Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ballymurphy is one in a long list of appalling tragedies in Ireland, atrocities that have cost so much. I include in this list Bloody Sunday, the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, the murders of so many individuals including Pat Finucane, Rosemary Nelson and the Miami Showband members, what happened at Darkley and incidents such as the hooded men. In the vast majority of those cases, the truth has not been established. Not having the truth prevents recovery for those left behind, the victims and their loved ones. I turn to the poetry of Michael Longley from the North, who can capture it so well, particularly in his poem Wreaths, in which he examines the ordinariness of the people whom he describes in the poem, such as the civil servant "preparing an Ulster fry for breakfast", the greengrocer who "ran a good shop" and "died/Serving even the death-dealers", and the linen workers. His comment on those three particular examples was that the attacks had desecrated civilisation and he spoke about the awful, inhuman cost of violence.

We remember other atrocities, such as Loughinisland, where the UVF burst into a pub in which the customers were watching a Republic of Ireland match. Ordinary life was going on. On Bloody Sunday thousands of ordinary, unarmed marchers were exercising their civil right to peaceful protest with no sense of fear, and 26 of them were shot, 14 of whom died. Many were shot while they were fleeing from the soldiers and others were shot, like in Ballymurphy, trying to help the wounded. Ballymurphy followed the internment, a practice that is widely condemned as an abuse of human rights. In August 1971 in Ballymurphy, 11 unarmed civilians were murdered and, from 1998, the Relatives for Justice conference began its campaign to raise awareness of what had happened and seek an independent investigation and accountability. We must be conscious of their determination and tenacity in continuing to seek it and also to correct the misinformation and inaccurate information about the victims. While the group has costed an inquiry, political will is required. The political will in this Chamber is positive.

The motion supports the Ballymurphy families in their efforts to find the truth. Why are we, Governments and political parties, so afraid of the truth? The Bible tells us the truth will set us free. First, there must be a commitment to finding the truth and not being afraid to face it, whatever emerges. Some 44 years on, families have not been given the truth, just like the Justice for the Forgotten group regarding the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. People who have spent their whole lives seeking the truth have said they do not want their grandchildren to have to continue it. The Secretary of State's unwillingness to support an independent review undermines her credibility. Tá súil agam go mbeidh an rún seo éifeachtach agus go n-athróidh daoine a n-aigne i dtreo is go mbeidh an fhírinne againn faoi dheireadh.

All the atrocities share certain common denominators, including swift retaliation and the lack of a thorough, independent, impartial investigation. Regarding Loughinisland, the Ombudsman concluded that there were major failings, and the solicitor for the families said "factual gymnastics" were being played. We saw the farce that was the Widgery report on Bloody Sunday and, finally, the Saville report, 26 years later. People involved in Justice for the Forgotten are still waiting for the truth about the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. They are also representing bereaved families and survivors of other bombings such as Belturbet in Dundalk and Castleblayney.

If Ballymurphy had not happened, or if there had been a prompt, thorough investigation into what happened, further atrocities such as Bloody Sunday might not have happened. It is harrowing to listen to and read about what happened to the 11 unarmed civilians, those who survived and those who are members of the committee. I am a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and we have planned a day in October on legacy issues in Northern Ireland that are affecting victims and relatives. Facing legacy issues and trying to find the truth takes courage, patience, resilience and doggedness. Martin Luther King said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter". There has been too much silence on Ballymurphy and other atrocities apart from the initial farcical investigation in which members of the military police interviewed the troops involved.

Despite some of the footage of recent events on 12 July, much has been achieved in the North. However, there is disquiet and dissatisfaction among certain groups of loyalists and republicans, those who disagreed with the Good Friday Agreement and who are in prison. The Minister knows a group of us in the Oireachtas has been involved in these prisoner issues and have raised them here and spoken to the authorities in the interests of a just peace, which is what the families of Ballymurphy seek. We know the series of human rights abuses, with revocation of licences, closed evidence, the length of time on remand, controlled movement, strip searching and the denial of due process to prisoners, who tell us their aim is a conflict-free environment. We know their expectations of the stocktake and their welcome of it, but what happened? Truth and justice are being undermined. We cannot allow these issues to continue unresolved. The way forward for everybody is to engage in real, meaningful dialogue and discussion.

The motion is "all party". Given that a significant number of us here belong to no party, I suggest it should be recorded that all parties and the Independent Members support the motion. We all support it.

I sometimes wonder if reconciliation is a step too far for some people. To reconcile means to make friendly after estrangement, make acquiescent or make compatible. Some people are intransigent and are not able for reconciliation. I wonder about using the word "tolerance", which allows the existence of difference, and means not being harmed because of difference. We must consider this if we want to escape the shadows of the past.

In Ballymurphy and the other atrocities we saw a senseless and cruel loss of life, the tit-for-tat nature of them and a lack of independent, thorough investigation that left survivors, loved ones of those killed and injured, and communities reeling with many unanswered questions.

I do not believe there is ever closure from certain tragedies and atrocities. There is, however, a possibility, with the truth being revealed and questions answered, for people to move forward when they see due process and justice. It requires courage on the part of all us to face the truth.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland said the inquiry would not be in the interest of the people. Which people is she talking about? To me, she is not talking about the people of Ballymurphy, the people of Ireland or all those others waiting on answers. It requires political courage to do that. I hope the political courage will be shown, not just in this jurisdiction where we are at least showing it, but in other jurisdictions, so that the truth can finally be found.

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