Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

I support previous speakers and the call for a united motion by both Houses of the Oireachtas to advance the cause of this tragic situation. I grew up in an era when hostilities in the North began to evolve, initiating with the civil rights movement. At that time Catholics were treated as second class citizens in the North and they showed their anger through a kind of uprising, using the civil rights marches to do so. Subsequently we had the appalling situation of the atrocity in Derry in 1970 where many people lost their lives.

Arising from the need of these people to fight for their rights, civil war evolved in the North over the past three decades. When the Good Friday Agreement was passed and we held our referendum the substantial majority of the people, both North and South, demonstrated their desire and eagerness for peace by their vote.

There were some appalling atrocities during the Troubles, including the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, the bombing in Belturbet, the Miami Showband crisis and the alleged collusion. There are still people in this part of Ireland who believe there was collusion in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. A serious allegation was made that the RIC and some members of the Garda Síochána were involved in these tragic circumstances.

When I was a Member of the Dáil, I was not, unfortunately, a member of the sub-committee dealing with the Barron report. If we consider the whole situation in the North, we see the sad situation we had over many years where Catholics were killing Protestants and where we had a kind of ethnic cleansing in certain areas, which was appalling. However, when one looks at atrocities where there was collusion, either by the armed forces or the RIC and possibly with the knowledge of State agencies, this raises serious concerns for me and many others.

In order to bring some closure to the war and these atrocities, it is important that we, the Government, Dáil, Seanad, Northern Ireland Assembly and Westminster, continue to strive in a democratic open fashion to find the solutions to enable us to put aside these appalling events of our past. Thankfully, since the Omagh bombings, there has been no serious explosion of any sort. Appalling as that bombing was, it was a catalyst for change. We now have a situation in the North where both sides are sitting in Government together and working together for the benefit of everyone.

Both sides suffered appalling consequences of the violence, with over 3,000 people murdered and thousands injured or maimed. We should learn from our past. It is a concern that despite all the inquiries we have had, we have not got to the root of the problem or of the various issues that arose. We had the Cory collusion inquiry process, the Smithwick tribunal of inquiry, chaired by Judge Peter Smithwick a retired President of the District Court, and various Barron reports over the years, but there are still question marks in some people's minds hanging over the activities of, possibly, the Garda and what type of collusion was involved and who knew what. The Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974 were a massive atrocity. One of the bombs went off quite close to this House, causing mayhem and death and injury to many people.

I laud the efforts of the group, Justice for the Forgotten. It strived for many years, initially in vain but with some success more recently, to highlight the plight of many, for example, the atrocious situation where many people disappeared in the North and were never found. It is an appalling situation when somebody is taken down a back alley and tied up and shot in the back of the head, but at least their body is found and the relatives and the family can find closure in that death. Those families have some sort of resolution. However, it is different in situations where, for example, as in the appalling case of the mother of ten children who came to the aid of a wounded British soldier, the person is taken away, executed and the body is never found. There are several more such cases. Attempts were made by various groups to resolve these cases and the Taoiseach has expressed his desire that closure be brought for those affected by such appalling events.

For the first time in more than 50 years there is good will, both north and south of the Border and in Westminster, towards resolving outstanding issues, ensuring the peace strategy is strengthened and finding answers regarding the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

One could ask if there will ever be total closure. Will the total truth ever be found? If one looks, for example, at the appalling Whiddy Island disaster in Bantry Bay, which has nothing to do with Northern Ireland, in which 50 lives were lost, despite a tribunal of inquiry, nobody knows precisely what happened that night. A ship exploded but we do not know where the negligence lay. I am still not sure, even though as a young, trainee solicitor, I worked at the tribunal in Dublin and Bantry. The answers to the questions posed by that disaster never emerged.

I fully support my colleagues who have expressed the unanimous view of this House that we should move forward and try to bring resolution and closure. That is my heartfelt wish too.