The Ballygawley bus bombing occurred at 12:30 AM on 20 August 1988 when the Provisional IRA used a roadside bomb to blow up a bomb carrying British Army troops near Ballygawley, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. The IRA killed 8 soldiers and wounded 28 in the bombing, and the British decided to ferry troops in and out of County Tyrone via helicopter instead of by bus or truck.