13 May 1980: Anthony Shields, 57-year-old Catholic civilian, single and a caretaker who worked at Newcell Paper Ltd was shot by the IRA. The IRA claimed that Mr Shields had passed on information about a landmine which enabled the army to defuse it. They said that Mr Shields was warned to leave the area or face the consequences. Three days earlier, Mr Shields was returning home at Conway Crescent around 10:30PM when he was taken from his car. As he was coming over the border from a pub, his car was stopped by 4 armed and masked men. They dragged Mr Shields from his car and fired a shot in the air and ordered the passengers to drive on. Gardaí passed the incident on to the RUC. Mr Shield’s body was found at Mounthill but wasnt recovered for 4 days. The army feared there may have been booby trap bombs placed in the area. After Mrshield’s body was removed, landmines were uncovered. LEST WE FORGET!
Posted on: Tue, 13 May 2014 08:03:07 +0000