Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On a Sunday in November 1987, as the Taoiseach said, the Provisional IRA brought an unspeakable horror to a picturesque Fermanagh town with a proud military tradition. Its bomb, left in a community hall, was timed to explode as people of all ages gathered to pay their respects to the dead of two world wars and later campaigns. When the dust finally settled on the scattered debris and the mangled poppy leaves around the Cenotaph, six men and five women lay dead or dying and a seventh man would remain in a coma for 13 years before succumbing to his injuries. The 40 lb bomb had been brought across the Border by several terrorist cells working in relays to avoid detection. They placed the deadly device in a building known as the Reading Rooms adjacent to prime vantage points for those attending the annual service. Subsequent statements from the IRA attempted to distance the organisation from the full horror of the slaughter. Initially, the IRA claimed, falsely, that the bomb had been detonated by electric equipment carried by members of the security forced. It then stated that a UDR colour party was the intended target.

In the immediate aftermath of the bombing, the softly spoken words of Mr. Gordon Wilson, the father of 20 year old nurse, Marie Wilson, who died at the scene, set a conciliatory tone which, in public at least, became synonymous with the town's Protestant population. He said: "I bear no ill will. Dirty sort of talk is not going to bring her back to life. She was a great wee lassie."

The reason I have asked my question on Enniskillen is twofold. First, the event illustrates the unspeakable horror that occurred; a horror which calls into question how anyone could support, cheer or endorse that kind of violence. Second, however, is the fact that out of that event came the spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness which Gordon Wilson personified in his life. Nevertheless, no one was ever convicted of the bombing. Related to this issue are attempts to introduce an effective amnesty for many different groups from the Provisional IRA, the DUP and members of the British establishment. Recently, there was an attempt to introduce an effective amnesty for British military personnel, which is a disturbing development. The Dublin and Monaghan bombings were horrific bombings carried out by loyalist paramilitaries where, again, no satisfactory convictions or conclusions have occurred. In fact, inquiries have been stymied by the British establishment and Government. Can the Taoiseach update the House on legacy issues? Has he spoken to the Prime Minister, Mrs. May, about any amnesty, in particular to ensure that nothing like that can occur?

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