1998 Banbridge bombing

{{Infobox terrorist attack

| partof = the Troubles

| title = 1998 Banbridge bombing

| image =

| caption =

| location = Banbridge, Northern Ireland

| map = {{Location map|UK Northern Ireland

|width = 250

|lat = 54.34855

|long = -6.270593

|marksize = 5

|label =Banbridge

}}

| target = Unionist owned businesses

| date = 1 August 1998

| time =

| timezone = UTC

| type = Car bomb

| fatalities = 0

| injuries = 35

| perp = Real IRA

}}

The 1998 Banbridge bombing was the explosion of a car bomb in the town of Banbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland on 1 August 1998. Thirty-three civilians and two Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers were injured in the attack in a busy shopping street that was later claimed by the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), a dissident Irish republican group.{{cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch98.htm|title=CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1998|first=Dr Martin|last=Melaugh|website=cain.ulst.ac.uk}}

The bomb containing {{cvt|500|lb|kg}} of explosives was inside a red Vauxhall Cavalier parked on Newry Street.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/northern_ireland/latest_news/143814.stm|title=BBC News - Latest News - Arson attacks follow bombing|website=news.bbc.co.uk}} A 20-minute telephone warning was given allowing the police to clear the town centre and potentially avoiding many fatalities, although the warning was "inadequate" and still led to many injuries.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ira-dissidents-are-suspected-of-being-behind-car-bomb-blast-in-banbridge-1.179463|title=IRA dissidents are suspected of being behind car-bomb blast in Banbridge|newspaper=The Irish Times }} The bomb severely damaged the heart of the town and shops in the area, causing an estimated £3.5 million of damage.{{cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/imported/bombed-banbridge-is-back-in-business-28288969.html|title=Bombed Banbridge is back in business|newspaper=Belfasttelegraph |via=www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk}}{{cite web|url=https://www.banbridgeleader.co.uk/news/readers-recall-awful-day-bombers-targeted-town-1-5355591|title=Readers recall awful day bombers targeted town|date=9 August 2013 }}

After the bombing, local residents, paramedics, and emergency services worked tirelessly to help the injured and clear the debris.{{Cite journal |last=Dingley |first=James |last2=Kirk-Smith |first2=Michael |date=2000-08-01 |title=How Could They Do It? : The Bombing Of Omagh, 1998 |url=https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/JCS/article/view/4336 |journal=Journal of Conflict Studies |language=en |issn=1715-5673}}

At the time it was the most damaging bomb attack since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April. Two weeks later, the Real IRA would carry out the Omagh bombing. Shortly afterwards, they had a ceasefire.

The town was targeted previously that year by the Continuity IRA in an attempted car bomb on 6 January 1998, which was safely defused after a warning.{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1998/jan/19/banbridge-bomb-incident|title=Banbridge Bomb Incident (Hansard, 19 January 1998)|website=api.parliament.uk}} Major bombings also had occurred there in 1991 and 1982.