Born December 30th, 1936
Died October 2nd, 2025
Jim Dixon, the most seriously injured victim of the Enniskillen bombing of Remembrance Day 1987 to survive, has died in his 89th year in the town’s South West Acute Hospital. The IRA bombing killed 12 people, all Protestants.
The bombing left him in constant pain and discomfort for the last 38 years of his life. He underwent countless operations as a result of terrible injuries. Among these injuries were multiple skull fractures, numbers of fractures to the facial bones, and the roof of his mouth being blown away. Surgeons who treated him did not believe he would survive. Normal activities of everyday life were difficult.
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Despite all this, he energetically got on with life. He admitted to struggling at times, and felt God’s help got him through. His injuries made him want to help others.
His activities including standing for the Westminster parliament, and founding the Ely Centre victims’ group.
For many years he was chairman of the centre. He used his organisational and advocacy skills very effectively to build it up. He stood down as chairman in recent years, to become patron.
He stood out, above all, for a unique view on life. This was guided by a deep Christian faith. He was strongly unionist. He opposed powersharing and the various agreements. He was also proud to be a Gaeilgeoir. He kept a great affection for his home place of Clones, Co Monaghan, always speaking fondly of the town and its people. This was at times when a negative view of Clones and other Border towns was widespread within unionism.
He was very courteous and good company, and always nattily dressed. He enjoyed philosophical and theological debate. In this he was known for firmly arguing his point.
He had many abilities. He was a first-class organist, having trained in Dublin. He was something of an innovator in mechanical matters. He had a wide knowledge of the law.
He had a particular talent for business. He ran a care home, and had property and other interests. Residents and their families spoke well of standards of care in the home. He took an active part in its running.
He was widely admired for his personal courage and strength in tackling his disabilities and suffering. That could have brought him wide popularity. But he preferred to hold positions he believed as right and true. These he was prepared to express, strongly. This made his an uncomfortable voice, that spoke for many in the North.
He believed the UK government had given in to terrorism. He disagreed profoundly with Sinn Féin in government of Northern Ireland. He sought truth and justice for those who had suffered because of the IRA’s campaign.
That led him to support the loyalist “Long March” from Portadown to Derry in the summer of 1999. That was a time of great controversy regarding Orange marches through a Catholic area of Portadown. The Long March highlighted the issue of victims of the IRA.
Other stances made many unionists uncomfortable. In 2001 he stood as an Independent in Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the Westminster election. The DUP supported him, as an anti-agreement candidate. (The Ulster Unionist Party candidate was strongly in favour of the Belfast Agreement). He was criticised for “splitting the unionist vote” in a battleground constituency. At an early stage in the campaign, he was victim of an unpleasant dirty tricks campaign from within unionism. He polled just over 6,800 votes. Sinn Féin took the seat with a majority of 53. They have held it for most of the time since.
Criticism after the election did not shake him. He told the Ulster Unionist candidate that he was the “architect of his own downfall”.
He was also part of a legal action against the police for failing to prevent the Enniskillen bombing. Again, this was unpopular with many in unionism. He always held that the blame lay with the IRA for planting the bomb. He believed, though, that measures that could have prevented it were not taken.
Throughout his life a deep evangelical Christian faith was his guide. Thus he strongly believed in the existence of good and evil. At the same time he also believed all could be redeemed.
That was seen in his attitude to the late Martin McGuinness. He believed McGuinness bore responsibility for the Enniskillen bombing. He believed Queen Elizabeth’s handshake with McGuinness served no great purpose, but he did not blame her but advisers.
However, speaking on Radio Ulster he said: “Martin McGuinness, you did a lot that was evil, but I didn’t want you to go to hell. I wanted you to get right with God.”
On a wider theological basis, he did not believe a person belonging to a particular Christian denomination was central. The key issue was their personal relationship with God.
He opposed drawing a line under the past: “If you don’t remember the past you have no future,” he told BBC Radio Ulster. “But love conquers all.”
James Dixon was born in Clones, Co Monaghan, in December 1936, one of three children and the only son of businessman Joseph Dixon and his wife, Susan. He was educated at Fortview National School in the town, then Clones High School.
The Dixons were seen as honourable people, who operated one of the town’s main garages, known for the quality of their work and being good employers. Unfortunately the garage closed in the 1960s, as Clones spiralled into economic decline.
For a time Jim operated a garage in Newtownbutler, Co Fermanagh. After this was destroyed in a bombing attack, he relocated to Enniskillen. Always, though, he called himself a Clones man.
Jim Dixon is survived by his wife, Anna; daughters Suzanne, Sharon and Serena; grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
