1972: Caught On Camera - IRA Hotel Bomb

'On This Day 1972: Caught On Camera - IRA Hotel Bomb'

The Europe Hotel in Belfast was attacked by the IRA, who detonated a bomb in a hijacked van.

It endured 36 attacks during The Troubles - making it the most bombed hotel in the world at that time.

#Belfast #EuropaHotel #IRA #Troubles #Interview #History #Short

[killerkitten]

Bombed 36 times and still open for business? Those hotel clerks are really dedicated lol

[Chineseturtlemouse]

Least violent day in Northern Ireland:

Props to the cameraman. That guy has balls of steel.

[cathedralImages]

If your mate was selling his car and it was rough looking they would say " ffs its been hit more times than the europa hotel " lol

[MD-tykc]

When you ask for an 8am wake up call from the hotel we take is seriously in belfast 😂😂😂😂😂

[ATLmodK]

Most bombed hotel in Europe still offering rooms at exorbitant rates.

[aidanafshar]

"Half the fookin armys out here Franky"

[bigmanted]

Casually having my volume up to hear the interview AND THEN

[Rushexe]

*knock knock*
Who is it?
Car service
Car service? We're in a hotel, don't you mean room service?
... Ah yeah sure whatever, open the door please.

[frasermckevitt]

Man the Irish are so nice to me despite being a Brit they even bought me a car

[hugostiglitz]

The cameraman barely flinched and the person being interviewed dived behind the cameraman!!😂😂

[MP-pofj]

madness to think how my parents and GPs lived through this daily 60s 70s to 90s.. Became hardened to it

[jimcazador]

When we heard a bomb go of in the city we used to try and guess where it happened, it was so casual for us.

[hush]

My great aunt was blown up by the IRA. Was a catholic too

Story goes:

An ira man stole her next door apartment neighbors ID, robbed a nearby store then dropped it to frame him

In his apartment (they had already kidnapped and murdered the man) they rigged bombs that would go off upon opening the door

My great aunt decided "I havent seen him in a while, im gonna go check on him" so she went with another neighbor, knocked on the door and didnt get a response

Eventually she just tried entering, turned the handle and was immediately blown to bits, only my granny was allowed to see the body to identify it and said it was beyond words, and that there was so so little left of her yet it was so clear who it was

[shaun]

Jesus the Irish knew how to make bomb's, nearly dropped my phone with the fright i got,

[whyamisad]

"Oh Ireland is a very funny place, sir,
it's a strange and a troubeled land"

[ninmachine]

The IRA tried recruiting the stoic cameraman the next day

[Baha]

If that was my alarm clock I'd still sleep in

[LightingMouse]

"Hey kids do you want to live forever?"

[AnonAnonAnon]

I served in Belfast in the 90s and when off duty on a Sunday I used to go to the nightclub that was in the basement of this hotel. On one side of the night club was Loyalists, the other Republican. Never seen any fights. Great nights in there.