Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am here as a Deputy from County Louth, a Border county. Having lived there all my life, I know how difficult, sad and tragic the loss of any life is on our island. My county has suffered greatly in many ways. I am also Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. Our members have agreed unanimously that the families of the victims of the Ballymurphy massacre should come to the Oireachtas next Tuesday to talk to us about how they feel about what happened to their relatives and what must happen. I hope we will reach an all-party consensus on that.

Like other Members, I would like to record the names of those who died: Frank Quinn, Fr. Hugh Mullan, Noel Phillips, Joan Connolly, Danny Teggart, Joseph Murphy, Edward Doherty, John Laverty, Joseph Corr and John James McKerr, and Paddy McCarthy, who died separately.

I agree with what we are all saying here, that is, that the fight for 50 years to get justice and clarity is not fully resolved. The decision of the coroner, Mrs. Justice Siobhan Keegan, absolutely vindicated the battle that was fought for so many decades to ensure the innocence of all those who died on the day of the Ballymurphy massacre would be established clearly for all time. There is no hiding place from the truth. The truth is that the victims have been absolutely vindicated. The inquest was the longest ever held in Northern Ireland. Mrs. Justice Keegan, when announcing the outcome of the inquiry, was very clear in pointing out the difference between the general nature of the evidence given by the British army, which was shown not to be specific or clear, and the clear, specific evidence given by the local witnesses. It was said that the actions of the British army went unchallenged and led later to the appalling vista of Bloody Sunday, where again the parachute regiment ran riot, with many innocent people dying as a result.

I am aware of and respect what is held sacred by the families. The Taoiseach and Deputy Howlin referred to the 47th anniversary of the Dublin bombings. A lady from Drogheda, Concepta Dempsey, was murdered in those bombings. She was a 65-year-old lady who came from a very staunch Fine Gael family in Drogheda. In fact, Mrs. Kathleen Dempsey was the first female mayor of Drogheda. What happened was a tragedy.

The reality is that the Stormont House Agreement is crystal clear on the way forward to deal with the historic issues that arise as a result of all the troubles in the North. The historical investigations unit, whose points were clear and well thought-out, brought comfort to all those who signed up to that agreement, namely the Irish Government, the British Government and, indeed, the parties in Northern Ireland at the time. The agreement is victim-centred. It is about justice but also reconciliation. Reconciliation cannot happen without a due apology. There has not been a clear apology as far as the families are concerned. Many people, including me, have noted what the UK Prime Minister has not done; he has not met the families personally and he has not offered an apology in a contrite and humble way, which he is obliged to do. He is obliged to apologise to them for the hurt and the awful wrong done to them. Until that happens, there will not be full closure for the families. They are entitled to and need it. It is what the country needs.

We face new circumstances in Northern Ireland and major changes, including demographic changes, that the next decade or decades will bring. The unionist parties in the North will soon be led by two new, separate leaders. There is a need for a new relationship between all of us on this island. I welcome very much the initiative of the Taoiseach and his Government in respect of a shared island unit.

The way forward can only and will only be by working together and reaching out. One of the problems we have in this country is meeting and understanding each other. The most significant problem we face on our committee, although I know it is not the first time the Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement has had this issue, is relating to, and meeting in the appropriate location to talk to, our unionist colleagues in the North of our country. There is no reluctance on our side to meet with them. There is no set agenda or prerequisite. We want to hear, listen and understand. We want to reconcile the traditions on this island in a constructive, positive way, recognising and respecting all on this island, whatever views they hold, be they Catholic, Protestant, any other religion or none, whether they are unionist, nationalist, Alliance or whatever. We want to work together and build up our shared island and our economy North-South, and emphasise the progress with cross-Border education, health, transport, energy policy and so on. That is our future together.

This opportunity is one for all of us to renew our commitment to justice, peace and reconciliation, and to make sure of that for the families who suffered so greatly as a result of the death of their loved ones in that appalling massacre in Ballymurphy. This is our opportunity to look to all of the people on this island, especially the unionist population and their new political leaders. We want reconciliation and understanding. We want closure on this past. I know that all of us on our committee are more than anxious to meet with these families and to show our respect for them and the fight and battle they have fought for all of us. They represent what we need to reconcile. We need to make sure that there is never a repetition of those vile and awful scenes that happened in Ballymurphy, in Derry on Bloody Sunday, and so on. We look forward together to a new future and the British Government cannot be allowed and must not renege on the promises and commitments it signed up to in the Stormont House Agreement. It is essential that the truth comes out and that justice is served. Reconciliation will not occur until that is done.

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