'This dangerous practice continued until a school mate had three fingers blown off '

'This dangerous practice continued until a school mate had three fingers blown off '

Harry Browne remembers how he had his school friends built small bombs as a prank.

Harry Browne

Trinity College Dublin

1955

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Harry Browne

Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Life Story

Russell Avenue, North Strand, Dublin

1950's

Around this time a new street game gained popularity. Somebody discovered that if you mixed Sodium Chloride (at that time a common weed killer) and sugar and placed it in a lead pipe with both ends hammered shut, then built a small fire around it you could create a very satisfactory explosion. We did not realise that the IRA would later use this recipe for building car bombs. This dangerous practice continued until a school mate had three fingers blown off. It then died off for fear of further injury.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)