John Kelly (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, a Leas-Chathaoirleach.

During the trial a senior medical professional was asked if it was possible that Fr. Niall Molloy could have died of a heart attack. When he said "Yes", the judge directed that the jury be dismissed and found the accused not guilty of manslaughter. There have since been damning statements by Circuit Court judges who were critical of the fact that the judge had taken the case. Senior gardaí have also been critical of the Garda murder investigation. A prominent surgeon who attended the wedding said his life was in turmoil having witnessed the murder and that he could not live with himself. He died a few weeks later at the age of 50. Other gardaí in recent times have come out in support of undertaking another investigation. The Catholic Church wants the case to be reopened. Files relating to the murder were robbed by Martin Cahill from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions during the investigation. Veronica Guerin's home was shot at when she raised her head about the case. Paul Williams wrote a book entitled, Bedfellows, in which he chronicled what had happened. To date, nobody has challenged anything written in the book. Apart from the Garda inquiry by the cold case squad which, apparently, has concluded, according to the latest edition of The Sunday Times, and found there was no cover up, I have given 12 good reasons an independent commission of investigation should be set up.

Prior to the general election, both Fine Gael and the Labour Party vowed that if they got into power, an investigation into the death of Fr. Molloy would be a priority. The credibility of the institutions of the State is at stake and there is only one way to restore confidence in them. I would like to think the Minister will not shatter public confidence in our institutions by failing to sanction an independent commission of inquiry. The Molloy family, the friends and neighbours of Fr. Molloy and the people of the country deserve it. As Shakespeare said, "Something is rotten in the State of Denmark". If he was in Ireland in the mid-1980s, Denmark would have been off the hook.