Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to examine the report of the Ballymurphy inquest. I acknowledge the perseverance and dedication of the families of the victims in their long journey to establish the facts of what happened and to get justice. I extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of those victims killed between 9 and 11 August 1971. It is unacceptable that these families had to wait almost 50 years for the truth. One wonders if these killings had taken place in England, Scotland or Wales, whether successive British governments have acted sooner. This was a shameful episode. Innocent people were killed and their reputations were sullied. It was appalling and it must be acknowledged by the British state.

I welcome the Taoiseach's meeting with the British Prime Minister, Mr. Johnson, to underline the seriousness of the findings and to call for a meaningful apology to be extended to the families. The Taoiseach was right to highlight the need for transparency and truth on the atrocities that happened during the Troubles, including the Dublin and Monaghan bombings which took place 47 years ago yesterday. Thirty-four people died in the bombings and more than 300 were injured when four car bombs were detonated on 17 May 1974. Their families and friends deserve the truth, as do all victims of atrocities that took place during the Troubles. There must be a re-engagement by all parties to the Troubles to discover and tell the truth. The victims and their families must be the priority.

With the shared-island initiative, it is important for all of us to re-engage in cross-Border initiatives to ensure there is reconciliation on all sides. Obviously, as we have seen with Ballymurphy, it is important for victims to have the truth told. The names of innocent victims must be cleared of any wrongdoing.

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