Address At Martkethouse, Monaghan - 22-10-2014

 

Thank you for inviting me to speak here this evening on behalf of Justice for the Forgotten at the launch of the commemorative booklet to mark the 40th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

Our victims' support organisation was formed in 1996, originally to campaign for truth and justice for the bereaved families and survivors of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

We gradually extended our remit over the years to include the families of other bomb attacks in the Republic during the 1970s: the Dublin bombings of December 1972 and January 1973; and the Belturbet, Dundalk and Castleblayney bombings. We also represent the families of the Miami Showband and a number of families whose relatives were killed in single incident attacks. JFF is the only dedicated organisation working with victims in the Republic of Ireland. Our services are available to anyone bereaved or injured as a result of the conflict, regardless of political or religious affiliation. Since 2010, we have been part of the human rights' organisation, the Pat Finucane Centre, based in Derry.

We believe that truth recovery is an essential part of peace building. We have made considerable progress over the years but the great stumbling block has been and continues to be the refusal of the British authorities to disclose documents that were withheld from the Inquiry of Judge Henry Barron, which took place between 2000 and 2003. They have ignored two motions passed unanimously by Dáil Éireann in 2008 and 2011 urging them to make the documents available to an independent judicial person for assessment. We engaged in discussions with the current British Ambassador last year and were hopeful of a positive outcome but, sadly, it came to nothing in the end. The Dublin and Monaghan families have now made the difficult decision of taking a civil case against the British authorities as they feel there is no other option open to them. We believe that, at this point, what is required is a Legacy Commission to deal with the past - one that is inclusive of all victims of the conflict wherever they lost their lives.

When I first met Brian Clerkin at the beginning of this year, I was astonished by his enthusiasm for commemorating the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and, in particular, the Monaghan bombing. Brian is a young man who wasn't born for a decade after the bombings occurred.

He had recently returned home to Monaghan after some years living abroad which enabled him to look at his native town with new eyes. He found himself passing the memorial to the victims in front of the Courthouse every day and began to wonder if the young people of Monaghan knew what it represented and, if so, if they knew where exactly and how the bombing had occurred. He was aware that 2014 was the 40th anniversary year and wanted to ensure that memories of the bombing in the town were recovered from those who had lived through it and were not allowed to fall into oblivion. The aim was to inform the young people of the town and surrounding area as to what happened on that terrible day and, very importantly, he wanted to ensure, as far as possible, that such an atrocity should never happen in the town again. The theme of the project was "Building a lasting peace".

JFF was delighted to be associated with the project and we were very heartened by the funding and support provided by the Monaghan Peace 111 Partnership, which made the project possible. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for this support.

I was honoured to be invited to speak to the young participants at their first workshop on 24 April when I described the events in both Dublin and Monaghan and gave them as much detail as possible about those who died - 34 people in total including an unborn baby and two baby girls in Dublin on that day that saw the greatest loss of life during the Troubles.

Local historian, Enda Galligan of the Old Monaghan Society, set the ball rolling that same evening by giving his eyewitness account of the immediate aftermath of the bombing and provided the young participants with a general flavour of the history of the local area.

During the course of their workshops during April and May, the participants composed a poem together, which is entitled A Poem for Peace. The poem reflects their newfound knowledge and their yearning for truth and justice for the victims' families and for the survivors. The families will appreciate your solidarity. It will now be included in the "Poems and Songs" section of our website, along with poems by Paula Meehan, Eavan Boland and others.

Another important element of the workshops was obtaining interviews with eyewitnesses and those impacted by the bombing. Included in the booklet, as well as Enda Galligan's contribution, is an interview with Ms Georgina Kent, whose father, David Parker, now sadly deceased, was very seriously injured in the bomb explosion. Georgina, who was only 12 years old at the time, gives a powerful insight into the suffering of her father and the impact the bombing had on her life and that of her family. We are extremely grateful to Georgina for sharing her painful experience with us. It took a lot of courage to sit down and recall that dreadful time.

Austin McArdle, who was 15 in 1974, gives a very vivid first-hand account of the actual explosion, which he witnessed. He was a young man on the spot. He describes the sounds, the sights and the smells. He recalls the blue flash just before the bomb exploded, the noise of the bomb itself and the smell of cordite. He recalls the incongruity of the pints of Guinness still sitting on Greacen's counter with the devastation all around. Although Austin wasn't physically injured, the trauma had a serious impact on him in the following years. We are also very grateful to Austin for sharing his memories with us.

What is striking about both Enda's and Austin's accounts are the final sentences in each of their contributions. Enda says: "It's just as if it never happened." Austin says: "The bomb seems to be brushed under the carpet". Those words resonate with us. We have found, despite all our work in striving for the truth and keeping the bombings in the public eye over many years, that there is a general amnesia in the media, in civil society and even in Government itself. This amnesia is not confined to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings but also includes the other bombings that occurred in the State in the 1970s. The booklet being launched today will hopefully go some way towards counteracting this amnesia.

One person who did not forget is Dorinda McCormack. To mark the 10th anniversary in 1984 she had a poem entitled simply The Dublin and Monaghan Bombings published in the Northern Standard newspaper. We offer sincere thanks to Dorinda for allowing her poem to be included in the booklet. We hope that all those who have participated in the project have benefited from the experience and that they will disseminate the information they have received to their friends and relations. We hope it will instil in them a love of history and encourage them to undertake further research. It brings to mind the famous quote of the Spanish-American philosopher, George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are destined to repeat it."

As part of the project, the participants attended the commemorative events organised by JFF in Dublin on 17 May where they had their photograph taken with the Taoiseach, and in Monaghan on 18 May when Joseph Kelly read their poem during the event. They also attended the 15th anniversary commemoration of the Omagh bombing on 15 August.

When we open the booklet, on the very first page we find the names, addresses and ages of the victims, reminding the reader that this publication is an act of commemoration whose purpose is, above all, about honouring the victims. Commemoration is also about the healing of the families and survivors, it is about learning from the past in order to prevent similar atrocities and it is an instrument for reconciliation.

I would like to acknowledge the families who are present this evening: the White family, the Croarkin family, the Askin family and the Mone family whose uncle, Packie Mone, was killed in the Castleblayney bombing in March 1976.

Finally, on behalf of JFF and PFC, I would like to thank the following people for their assistance and support:
Leona Keenan and Gerry Campbell, Monaghan Community Development Board Peace 111 Partnership; Monaghan Foróige and Teach na nDaoine; Enda Galligan, Old Monaghan Society; Bernadette Hand; The Clerkin family; Brendan Cavlan; Georgina Kent; Austin McArdle; Dorinda McCormack; Mayor Seán Conlon.

Above all, I want to acknowledge very specially the man without whom this project would not have happened - Brian Clerkin. Brian conceived the idea for the project and brought it to fruition. He undertook most of the work single-handedly and for no personal gain. Great credit is due to Brian for producing this wonderful booklet which will be available for future generations.