Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Last Thursday in my local village of Blackrock, County Louth, I attended the funeral of my near neighbour, Garda Tony Golden. The Taoiseach was present, as was the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald; Deputy Micheál Martin; the Garda Commissioner, my colleague, Senator Terry Brennan; and many other politicians and public figures. The funeral also was attended by many thousands of gardaí and a sombre local community who feel so much for Garda Golden's widow, Nicola; his three beautiful children; his mother-in-law and father-in-law who live in the village; and his own mother, father and family from Ballina, together with the extended family. It was a dastardly deed and words cannot express its horror or the legacy it has left for the family.

I welcome the forthcoming provision of additional resources for the Garda to deal with criminal activity engaged in by so-called republicans in the Border area. Today Mr. Mark Durkan has called for a special task force to be set up. I echo that call which echoes the report produced by Members' esteemed colleague, Senator Paul Coghlan, and his team on this criminality. I also note that the IRA's ruling body, the Army Council, has today been declared to still exist in a report by Secretary of State Villiers. She states it has a wholly political focus, but anyone who knows anything about republicanism and its ideology knows that the IRA Army Council was always a political body and, in fact, considers itself to be the legitimate government of this country. I ask that both the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fances Fitzgerald, come to this House to outline the implications of that statement, particularly as it goes on to indicate that Provisional IRA members believe-----