{{Short description|Five Irish republicans killed in 1957}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} thumb|A commemorative print to the five men killed. The Celtic cross in the centre is part of the monument at the site of the explosion in Louth.
The '''Edentubber Martyrs''' were five Irish republicans killed on 11 November 1957 during a premature landmine explosion in Edentubber, County Louth, Ireland.<ref>{{cite book |last=English |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K-XsIheKNYIC&q=edentubber+martyrs&pg=PA74 |title=Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA |date= |publisher=Pan Macmillan |year=2008 |isbn=9780330475785 |via=Google Books}}</ref> According to Tim Pat Coogan, it was the “single biggest disaster of the whole campaign.”<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coogan |first1=Tim Pat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z4_vCgAAQBAJ&q=edentubber+county+louth&pg=PA315 |title=The IRA |date= |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2002 |isbn=9780312294168 |language=en |accessdate=21 August 2017}}</ref>
During the Border Campaign, four IRA men were preparing a landmine in a cottage on the side of a hill overlooking the border. The cottage was owned by a fifty-five year-old civilian, Michael Watters, who had allowed them to use his cottage for their operation. The four IRA members were Oliver Craven, Paul Smith, George Keegan and Patrick Parle. The likely cause of the detonation was a malfunction with the timing mechanism, and all five were killed instantly. It was the biggest loss to the IRA since the Irish civil war.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=Brendan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vFiNAwAAQBAJ&q=edentubber+county+louth&pg=PT117 |title=Joe Cahill: A Life in the IRA |last2=Cahill |first2=Joe |date= |publisher=O'Brien Press |year=2012 |isbn=9781847174284 |language=en |accessdate=21 August 2017}}</ref> Garda Síochána found three Thompson sub-machine guns and magazines at the scene.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/9388|title=The Edentubber Martyrs - An Phoblacht|website=www.anphoblacht.com}}</ref>
They are commemorated annually by Sinn Féin<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/32154|title=Edentubber Martyrs speech in full|website=www.sinnfein.ie|access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref> and Republican Sinn Féin.<ref>{{cite web |last=Republican SINN FÉIN Poblachtach |date=6 November 2016 |title=Edentubber Martyrs & Mayo Martyrs Commemorated |url=https://republicansinnfein.org/2016/11/06/edentubber-martyrs-mayo-martyrs-commemorated/ |publisher=}}</ref>
Prior to the explosion, IRA member Robert Kehoe visited the cottage and told Paul Smith that he thought that the alarm clocks should not be used, but their concerns were dismissed. He said that as they left Paddy Parle was singing “Erin my own lovely land”.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPn9WA715jA|title=The Edentubber Martyrs|last=Saoirse Éireann|date=10 January 2015|publisher=|via=YouTube}}</ref>
==See also== *History of County Louth
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:1957 deaths Category:Deaths by improvised explosive device in the Republic of Ireland Category:Irish Republican Army (1922–1969) members Category:1957 crimes in the Republic of Ireland Category:1957 disasters in Europe Category:1950s disasters in Ireland Category:1957 in Irish politics Category:November 1957 in Europe Category:Bombers (people)