The Troubles in Limavady
Four people were killed in violence relating to the Northern Ireland Troubles in the town of Limavady, County Londonderry. All were Protestants, and all were killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA, better known as the IRA). One was a prison officer and one was a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer. The other two victims were civilians killed by a van bomb explosion outside the Limavady RUC base on 28 March 1972. They were driving past at the time of the attack.
The Catholic Church of Christ the King in Limavady was also bombed, by loyalist paramilitaries in October 1981, as it was nearing completion. Reverend David Armstrong, the minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Limavady, across the road from the Church of Christ the King, publicly offered his sympathy to the Catholic congregation following the attack. Armstrong's congregation and others in the local Protestant community reacted with hostility, and Armstrong was forced to leave his church and Northern Ireland. Reverend Armstrong stated in an interview with The Irish News, on October 7, 2008, that after he was forced to leave his home he was given money by Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich to help him resettle. [1]
References
- NI Conflict Archive on the Internet
- The Church of Christ the King bombing and its aftermath
- The Irish News (October 7, 2008)