John Whelan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have had my differences in the past with the Minister for Justice and Equality, but this morning I would like to commend him for his courage in not continuing with the cover-up of the death of Fr. Niall Molloy, and for giving a glimmer of hope to his family, his community, his neighbours and friends in Offaly and Roscommon. This would not be possible were it not for the cross-party work that took place in the Seanad. I thank the Leader for the manner in which he facilitated our debates and discussions on this issue, and Senator John Kelly from Roscommon who has driven this matter for the last 18 months. The Minister is to be commended and I hope that the appointment of an eminent senior counsel will be a necessary first step towards a full-scale commission of inquiry into the horrendous circumstances surrounding the death of Father Niall Molloy 28 years ago. It is gratifying to think that the work we do here in this Seanad can have positive results. It would be remiss of us not to acknowledge the courageous work of the investigative journalist Gemma O'Doherty, who persevered with this issue when nobody wanted to hear about it. I again congratulate the Minister and I hope this is the start of a process that can finally allow the family and the community to put this matter to rest and to bring closure to this issue once and for all.