped Secret for sixty years. At last, the theories and myths long surrounding the mysterious incident could be examined in the light of real evidence. But the heart of a book on so human a tragedy is the oral historical testimony of survivors, rescuers and observers who provide graphic eye-witness accounts. This is a narrative social history of immense human drama. An on-the-scene account of calamity, terror, heroism and survival. And a mystery lingering long thereafter. This is the untold tale of a great historical event and human tragedy that has long needed telling. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine.

Seller Inventory # GOR013175867

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Bombing of Dublin's North Strand, 1941: The Untold Story
• Publisher: Gill, Ireland, Dublin
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0717146014
• ISBN 13: 9780717146017
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Good
• Weight: 839 grams

About this title

Synopsis

On a gloriously starry night four bombs fell, the last and most devastating at precisely 2:05 a.m. on 31 May. There was a thunderous explosion and the earth quaked. Tremors were felt as far away as Enniskerry and Mullingar. Panic and pandemonium reigned in a “city seized with fear”.

Destruction was astonishing―homes and shops in the North Strand were largely demolished, 2,250 buildings in the city suffered some bomb damage, over forty people were killed, about 100 seriously injured, many more wounded. Hospitals and morgues filled within hours. Almost 2,000 people were rendered homeless refugees. It would later be determined that in terms of destructive performance a monstrous “perfect bomb” had done the deed.

For two-thirds of a century, no book was written on what the Evening Herald proclaimed a “Night of Horror”. Later called a “seismic event” in Dublin’s history. Finally, near the end of the century both the Irish Military Archive and Dublin City Archive declassified their documents on the bombing ― some stamped “Secret” for sixty years. At last, the theories and myths long surrounding the mysterious incident could be examined in the light of real evidence.

But the heart of a book on so human a tragedy is the oral historical testimony of survivors, rescuers and observers who provide graphic eye-witness accounts. This is a narrative social history of immense human drama. An on-the-scene account of calamity, terror, heroism and survival. And a mystery lingering long thereafter.

This is the untold tale of a great historical event and human tragedy that has long needed telling.

About the Author

Kevin C. Kearns, Ph.D., is a social historian and Professor Emeritus at the University of Northern Colorado. He has made over 40 research trips to Ireland, a number of which were funded by the National Geographic Society. Of his ten books on Dublin, five have been bestsellers, most notably Dublin Tenement Life: An Oral History which was number one on The Irish Times bestseller list for many weeks. He is the author of Dublin Voices: An Oral Folk History, Stoneybatter: Dublin’s Inner Urban Village, Ireland’s Arctic Siege: The Big Freeze of 1947 and The Bombing of Dublin’s North Strand: The Untold Story. His latest book, Lugs Branigan: Ireland's Most Famed Garda, was published in September 2014.