The Brighton Bombing - the attempt to kill Margaret Thatcher
Irish History Podcast
Fin Dwyer
4.7 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 23 August 2023
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 1984, the Conservative Party, lead by the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, gathered in the seaside town of Brighton for their annual conference. In the early hours of October 12th a bomb ripped through the Grand Hotel where Thatcher and several other conservative leaders were staying.
The following day the Provisional IRA would claim responsibility for the attack. This triggered one of the largest manhunts in history. While the plan was audacious, the police operation to catch the IRA team that planted the bomb was extraordinary.
In this episode I am joined by Guardian journalist and author Rory Carroll to discuss the bombing, the wider historical context and the man hunt that followed. Rory has recent published an excellent book on the Brighton Bombing called Killing Thatcher the IRA, the manhunt and the Long War Against the Crown.
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My upcoming book 'A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders' will be released on September 14th 2023.
Pre-Order at Easons today and get 10% off when you use the coupon code FD10 https://www.easons.com/a-lethal-legacy-finbar-dwyer-9780008555993
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You can get Rory's book Killing Thatcher: The IRA, the Manhunt and the Long War on the Crown
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Sending your kids to university can be a roller coaster. |
| 0:03.4 | You're partly excited for them, possibly partly excited for you, |
| 0:07.1 | probably a bit nervous about letting them feed themselves. |
| 0:10.0 | And deep down, wondering if it's too soon to turn their room into a home cinema. |
| 0:14.3 | Unite students provides the ideal accommodation for your young adult to experience life outside the nest, |
| 0:20.4 | a place where they belong, with the independence they want, |
| 0:23.6 | and the support they occasionally need. |
| 0:25.9 | Find their room to thrive. |
| 0:27.8 | Search Unite Students' Parent Guide. |
| 0:39.9 | Hello and welcome to the Irish History Podcast. |
| 0:42.6 | My name is Finn DeWire. |
| 0:45.2 | While most episodes of this show focus on the more distant past, |
| 0:50.3 | this podcast looks at an event in Living Memory, the Brighton Bombing. |
| 0:55.0 | In 1984, the provisional IRA came within seconds of killing the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. |
| 1:01.8 | The bombing became one of the most high-profile incidents in the troubles |
| 1:06.0 | and has led to decades of speculation about what might have happened |
| 1:09.7 | had the attempt to be successful. |
| 1:12.4 | This year, Rory Carl, an author on the Arlington Correspondent for the Guardian newspaper, |
| 1:17.8 | published what is a gripping account of the bombing |
| 1:21.1 | and then the extraordinary manhunt that followed. |
| 1:24.4 | Now last week, I got to sit down with Rory for what was a riveting interview. |
| 1:29.3 | As you're about to hear, there are so many angles to this story |
... |
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