Thomas McMahon (born 1948) is an Irish former volunteer in the South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), and was one of the IRA's most experienced bomb-makers.
Early life
Thomas McMahon was one of seven children in his family, who lived in a farming area. He completed his education at Carrickmacross Technical School and went on to become a carpenter.
IRA activity
McMahon planted a bomb in Shadow V, a fishing boat owned by Mountbatten at Mullaghmore, County Sligo, near Donegal Bay. Lord Mountbatten was killed on 27 August 1979 by the bomb blast along with three other people: Doreen Knatchbull (Mountbatten's elder daughter's mother-in-law); his grandson Nicholas Knatchbull; and a 15-year-old crewmember Paul Maxwell. McMahon was arrested by the Gardaí at a Garda checkpoint between Longford and Granard on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle two hours before the bomb detonated.
McMahon was identified as a possible suspect in the assassination almost immediately. Garda senior forensic scientist Dr. James O'Donovan examined the clothes McMahon had been wearing at the time of his arrest and was able to uncover flecks of paint from Mountbatten's boat and traces of nitroglycerine. After serving almost 20 years in prison, McMahon was released in 1998 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
After prison
After his release, Toby Harnden in Bandit Country reported that McMahon was holding a tricolour in the first rank of the IRA colour party at a 1998 IRA meeting in Cullyhanna. However, according to a BBC report, McMahon has said that he had left the IRA in 1990.
As of 2009, McMahon was living with his wife in a hillside bungalow in Lisanisk, Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. He has two grown sons.
References
Bibliography
- Mountbatten murder suspects on leaked list from Irish Independent, 4 January 2004