Latest / The Irish History Boys
The IRA Bombing That Shook Northern Ireland’s Free Press
In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we reflect on the September 1976 IRA bomb attack on the Belfast Telegraph offices and the tragic death of 60-year-old print worker Joe Patton. We examine how rival publications—including the nationalist Irish News —stood in unprecedented solidarity to defend a free press against paramilitary intimidation.
We analyze this targeted attack within the context of 1976's grim violence, highlighting the rare targeting of journalists during the Troubles and the paper's defiance in publishing its famous four-page "Penny Marvel" edition straight from the…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.