Seanad debates
Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Dublin-Monaghan Bombings
10:30 am
Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, to the Seanad. The next Commencement matter we will take is in the name of Senator Gallagher.
Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am somewhat disappointed the Minister, Deputy McEntee, was not in a position to attend the debate this morning, bearing in mind it is the 50th anniversary. I appreciate she is busy, however. I appreciate the Minister of State taking time out of his schedule to be here to take this Commencement matter.
On Friday this week, President Michael D. Higgins will visit Monaghan town to lay a wreath to commemorate the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, some 50 years ago. Some 33 people lost their lives in Monaghan and Dublin on that fatal day. It was the greatest loss of life in a single day during the Troubles. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families and victims this week. It is said that to be forgotten is to die twice and we can only imagine the pain and the grief the families continue to endure. Pain that is compounded by the absence - for five decades - of the truth of what actually happened on 17 May 1974. I pay tribute to all those who worked down through the years to try to lift the lid on this mystery. I pay particular credit to Justice for the Forgotten, among others, and the tireless work it has done down through the years.
We gather here in this Chamber and in the Dáil each year to discuss progress for the victims, survivors and their families. Unfortunately, each year, we have little new to report because of the British Government's blockage of co-operation on this particular issue. However, this week we have heard that Ian Livingstone, the former senior police officer responsible for investigating the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings has said he has received access to never before seen top-secret material. Mr. Livingstone is leading a number of historic investigations into the Troubles, including Operation Denton, an investigation into a loyalist Glenanne gang, which has been blamed for approximately 120 sectarian murders in the 1970s and 1980s and is indeed suspected of carrying out the no-warning Dublin and Monaghan bombings.Previous investigations have been stymied by the British Government's refusal to release key intelligence documents. However, Mr. Livingstone has said the information he has now obtained will give us "as detailed a picture as would be possible to get" and that the investigation has "seen everything that exists up to and including top secret cabinet meetings of the British government". He has said the investigation has "seen all information that's there to allow us make a full report on the circumstances around the Glennane series". I also understand that An Garda Síochána has handed over documents pertaining to Operation Denton, including intelligence files. I look forward to the release of that report later this year.
When we get both reports, where will that leave us? Will the Minister of State give us an update on the Irish Government's understanding of the status of those two reports? Will he illustrate what the pathway will be following the publication of those reports? Will he assure us everything will be done to ensure the victims and their families will finally get closure regarding what happened to them and their families on 17 May 1974? I pay tribute to all those volunteers, including the fire service and Civil Defence, who went to the aid of those in Monaghan in the immediate aftermath of that bombing. Next Friday will be an horrific and very emotional day in Monaghan. If possible, I would like the Minister of State to outline the status of those two reports, the timeframes for their publication and, more importantly, what the Irish and British Governments intend to do to finally bring closure to the people of Monaghan and Dublin.
Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I apologise that the Minister for Justice cannot be here this morning. She has asked me to deal with the matter on her behalf.
First, I express the Government’s condolences and my own to the families whose loved ones were killed and to those who were injured in the terrible events of 17 May 1974. It is hard to believe that, on a day such as this almost 50 years ago, so many people going about their daily lives had those lives callously and brutally attacked and changed forever. The survivors and the families of the victims remain firm in their quest for justice and for information about what happened to their loved ones. Unfortunately, as with so many other incidents of violence on this island during the Troubles, they still seek the truth.
The Government is fully committed to seeking out the truth behind these events. We have worked consistently to implement the all-party motions adopted by the other House calling on the British Government to allow access to all relevant documents relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and we continue to regularly raise this case with the British Government. Most recently, on 29 April, at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in London, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs raised the Dublin and Monaghan bombings with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris, noting the upcoming 50th anniversary and emphasising the need for a considered response to progress this matter. The Government will continue to raise these bombings and the all-party motions with the British Government. The passage of a further motion by the other House last evening provided another opportunity to send a clear message to our counterparts in Westminster and to the British Government regarding the strong and enduring support for the victims and survivors in their pursuit of justice.
Senator Gallagher referred to reports due to be published on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. First, there is the report of Operation Denton. Operation Denton is a review being carried out by Operation Kenova that refers to a series of ongoing UK independent investigations or reviews into Northern Ireland legacy cases. In November 2019, it was announced that Operation Kenova was to carry out an independent analytical review into the Glennane gang, known as Operation Denton, and the terms of reference were agreed in February 2020. The Dublin and Monaghan bombings are included as one of the incidents within the remit of Operation Denton. A further report is to be published by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. The ombudsman investigation, entitled Operation Newham, is examining collusion with the Glennane gang and other activities by the Ulster Volunteer Force, UVF, in mid-Ulster. Operation Newham is an extremely broad-ranging investigation which has been ongoing for a number of years.
The Government is fully committed to assisting the families and finding the truth of what happened. For example, when a legal issue arose that would have prevented the provision of Garda material to Operation Denton, the Minister for Justice took extraordinary steps to put in place a bespoke mechanism to allow relevant information from An Garda Síochána be shared with Operation Denton. Subsequently, members of the Operation Denton team have been facilitated in accessing relevant records. The Government remains hopeful the Operation Kenova and Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland reports will be published in the coming months and provide more answers for all those affected by this terrible atrocity.
Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State very much for his comprehensive response to my Commencement matter. They say that justice delayed is justice denied. That is very much the case in respect of Monaghan and Dublin. Fifty years on, a shadow continues to hang over the town of Monaghan. That shadow will remain until those survivors, whose lives' journey has moved a good bit on, get closure for their families, which they would like while they are still around. I sincerely hope they get that closure 50 years on. We hope the publication of these reports will lead to a pathway through which they finally get what they have sought for more than half a century: truth and justice for the loved ones they so tragically lost.
Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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I fully accept what the Senator has said; justice delayed is justice denied. As he will be aware, later this week, we will be marking the 50th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. It is a tragic day recorded in our history, the deadliest single day of the Troubles. On Friday, there will be commemoration events in Dublin and Monaghan attended by the President and representatives of the Government. All of the victims and survivors of those brutal bombings will be remembered. The Good Friday Agreement recognised the need for particular acknowledgement of the position of victims. The Government will not forget our duty to victims and survivors. We will persevere in our efforts to seek out the truth behind the tragic events of 17 May 1974, through which we hope to secure some measure of comfort for those affected by these callous attacks. In seeking out the truth, the Government welcomes the inclusion of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in the remit of Operation Denton and Operation Newham. We remain hopeful these reports will provide more answers for all of the victims, the survivors and the families of those affected. It has been a long time for all of those who lost family members, whose family members were injured or who were injured themselves. From their point of view, it is disappointing that answers have not been given. It is to be hoped we will in the coming months get some more information and more answers to the questions we have asked.
Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for his time here this morning. It is appreciated. I thank Senators Clonan and Gallagher for their Commencement matters.