Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

— remembering all of those who were killed and injured on Bloody Sunday in Derry on 30 January 1972, and all of those who have suffered over many years as a result of that day;

— noting the further injustice perpetrated by the flawed and discredited report of the Widgery inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday;

— commending the families' long and difficult campaign for truth which in 1998 convinced the British Government to establish the Saville inquiry;

— recalling the support of successive Irish Governments and all parties for the families' campaign for truth;

— welcomes the publication and conclusions of Lord Saville's Report on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry;

— welcomes the clear conclusion that all of those killed and injured on Bloody Sunday were innocent;

— commends Prime Minister David Cameron for his response to the report and his generous apology to the families;

— recalls that many families suffered as a result of acts of violence, from all sides, and acknowledges the ongoing pain and suffering of all of those bereaved and injured as a result of the conflict;

— expresses the hope that the report's findings, the Prime Minister's statement and the response of the families of the victims and the people of Derry, will help heal all those families and others touched by the terrible events of that day;

and

— reaffirms its commitment to building peace and reconciliation on this island and between these islands.

I wish to speak on the agreed motion on the Saville inquiry report before the House. I wish to acknowledge the presence of some Blood Sunday family members in the Gallery and welcome them here to our proceedings.

On Tuesday, 15 June 2010, the report of the Saville inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday was published. It was a day of many emotions: joy tinged with sorrow, relief and surprise. It was a day of generosity and of vindication and, I believe, it was a day of healing.

Bloody Sunday was one of the darkest days in the history of this island and in the relationship between the peoples of these islands. I believe and hope that we will look back at the day the Saville report was published as being one of the brighter days in that long relationship.

There was widespread sympathy for the families of those killed and injured but this time there was also some joy - sympathy for the terrible loss that the families and the people of Derry have borne for 38 years, and joy at the lifting of the black cloud that had wrongly been cast over the names of innocent men and women.

When Prime Minister David Cameron addressed the House of Commons, he acknowledged that the events on Bloody Sunday were both "unjustified and unjustifiable". The reaction in the Guildhall Square was heartfelt applause. When he said that on behalf of his country he was "deeply sorry", that applause grew even louder. The applause in Derry for the brave and honest words of the Prime Minister in the House of Commons was confirmation that the truth had been set free for the families of the dead and injured. It was a historic moment, observed around the world.

On the afternoon of Sunday, 30 January 1972, thousands of men and women set off from the Creggan in Derry on a peaceful civil rights march. Thirteen men and boys did not come home that night. They were shot dead. Fifteen men and women were injured and one of those injured men, John Johnston, died only a few months later of his injuries. Those deaths and injuries took place on the streets of Derry in the space of just one hour. The images, on television screens and in the newspapers, of what happened that day shocked and horrified the people of this nation. The then Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, spoke of the nation's reaction to those terrible events in Derry. He said that "grief and sympathy were hardly ever more sincerely felt, nor more widespread in this country". In the days after Bloody Sunday, the entire nation mourned.

On 16 June 2010, I was honoured that some family members travelled to Dublin to meet me, as Taoiseach, on the day after the publication of the report. I offered them my best wishes on behalf of the entire nation. They were exhausted after a very long and difficult day but they were also elated. They presented me with a copy of the report for which they had waited so long. I was pleased and humbled to accept that report, and their gracious thanks, in recognition of the role played by successive Governments and all parties in this House in bringing that long wait to an end.

Today's motion is a further act of solidarity by all the parties in this House with the Bloody Sunday families and the people of Derry. I am delighted that representatives of the families are here with us today.

On the day the report was published, even in a moment of deep personal emotion for the families in Derry, they had the generosity of spirit to call for a minute's silence for all those who had died during the conflict. They have known and lived with the pain of losing a loved one. They know that far too many families across these islands suffered that pain during those dark years of conflict. The pain and loss inflicted during the Troubles did not end at the graveside. For those who suffered injuries during the Troubles, their physical wounds may have improved but they live with their scars.

The catalogue of murders and attacks, from all sides, is too long to recount here today. The suffering inflicted on ordinary people, on all sides, is too great to comprehend. It is also too great to forget. That is the terrible legacy of the Troubles. As a society, we have to confront it. As we do, we take inspiration from the families of those killed and from those who have been injured - from the tremendous dignity and bravery which these victims of unjustified violence have displayed in the face of unimaginable suffering. What all these people have lost no one can return. We owe them the assurance that the painful lessons of the past have been learned and that the suffering they have endured will not be visited on future generations. This is not a simple thing. Moving forward is not an event. It is a continuing challenge to everyone, and a call to leadership. We cannot allow such pain ever again to revisit the island of Ireland. Now is a time to heal and to move forward to a shared future.

Out of the dark years of the Troubles we have come to a new, shared idea of relationships on this island and between these islands. The Good Friday Agreement is at the heart of our new understandings, it has opened up new opportunities for us to get to know each other in new ways. It has opened up new possibilities, new perspectives around our shared history. We will explore that shared history on many occasions over the decade ahead. It is a decade which will see the anniversaries of events which have dominated the history of this island for over 100 years - the Ulster Covenant, the Great War, the Easter Rising, Independence and Partition - difficult and often tragic years, a time of division but also a time of optimism and of change. We must take the opportunity of new relationships on this island to rebuild understanding over this decade of commemorations. Just as the Bloody Sunday families came from the darkness of the past into the light of Guildhall Square, that should be case for all on this island.

For the Bloody Sunday families, the scars and the pain of their unspeakable loss were made worse by the inquiry chaired by Lord Widgery which blackened the names of innocent men. The campaign to repudiate the Widgery report's status as the official version of events lasted 38 years. It ended on 15 June. The families can now say that the world knows that their loved ones are innocent and that their killings were unjustified and unjustifiable. The years since 1972 have been long and difficult for the families and their supporters, but they never wavered.

It has been a privilege for me to meet with relatives of those killed and injured on Bloody Sunday, a privilege I know is shared by many other Members of the House. Hearing them describe how their lives were forever changed by the tragedy of that day, of the loss they carry with them still, it is impossible not to be moved. It is impossible too not to be impressed by their commitment, quiet dignity, patience and steadfast determination, evident over the decades, to clear their relatives' names, to right the historic wrong that was the Widgery tribunal.

The publication of Lord Saville's report is a vindication of these great efforts to have the truth told. The Bloody Sunday families did not need to be told that their loved ones were innocent. They knew. In this House, we did not need to be told that their loved ones were innocent. We knew that too. The Saville inquiry was vital because the world needed to know and needed to be told that those who died and were injured on Bloody Sunday were innocent. Now, as the families said outside the Guildhall on that momentous day, that innocence has been proclaimed to the world. The inquiry lasted 12 years. Members of the families of those killed and injured were present for every single day that the inquiry sat. They listened to testimony that brought back terrible memories of that dreadful day but they felt that they owed it to their loved ones to be present. The report of the Saville inquiry is a very long and detailed document. I pay tribute to Lord Saville for his careful deliberation.

Even now, the detail of the inquiry's report remains to be fully digested by the families and their representatives. It needs to be carefully examined by the appropriate authorities in the North and in Britain. Until such time as it is, we should, I think, refrain from extensive comment on it but, even at this point, it is worth observing the extent to which the inquiry has both stimulated public understanding of the events of that day and opened up discussion on the history of the conflict more generally.

Several inquiries into other events from the Troubles have been undertaken or are under way and many other families are still searching for the truth about their loved ones. The formal and complicated process of legal inquiry does not suit every situation. Different models and approaches may be required to recognise particular circumstances and best meet victims' needs. The PSNI's Historical Enquiries Team and the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland offer such approaches and I believe that their work has also been a source of comfort and solace to many families.

Understanding the consequences of the violence which blighted this island needs no legal investigation. The consequences are there to be seen in the damaged bodies and damaged families of too many neighbours and friends. It knows no religious divide - suffering is no respecter of creed or age - but it reminds us of the fragility of our shared humanity.

Despite the positive changes we have seen across this island in the past decade, it is clear the painful legacy of the Troubles remains a daily reality for numerous families and individuals and continues to have an impact on politics and society in these islands. How we might contribute to the healing process is something which the Government will continue to take forward in our discussions with the British Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. With the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Assembly earlier this year and the continuing transformation of politics in Northern Ireland, there is an increasing spirit of partnership and respect across this island. The threat posed by a tiny minority who, despite everything, remain committed to violence is clear and real, but the determination of the people of this island, North and South, to oppose such violence is stronger still.

In the Good Friday Agreement, the people made clear their commitment to peace, to a society founded on mutual respect, equal rights and opportunities.

Those same principles and goals inspired the civil rights marchers who walked the streets of Derry 38 years ago. The Saville inquiry was not about reopening old wounds but about healing the gaping wounds created by injustice. One strong and clear signal that this healing has begun was seeing representatives of the Protestant churches - Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, the Rev. Good; moderator of the Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Hamilton; and president of the Methodist Church, the Rev. Kingston - joining with the former Catholic Bishop of Derry, the Rev. Daly, and the families in the Bogside on 16 June to remember not only those who died on Bloody Sunday but all those who died in the Troubles.

The statue presented by the church leaders to the families shows two communities not just reaching out to each other but grasping hands in common humanity and friendship. When I met with family members in Dublin later that day they mentioned how much that gesture from the leaders of the Protestant churches meant to them. The Rev. Good expressed the hope that the event would bring the people of Derry and Londonderry closer together. The spirit of reconciliation that was shown by all those present that day will be a solid platform for the future.

Today we, as the elected representatives of the Irish people, remember the victims of Bloody Sunday. We also remember the thousands who died during other dark days of the Troubles. Thousands of families suffered the loss of their loved ones. Tens of thousands suffered physical and psychological injuries. The violence that caused these deaths and injuries, from whatever quarter, was wrong. It was not justified then and - as those who seek to bring us back to those dark days need to know - it is not justified now. The people of this island spoke loud and clear in voting for the Good Friday Agreement. They rejected violence. They said in unison, never again. Too much blood has been spilt and too much pain and anguish caused. There must be no more bloody days in Ireland's future.

In a letter of thanks to supporters, the families of those killed and injured on Bloody Sunday said that although they had always known the truth, they can now rest easy, "safe in the knowledge that our loved ones have been officially declared innocent by Lord Saville". The families deserve our admiration for their courage in pursuing the truth on what was a long and often difficult journey. They have earned the right now to rest easy. I was particularly struck by a remark made to me by Kay Duddy at our meeting on the day after the Saville report was published. She said she had buried her brother, Jackie, 38 years ago but that the publication of the report meant he was now resting in peace.

As we speak today we think of Jackie Duddy and all the others who died on that infamous day in our history. They are: Patrick Doherty, Hugh Gilmour, Bernard McGuigan, James Wray, Michael Kelly, William McKinney, Gerald Donaghey, Gerald McKinney, Kevin McElhinney, John Young, William Nash, Michael McDaid, and John Johnston. Their innocence is now known around the world. Their innocence is forever inscribed on the pages of the history of Ireland. It is fitting that their innocence is today formally placed, once again and for all time, on the record of Dáil Éireann.

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