Tobias Molloy

Tobias Molloy 18 years, Fountain Street, Strabane, killed by a rubber bullet during the early hours of Sunday, 16 July 1972. The fatal bullet was fired by a British soldier at the ‘Camels Hump’ checkpoint on the border between Lifford, County Donegal, and Strabane, County Tyrone.

Tobias was the youngest of a family with two sons. His father died when he was nine-years-old, and when his older brother Patrick went to England to work his mother said Tobias became the man of the house. Mrs Molly, speaking to Relatives for Justice in the mid 1990s, described her son as quiet boy, who, because of ill-health when growing up, was often unable to attend school. When he left school she said he wanted to be a machine mechanic in one of the many sewing factories in and around Strabane at the time. He attended technical college, but after achieving his City and Guilds was unable to find work in his hometown. He travelled to England to find work but soon returned, opting to go Galway City and begin a further course in mechanics. His mother said that when he was at college in Galway, he told her the college authorities were considering sending him to Germany. Asked by the RFJ how she felt about her son’s killing, she said ‘it was a long time ago, but he was my world and my everything; but sure don’t all mother’s think that of their children.’

On the night he was killed Tobias had just left his girl friend to her home in Lifford and was returning alone back over the border to Strabane when he was shot at point blank range with a rubber bullet. A friend, who was with Tobias earlier in evening, waited on the Strabane side of the border for him to return, just in case he was stopped or arrested by British soldiers stationed in the fortified base at the ‘Camel’s Hump,’ which monitored all movements between the North and South.

Around the same time as Tobias was killed a number of youths, returning to Strabane from a dance at the Inter Counties Hotel in Lifford, began throwing stones from the Lifford side, at British soldiers manning the checkpoint on the ‘Camels Hump’. The stone throwing was of a minor nature, however, when news that a youth had been shot by soldiers reached the dance hall more serious rioting erupted as young people poured out of the hall towards the ‘Camels Hump.’

The friend who waited on the Strabane side of the checkpoint, and other witnesses, were all adamant Tobias was not involved in the stone throwing, and was walking alone towards the checkpoint from Lifford when he was caught up in the trouble. Stones were thrown and the soldiers fired several rubber bullets. Tobias was carrying his jacket over his shoulder as he approached the ‘Camel’s Hump’ when he was shot. Those who ran to his aid said he was struck at point-blank range by a rubber bullet on the chest. They said the shooting took place on the Lifford side of the checkpoint.

When the rubber bullet struck Tobias he collapsed immediately, and those helping him said it was obvious his injuries were very serious. The trouble was still continuing while he was lifted and carried to a car before being driven to Lifford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. It was revealed later that day an abrasion was found above his heart, but the skin was not pierced.

The local press interviewed neighbours of the Molloy’s who described Tobias as a tall, quiet, fair-haired boy, who had never been involved in any troubles or rioting in the town.

Both the Official IRA and Provisional IRA claimed the young man was one of their members. The Provisional IRA in a statement said he had recently joined their Strabane unit, but Official IRA maintained he was one of their members and afforded the youth a republican funeral.

The body of the dead youth was brought from Lifford Hospital to his home on Sunday evening; an Irish Tricolour draped his coffin. As the cortege passed the ‘Camel’s Hump’ checkpoint British soldiers fired six rubber bullets at mourners. One rubber bullet was fired over the coffin, and a woman and two youths were injured.

An eyewitness interviewed by the local Press said the trouble began after a soldier gave the ‘V’ sign to the mourners and began laughing and clapping his hands as he got out of an armoured car. Some stones were thrown and the British army immediately reacted by firing rubber bullets, scattering the mourners. The eyewitness said the soldier who caused the trouble was in one of two armoured vehicles that arrived at the checkpoint after the mourners from Strabane had already crossed to Lifford to meet the cortege. The situation was further aggravated when the two armoured vehicles followed the cortege to the Molloy home. The behaviour of the British soldiers ignited over six hours of serious rioting in the Strabane, which lasted into the early hours of Monday morning.

Two days later on Tuesday 18 July, Tobias Molly was buried at his family burying ground at Donneyloop. Strabane came to a standstill on the day of the funeral as over 3000 people joined the cortege to the cemetery. Many of the mourners wore black armbands, and black flags flew from all houses in the Fountain Street area.

Mr Ivan Cooper, a local politician, on 17 July 1972, called on Mr Whitelaw, the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, to have the soldier who fired the rubber bullet that killed Tobias Molloy charged. He said the soldier knew the lethal quality of the rubber bullet gun before he discharged it. He said it was necessary that there should be some standard procedure for the firing of rubber bullets and there should be a clearly set out code of instructions that the general public could be aware of.

An inquest into the killing of Tobias Molly was held several weeks later in Lifford, County Donegal. His mother described the hearing as a hush-hush affair. However, she said it was accepted her son was killed by a rubber bullet fired at close range.

No British soldier was ever charged in connection with the killing of Tobias Molly.