The strike lasted fourteen days and brought Northern Ireland to a standstill . Loyalist paramilitaries helped to enforce the strike by blocking roads and intimidating workers . On 17 May , the third day of the strike , loyalists detonated four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan , in the Republic of Ireland . The bombs killed 33 civilians and injured 300 , making it the deadliest attack of the Troubles , and the deadliest terrorist attack in the Republic 's history . In an interview nine months before his death , Paisley said he was " shocked " by the bombings , but claimed that the Republic 's government provoked the attack . The strike led to the downfall of the Agreement on 28 May
detonated four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan
Dublin and Monaghan bombings
Ian Paisley