ON SATURDAY 14 APRIL 1979, three boys were killed and 10 other children injured when an Army shell exploded in the Glen of Imaal, a rugged, scenic area of the western Wicklow mountains.
The victims were part of a group of children and youth leaders from St Mary’s Youth Club in Lucan who had travelled to the Glen for the Easter weekend to hike up Lugnaquilla, one of Ireland’s highest mountains.
Along the way, the group entered Defence Forces lands. As well as being a popular destination for tourists and hikers, 6,000 acres of the Glen is used as Ireland’s largest Defence Forces live firing range.
They came across an old tank that was in use at the time as a target, and one of the boys picked up an object that he thought might be a part of an engine or the starter motor of a vehicle. Later, another …