NORTH STRAND WW2 BOMBING MEMORIAL [BESIDE THE COLLEGE]

31 May 2011: A memorial garden dedicated to those who lost their lives in bombing of Dublin's North Strand was re-opened to mark the 70th anniversary of the incident.

This park may come as a surprise to most people and it is a great pity that it is usually locked. One wonders what ‘re-opened’ actually means. The process appears to be as follows:
[1] Discuss for many years about the possibility of establishing a memorial park.
[2] Have a big opening just before a general election.
[3] Forget to maintain the park.
[4] Close the park because of anti-social behaviour.
[5] Repeat the process especially if the memorial is located in the North Side of the city.

At approximately 2 am on 31 May 1941, four German bombs dropped on north Dublin. One bomb fell in the Ballybough area, demolishing the two houses at 43 and 44 Summerhill Park, injuring many but with no loss of life. A second fell at the Dog Pond pumping works near the Zoo in Phoenix Park, with no casualties but damaging Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of the Irish President (Douglas Hyde at the time). A third made a large crater in the North Circular Road near Summerhill, again causing no injuries. A fourth fell in North Strand destroying 17 houses and severely damaging about 50 others, the worst damage occurring in the area between Seville Place and Newcomen Bridge. The raid claimed the lives of 28 people, injured 90, destroyed or damaged approximately 300 houses, and left 400 people homeless.

It has never been established why Hitler's forces dropped bombs; if it was an attempt to force Ireland into war, or a reprisal for the assistance given by Dublin Fire Brigade during the Belfast Blitz.

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