Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No one would disagree with the comment this is about the opportunity for united communities and that can never happen while that seam of pain and emotion is in there. Personally, the reaction and the reception of the people of Enniskillen and those who attended the British Legion centre, both from the local area and from Cavan and other places, was very powerful. Lord Eames, the bishops, the clergy and Viscount Brookeborough, who was there on behalf of Her Majesty, appreciated the symbolism and understanding we tried to give on behalf of people here in regard to that atrocity.

The North-South Ministerial Council was dominated by the murder of David Black. I have since had a briefing on that and the level of inquiry between the Garda and the PSNI is at a very high level in terms of sharing information. There was no discussion except on a superficial level of the work of the HET but that is a matter for another day. The requirement was to deal with a range of issues on the agenda that I outlined. The question of those who planted that bomb at Enniskillen and who carried out other atrocities is still open, as the Deputy knows, for people to stand up and say they are sorry and that what they did was wrong and deprived people of loved ones. As I said when I met with the groups, we do not have any hierarchy or victims here. Someone who was shot, maimed, bombed and killed, regardless of the community he comes from, is a loss to families and to people.

Perhaps within the areas of those who supported and were members of the IRA, some might decide to have the courage to acknowledge the atrocities they conducted. It would be in the interests of communities being able to get on with their lives and heal those wounds of the past. Some of the people from these communities pointed out to me that they know or suspect very strongly the persons who conducted some of these atrocities. That is difficult to live with in communities that are pressurised.

In respect of the HET inquiries, we will follow up on that. The report on Enniskillen is due shortly.

I intend to go back to Enniskillen. I had a request from the survivors to meet them and I intend to do that.

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