Burning of the British Embassy in Dublin

Burning of the British Embassy
The building pictured on the morning after the fire
Date2 February 1972 (1972-02-02)
Time16:00–19:00 (GMT)
Venue39 Merrion Square
LocationDublin, Ireland
Coordinates53°20′21″N 6°14′48″W / 53.33910°N 6.24655°W / 53.33910; -6.24655
MotiveBloody Sunday (1972)
Non-fatal injuries30

The British Embassy in Dublin at 39 Merrion Square was destroyed by arson on 2 February 1972. This occurred during demonstrations outside the chancery by a large crowd (estimates vary between 20,000 and 100,000 people), due to their outrage and animosity against the British government following the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry on 30 January 1972, when the British Army's Parachute Regiment shot dead 14 unarmed Catholic civilians during a civil rights demonstration.