Dublin/Monaghan bombings inquests: A witness at the inquests on the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings has said she heard two men congratulating each other on a job well done, just minutes after the bombs at Parnell Street and Talbot Street exploded on May 17th, 1974.
Ms Ann Lawlor told the inquests in Dublin yesterday that she gave gardaí clear and detailed descriptions of the men and was able to positively identify one of them from photographs shown to her by officers. However, she was never called to an identification parade.
Ms Lawlor was working as a hairdresser in Peter Mark's salon in O'Connell Street at the time. She had just left work shortly before 5.30 p.m. when she heard the explosion in Parnell Street.
She stepped back into the salon and waited a few minutes until she thought it was safe to leave. She walked down O'Connell Street and turned left into Cathedral Street. She noticed two men meeting at the junction of Marlborough Street and Cathedral Street, one having walked from the direction of Parnell Street and the other from Talbot Street.
"I was walking towards Marlborough Street and I saw these two men meet. They both shook hands and slapped each other on the back. I heard the smaller of the men say either 'That was great' or 'Wasn't it great'."
The men began walking towards her, and she heard the taller of the two speak.
"He said, Great job, well done' and that was what stuck in my mind."
The men then seemed to notice her looking at them, and the taller one nudged his partner. "I got the impression he was very keen to be off with himself when he saw me watching."
They walked quickly by her, and she turned to see them go left into O'Connell Street.
Her attention was drawn to the men because they were behaving differently from everyone else in the vicinity.
"What struck me most was the way they were acting. The bomb had only just gone off, and they were the only two men who weren't in a state of shock."
The smaller of the two was between 26 and 30. He had medium-length brown hair that was clean and shiny, she said. He had a thin pointed nose and a pointed chin, but a round face. He was "unusually pale" and seemed excited.
He had a good speaking voice, and while she could not identify his accent, it was not a Dublin or a "country" accent, she said.
The taller man seemed between 28 and 33. He was of thin build. He had a high forehead with combed-back black hair and a receding hairline.
He was unshaven, with about two days of beard growth. He had a ruddy complexion and a protruding chin. He was scruffy untidy and "slightly rough-looking".
He had a deeper rougher voice than the smaller man, but spoke too quietly for Ms Lawlor to discern an accent.
A couple of weeks after the incident a garda called to Ms Lawlor's home and showed her "mug shots".
She identified a man she believed to be the taller man and was able to give "a likeness" of the smaller man. She was not subsequently called to view an identification parade.
