On 10th May 1943 19 young men from the
Donegal Gaeltacht were killed when a sea-mine exploded on Ballymanus strand, a
few miles from the village of Mullaghduff. It was always thought locally that the tragedy could have been averted
had the local authorities followed procedures relating to the clearance of
mines. While a number of surviving
relatives persist in seeking an apology from the state, shocking material has
emerged that demonstrates that a number of prominent locals and senior
government figures combined to ensure that the full facts of the incident would
never emerge. This is the full story of
the Ballymanus mine disaster.