Jim Glennon (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)

I fully support this motion. I was anxious to speak on it as I have a vivid and personal recollection of one of the incidents, the subject of Judge Cory's report. This was the incident surrounding the brutal murder of Lord and Lady Gibson. On that morning, I was sitting in a dressing room in Dublin preparing to go to the first rugby world cup. It was a beautiful spring morning and we were shocked to be told that three of our colleagues had been involved in a bombing incident on their way to training. The three colleagues, for whom I continue to have the highest respect, were Nigel Carr, David Irwin and Philip Rainey. They were going about their normal lives as young, athletic men who were considerably younger than myself. They were travelling to Dublin in pursuit of what for each of them was a lifetime's ambition — to represent Ireland on the international sporting field. It was the first ever rugby world cup. These three highly experienced and outstanding athletes had the misfortune to be driving along the road at Killeen in the opposite direction to Lord Justice Gibson and his wife at precisely the wrong instant. When the bomb that killed Lord Justice and Lady Gibson was detonated, the immediate side effect was that the engine of the Gibsons' car was blown approximately 40 feet in the air and landed on the bonnet of the car driven by Nigel Carr. David Irwin, who was in the passenger seat, was able to get out of the car. Nigel Carr was very fortunate in that Irwin was a general practitioner and was able to minimise the injuries involved. If I remember correctly, Philip Rainey was sitting in the back of the car and was relatively unscathed.

Whenever we speak of the consequences of the Troubles in the North, however, everything is always relative. In the overall scheme of things, this incident made a huge impact on me as well as on all my colleagues. These three friends were not of our political persuasion, yet they stood as proudly as we did for Amhrán na bhFiann in Lansdowne Road. At that time, the national anthem was not played at away venues. They compromised not only that aspect of their lives but several other aspects also in the pursuit of honest and innocent sporting endeavour. I have always been proud that rugby has played an inestimable part in keeping the different parts of our island together. It has done so for many years and long may it continue.

This was a day of embarrassment for us and it is still a matter of embarrassment whenever I meet my sporting colleagues. In fairness to them, I must say that they are probably embarrassed by it also. They saw it as their bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They shared that bad luck with so many others on the island over such a long period. It happened to be them on that occasion. I am glad to have the opportunity of referring to that incident in a personal context.

For the purpose of closure and the very necessary purposes of the peace process, it is vital that this inquiry into the tragic deaths of the two RUC officers should take place. It is essential for us all that the tribunal of inquiry be accorded the fullest and most honest co-operation by everybody. Equally, the dignity of the inquiry should not be demeaned by an unseemly squabble over its cost. That is not to say that I believe there should be a blank cheque — far from it. However, if there is anything remotely approaching a blank cheque and the cost of the inquiry becomes an issue, we will be doing a serious disservice to both men at the heart of the inquiry. We will also be doing a serious disservice yet again to ourselves as legislators. I know the Minister has strong views in this regard, so I urge him to implement them as far as he possibly can given the constraints within which he must operate. The gravy train is no longer acceptable in so far as tribunals are concerned. We must not detract from the dignity and integrity of the issues under examination, however, and this case would be a good example of that point if such problems are allowed to arise.

Like the Ceann Comhairle and Deputy Crawford, I am proud to be a member of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body. While its work is largely unsung, it does a significant amount at political level in the reconciliation process. In the course of our work on that body, we are still seeking means of closure for all victims of the Troubles. That is an essential element of the peace process. Some people say that we must look forward, not back. We should always look forward but, in doing so, we must be conscious of where we come from because that is an integral part of who we are. We must always remember whence we came and the events that shaped us all. The important thing is to do so with dignity and without recrimination. Closure is necessary for all victims of the Troubles in the North. It is certainly necessary for the families of RUC officers Breen and Buchanan. It is also necessary for all the other people who were so badly affected. As a Dubliner, I am thinking particularly of the victims of the Dublin bombings. It is equally necessary for the families of the disappeared. Jean McConville's name is etched on everybody's mind and will be for a long time but her family have had closure. There are many others who have not, so closure is required for them.

I commend the Minister on his diligence in pursuing this matter. I look forward to a dignified process of inquiry that will not feature any unseemly squabbles over trivial issues but will focus on the tribunal's overall purpose. I commend the motion to the House.

See this speech in context