Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I first met Senator Ó Clochartaigh when I came in here following a by-election in 2014. He is one of Ireland's gentlemen and a man I will miss dearly. I will miss his beautiful Irish, his smiling face and his helpful hand any time I ever needed it. He is a decent man and I wish him well. TG4's gain is our loss and Ireland's loss. I wish him the very best of luck. He was a really decent guy to be around.

I have rarely, if ever, spoken about issues pertaining to the Troubles. It is no secret that I served in the British Army. Sometimes I am accused of being a west Brit or whatever one wants to call it. A report on the radio on Sunday morning concerned the shooting of Aidan McAnespie in Northern Ireland. There have been many different comments about it. I was a soldier for ten years.I carried a weapon for most of those ten years. It is extremely difficult to have an accidental discharge of a weapon. That man was shot. According to some rumours, it was as a result of a ricochet. First, it would want to be a very lucky ricochet and second, the accidental discharge of the weapon is something that must be questioned and answered. An investigation was carried out by former Garda Commissioner Eugene Crowley and that report was handed to the then Minister for Justice in 1988. I listened to that man's family speak on a radio programme on Sunday morning. If nothing else, they are entitled to have sight of that report. I have no idea what that young man was involved in. All I know is that he played football. That is the only thing I heard on that radio programme. The Garda report will tell whatever story there is to be told. If nothing else, the family are entitled to that. I call on the current Minister for Justice and Equality to release that report to the family, even if it means bringing the family into an office in Dublin and allowing them the courtesy to sit down and read the report.

With respect to the Troubles in Northern Ireland, in order for matters to move on there, I have believed all along that there must be some form of a truth commission. There must be a way where people can sit down and hear what happened to their loved ones. Whether charges would follow or not, I do not feel competent to comment on. However, at the very least, both unionists and nationalists are entitled to know why those they loved were killed. There are no accidental killings in this world. What happened was a terrible time in our history. We are coming into a time in our history, which is equally disturbing, namely, the commemoration of the Civil War. It is time for some reconciliation. I ask the Minister as a first step to release that report to the family.