Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Next Friday is the 50th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. We remember the victims of one of the worse atrocities of the Troubles, when three bombs exploded in Dublin and a fourth one in Monaghan. This resulted in the deaths of 34 civilians, including baby Martha O'Neill, and the injury of almost 300 people.

I pay tribute to the families and campaigners from Justice for the Forgotten in the Gallery. I acknowledge their long struggle for truth and justice, which is a testament to their commitment and determination to get justice for their loved ones 50 years on. Those who died that awful day were aged between five months and 80 years. Many who survived the bombings, as well as the families of the victims, still bear the physical and emotional scars of that day. Although the bombings were claimed by the UVF, they had all the hallmarks of collusion with the British army and British intelligence. Irish Supreme Court judge, Mr. Justice Henry Barron, in his report on the bombings in 2005, clearly indicated the likely involvement of the British military and intelligence services. This explains why the British Government has been reluctant to release its files on these bombings and has obstructed and frustrated the families' struggle for justice over the years. By continuing to withhold vital documents, it is wilfully denying justice for the bereaved and the injured. It makes the British Government more than just complicit in the denial of justice for the bereaved families and the injured; it retraumatises the survivors and the families of the victims. Various British Governments use the excuse of national security as a reason for not releasing its files. This is not about national security. It is about protecting the guilty. The British Government is not interested in or concerned with the victims of this atrocity. Its only concern is to hide its own involvement and protect its agents and personnel who worked side by side with loyalists such as the Glennane gang. For the families and the survivors, justice delayed is justice denied.

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