Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The findings of Mrs. Justice Keegan are harrowing to read and, I am sure, deeply painful for the family members, 50 years on. Mrs. Justice Keegan's words declare that those involved, members and loved ones of those families, were entirely innocent. This provides some justice to those who have spent decades seeking it. That the British Government has had it in its power to do this for decades and did nothing is truly shameful. The attempts to blacken the names of the relatives of these families in the aftermath were shameful. That the British Government forced these families into a 50-year fight for truth and acknowledgement of those killed is shameful. Their families and community knew all along that they were innocent but, in the interests of justice, they wanted this acknowledged publicly, something which many other victims have yet to secure. The verdict this week should ensure that all parties act with haste to address this failure in respect of those other victims.

The inquest highlighted acts of basic inhumanity when describing how Joan Connolly, a mother of eight, was shot and left to lie injured in a field and to die before being transported to a nearby hall. We read this alongside the story of Fr. Hugh Mullan, shot while waving a white cloth and trying to aid an injured man, and the stories of all the other victims of that three-day period in 1971.

In light of all of this, the actions of the present-day British Government seem all the more crass and irresponsible. Prime Minister Johnson has failed to apologise publicly to these families and, on election day, leaked plans to introduce an effective amnesty for British soldiers. This is shameful indeed. It flies in the face of the peace process and the Stormont House Agreement. While the British Government says that it only wants to exempt British soldiers, we all know this cannot be done without extending the amnesty to all of those who were involved in violence. That would be a blatant violation of the Stormont House Agreement and devastating for those who pursue truth and who face the prospect of never being able to seek justice.

In 2019, I had the privilege of welcoming the families of the Birmingham bombing victims to Dublin. They also met with an tUachtarán and the then Tánaiste. They want justice too. They want the British Government to hold a public inquiry. They want the murderers of their relatives to face justice. They have been informed by the British Government that they specifically lie outside the legacy provisions of the Good Friday Agreement. I believe the Irish Government can help in this case. Justice 4 the 21, with which I met again last week, has given me a list of documents which the Irish Government can release which would help them in their pursuit of truth.

There are many other victims who seek justice. The anniversaries this week of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and of the murders of Gavin McShane and Shane McArdle in Armagh are further reminders that legacy issues must be dealt with. The Ballymurphy families endured for 50 years. We must not allow others wait any longer. All parties to the peace process must contribute to a solution. In particular, the parties in Northern Ireland must work together and work the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement in order to bring forward solutions to support the families of victims and to put pressure on both Governments, and particularly the British Government. Failure to do so would mean traumatising victims again with each passing year.

5 o’clock

It would mean that bullets fired 50 years ago continued to injure many decades later.

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