Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I call Deputy Declan Breathnach.

I thank the representatives of the Pat Finucane Centre, Justice for the Forgotten, and Relatives for Justice for giving such excellent presentations and indeed the people in the Gallery who have come to hear what we have to say. The Chair has asked us to ask questions, but I think it is important, coming from a Border constituency where many people have been victims or indeed combatants - and I have described all of them as victims, whether they were the silent majority or not - to comment on that. It was the grace of God that I was not a victim of the Dundalk bombing myself only because of the fact that I got a lift home. My father's office, beside where he would normally collect me, was wrecked; he had just left the office when the explosion had happened. It is important to remember people like Jack Rooney and Hugh Waters, not to mention Tom Oliver, Jean McConville and Seamus Ludlow. Indeed, within 100 yd. of my own bedroom window in my parents' house, the body of Gerard Evans was found. Eugene Simmons was probably one of the first victims of the now so-called Disappeared; he certainly was not described as that at the time. He was one of the first to be found back in 1981. That leaves us with, whether it is those people or any of the other victims that are being dealt with, the importance of finding fírinne agus cearta na ndaoine.

I was taken with the Irish word for reconciliation which goes along with all this issue of legacy. I am delighted that today we are getting down to some of the nitty-gritty because we have been preoccupied with Brexit virtually since I came into this House. It is more of this kind of engagement we need, and more interaction with all sides to try to at least move forward the pain of the victims. The Irish word for reconciliation is 'athmhuintearas' and the word 'muintear' is so important, communities sitting down and not hiding anything anymore. There has been too much hidden and swept under the carpet on all sides. As I see it, as members of this committee, we are obligated to find that truth, justice and closure for families. It will probably never happen. I am interested as someone who obviously was never invited to any of the outreach - and I know I am only a relatively new Deputy, but I spent 25 years on a local authority - to know from the three groupings the percentage of representation because that is important. The witnesses have said they are representing all sides. It will be interesting to hear the numbers coming from both sides of the conflict because I have engaged with many on all sides and I hear different stories. It is very difficult to arrive at a conclusion. The reason I ask is that we recently attended a Bridge of Hope event in Belfast, and heard the stories of the legacies, not just the deaths and murders, but the issues that are still ongoing that need to be debated. People need to come in here and find a voice, a voice that maybe a lot of the public out there are not hearing but through these public sessions, people may begin to realise we are prepared to talk and to try to reach that reconciliation.