Justice for the Forgotten - The Pat Finucane Centre

The bereaved families of those killed in the Monaghan bomb on 17th May 1974 met with members of the Joint Oireachtas Good Friday Agreement Implementation Committee on Thursday, 12th January 2012, in the Westenra Hotel, Monaghan.

During the meeting, which was held at the Committee's request, the families raised their concerns about the continued non-disclosure of relevant documents by the British authorities, which had been withheld from Judge Henry Barron (see Barron Inquiries in the Publications section).

The meeting was very positive and the Committee promised to raise the matter with the Taoiseach and to urge him to bring pressure to bear on the British PM, David Cameron.

Justice for the Forgotten - The Pat Finucane Centre

The bereaved families and survivors of the Miami Showband attack have hosted a press conference in Buswell's Hotel, Molesworth Street, Dublin today. The families have recieved a report from the Historical Enquiries Team into the murders of their loved ones: Tony Geraghty, Brian McCoy and Fran O'Toole.

The murders occurred in the early hours of 31st July 1975 as the Miami showband was returning home to Dublin following a gig in the Castle Ballroom, Banbridge, Co. Down. They were flagged down at a bogus British military checkpoint at Buskhill on the main road to Newry.

Tony Geraghty was 24 years old and a native of Crumlin, Dublin. He was lead guitarist with the band.
Brian McCoy was 32 years old and was married to Helen. They had two young children, Keith and Cheryl. They lived in Raheny, Dublin but Brian was a native of Caledon, Co. Tyrone. He was trumpeter and singer with the band.
Fran O'Toole was 28 years old and was married to Valerie. They had two young daughters, Rachel and Kelly. Fran was a native of Bray, Co. Wicklow. He was organist and lead singer with the band.

The Historical Enquiries Team was established by the Police Service of Northern Ireland to re-examine all deaths attributable to The Troubles between 1968 and 1998.

Here is the families' response in a separate page or as a downloadable pdf document:

Miami Showband families statement 14122011

Details of the HET's finding relating to Robin Jackson, a notorious UVF loyalist:

Robin Jackson - Miami Showband Massacre links

Accoring to a cable dated 1st June 2006, from the American embassy in Dublin, during a meeting between former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and US Special Envoy Mitchell Reis, Ahern expressed the view that the UK did not cooperate fully with the Barron commission's investigation into the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

It was during a conversation regarding the case of Pat Finuncance that the issue arose:

"The Taoiseach said that the entire parliament was united in opposition to the UK approach. Parliament does not believe the UK will give all evidence because, in its view, the UK did not cooperate fully with the Barron commission's investigation into the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings. The Taoiseach said that the GOI wants the UK to provide evidence acknowledging its involvement in Finucane's murder and it wants to know how high in the UK government collusion went. He said if the UK were to provide the information, it would only grab the headlines for a few hours because "everyone knows the UK was involved."

This is the first time that we have had confirmation that this was the official view of the Irish government of the day.

You can see the original cable contents online at the various wikileaks related sites, for instance here, look for cable ID 05DUBLIN657. The relevant section of the cable is 10 (c).

Dublin City Public Libraries have made a collection of photographic material on the aftermath of the Dublin Bombings of May 1974 available online. These photographs were taken by the Dublin Corporation official photographer on the day after the events, on 18th May 1974. The images show the streets and buildings affected by the bombings and give a clear picture of the devastation caused to the fabric of the city.

Justice for the Fogotten met with the British Ambassador, Mr. Julian King, on 21st June 2011. We urged him to impress upon his Prime Minister and Government the necessity of making their undisclosed files available to an independent, international judicial figure for assessment. The Ambassador promised to convey our representations to the British authorities.

You can see the Taoiseach's response to questions in the Dáil regarding his recent meeting with British PM David Cameron at the link below to the Oireachtas website:

http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/2011/05/24/00003.asp

A new all-party moton on the undisclosed files held by the British Government was agreed unanimously and debated over two evenings on the 17th and 18th of May 2011. The motion was also supported by the Technical Group of Independent TDs.

The motion of July 2008 which was also adopted unanimously, was recalled, in which:

- “the interim and final reports of the sub-Committee of the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women’s Rights on the report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Dublin-Monaghan Bombings and the three related Barron Reports, including the Inquiry into the Bombing of Kay’s Tavern, Dundalk, and commends the sub-Committee for its work”;

- urged “the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to allow access by an independent, international judicial figure to all original documents held by the British Government relating to the atrocities that occurred in this jurisdiction and which were inquired into by Judge Barron, for the purposes of assessing said documents with the aim of assisting in the resolution of these crimes”; and

directed “the Clerk of the Dáil to communicate the text of this Resolution, together with copies of the aforementioned reports, to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with a request that the matter be considered by the House of Commons”;

The new motion, moved by Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin on Tuesday, 17th May 2011, further stated that it:

"notes that the question of obtaining access to information held by the British Government on the bombings has been pursued for many years;

requests the Government to continue to raise the matter with the British Government and to press it to comply with the request of Dáil Éireann and reaffirms the support of Members on all sides of this House; and

acknowledges that the cooperation being sought is taking place in the context of transformed relationships on this island and between Ireland and Britain based on mutual respect, on partnership and on friendship."

Thank you all for coming here today to mark the deaths of 34 people who perished in this city and in the town of Monaghan, 37 years ago.

None of them was among what we might call the “high and mighty” of this land - but all had an absolute right to life - and all were loved and are still deeply missed by their families.

Every day of their lives, the bereaved families live with the pain of their loss but today is particularly painful for both them and those who were injured.

Remarks, made recently by a national broadcaster, who said a 37th anniversary is “not really important” shows how little they understand- or care - for the grief of families bereaved by such a horrific attack.

The comment also, of course, misses the point entirely. The Dublin and Monaghan bombings cost the lives of 34 men, women and babies, including an Italian and a French citizen.

It was the greatest loss of life in a single day during the Troubles. Proportionate to our population, this was truly Ireland's 9/11. Would anyone dare to suggest that any anniversary of 9/11 should be overlooked? I don’t think so.

This anniversary today is remarkable as it takes place at the same time the British monarch arrives for her first ever visit to this part of the island. Her prime minister, David Cameron, will accompany her and is due to meet our Taoiseach, Enda Kenny tomorrow.

We believe this historic occasion affords Mr. Cameron with a wonderful, a golden, opportunity to make a genuinely significant gesture of reconciliation. We are appealing to him today to announce his intention to open the files that were withheld from Judge Henry Barron to a new judicial inquiry.

Judge Barron was investigating, not alone the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, but also those of Dublin 1972 and 1973, Belturbet, Dublin Airport, Dundalk and Castleblayney as well as the murders of John Francis Green, Christy Phelan and Séamus Ludlow.

Dáil Éireann adopted a unanimous all-Party resolution in July 2008 urging the British Government to release these files. It was passed to the House of Commons for consideration nearly three years ago but no action whatsoever has been taken.

This is insulting to our Dáil, let alone the dead we remember here today and their families. British stonewalling inevitably prompts a question – what do they have to hide?

We urge our Taoiseach, when he meets with Mr. Cameron, to impress upon him that the opening of the files would send out a powerful message of reconciliation to the people of Ireland.

It would slot into place the final piece of the jigsaw for the bereaved families and survivors of the cross-Border bombings of the 1970s. This must happen soon because, sadly, with each year that passes, family members are dying without ever hearing the truth.

In the High Court in London, lawyers acting for four Kenyans who claim they were horribly tortured by British forces during the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950's are currently arguing for the release of documents.

The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, told the House of Commons earlier this month that they would now be released subject to legal exemptions. He declared that this was essential to uphold Britain’s moral authority as a nation. He claimed that London's willingness to shine a light on its faults and to learn from the mistakes of history is an enduring strength of British democracy.What is right for the Kenyans must also be right for us in Ireland.

Prime Minister Cameron showed great courage when he told the House of Commons and the Bloody Sunday families gathered in Derry in the Guildhall Square, after the publication of the Saville report that it was “right to pursue the truth with vigour and thoroughness and that openness and frankness about the past, however painful, do not make us weaker, they make us stronger”.

So, on this momentous occasion, our plea to him is: pursue the truth, make us stronger, open the files.

The bereaved families and survivors of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings have addressed an open letter to Queen Elizabeth 11 on the occasion of her visit to Ireland on the 37th anniversary of the bombings - see below.

Dear Queen Elizabeth,

Your visit tomorrow is a sign of improving relations between our two islands and peoples.

Thirty-seven years ago, on 17th May 1974, a series of no-warning car bombs murdered 34 men, women and babies in Dublin and Monaghan. It was the greatest loss of life in a single day of the Troubles.

We are appealing, through you, to your Prime Minister, David Cameron, to mark the occasion of this historic visit by a genuinely significant gesture of reconciliation.

We urge him to open the files that were withheld from Judge Henry Barron's inquiries into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and all other cross-Border bombings perpetrated in this jurisdiction.

All requests, including a cross-party resolution adopted by Dáil Éireann on 10th July 2008, have so far falen on deaf ears. Without this move, deeply troublesome questions remain unanswered.

The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights, which examined Judge Barron's reports concluded:

' We are dealing with acts of international terrorism that were colluded in by the British security forces.'

On 15th June 2010, David Cameron made a historic gesture in apologising for Bloody Sunday when he told the House of Commons:

'It is right to pursue the truth with vigour and thoroughness. Openness and frankness about the past, however painful, do not make us weaker, they make us stronger'.

The sky did not fall in. Rather, it led to an unprecedented act of reconciliation by the Protestant churches in Derry.

So on this momentous occasion, our plea to Prime Minister Cameron is:

Pursue the truth with vigour – make us all stronger – open up the files

Yours sincerely

The picture above is of the open letter from Justice for the Forgotten that appeared on the front page of the Irish Times on 16th May 2011.

Justice for the Forgotten
63 Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin 1.
Phone: 00353 1 8554300
www.dublinmonaghanbombings.org

The wreath-laying ceremony will take place at the Talbot Street Memorial, (near Connolly Train Station) at 11.30 am, on the 17th May 2011.

As always, the public are very much welcome to attend. We ask that no flags, banners or emblems should be displayed.

At 12.45 pm the anniversary mass will be held in St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Marlborough Street, Dublin 1.

Both council bodies in Monaghan Town and Dublin City have supported our call for the British government to open up the files they posses relating to the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

The motion below was passed unanimously at the meeting of Dublin City Council last night (9th May 2011):

"This City Council calls on the British government to pass on the files relating to the Dublin/Monaghan bombings in 1974 in order to help put closure to the investigation for the families who lost loved ones in the bombings and calls upon the Taoiseach End Kenny to demand of the British Prime Minister David Cameron that he comply with the unanimous request of Dáil Éireann of 10 July 2008 to "allow access by an independent, international judicial figure to all original documents held by the British government relating to the atrocities...inquired into by Judge Barron"; and noting that the visit to our City of the Queen of England coincides with the 37th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings we add our voices to that demand for justice and truth.

At the April monthly meeting of Monaghan Town Council the members also supported our appeal calling on the British government to open up the files and make available the documentation concerning the 1974 Monaghan and Dublin bombings. A letter from Monaghan Town Council regarding this has been issued to the British Embassy.

Justice for the Forgotten believes the extraordinary coincidence of Britain's Queen Elizabeth arriving in Ireland on the 37th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings presents her Prime Minister, David Cameron, with a golden opportunity to make a genuinely significant gesture of reconciliation. It should enable him to announce his intention to open the files and make available the documentation that was withheld from Judge Henry Barron during the course of his inquiries into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and the other cross-Border bombings that were perpetrated in this jurisdiction in the 1970s.

The Dublin and Monaghan bombings, in which 34 men, women and babies were killed, caused the greatest loss of life in a single day during the entire period of the Troubles.

The British authorities not only refused to co-operate with Judge Barron but have also ignored repeated requests from former Taoisigh and especially the all-Party motion that was unanimously adopted by Dáil Éireann in July 2008, which urged them:

'to allow access by an independent, international judicial figure to all original documents held by the British Government relating to the atrocities that occurred in this jurisdiction and which were inquired into by Judge Barron, for the purposes of assessing said documents with the aim of assisting in the resolution of these crimes'.

We remember Prime Minister Cameron's words last June when he apologised for Bloody Sunday. He told the House of Commons:

'It is right to pursue the truth with vigour and thoroughness...openness and frankness about the past, however painful, do not make us weaker, they make us stronger'.

In anticipation of this momentous occasion our plea to Prime Minister Cameron is:

Pursue the truth with vigour - make us all stronger - open up the files

Note to Editors:
We will be meeting with Independent TDs in Leinster House at 9.45 am on Wednesday, 13th April and will be available for comment afterwards - at about 10.30 am.

We will be encouraging the public to attend our dignified wreath-laying ceremony on the anniversary (17th May) at the memorial in Talbot Street but no flags or banners should be displayed.

For further details please contact -

Margaret Urwin
Justice for the Forgotten
63, Lower Gardiner Street
Dublin 1

Tel : 00353 (1) 855 4300
Mobile No: 00353 (87) 2237338
Web : www.dublinmonaghanbombings.org

21 December 2010

JUSTICE FOR THE FORGOTTEN — PAT FINUCANE CENTRE

Justice for the Forgotten is pleased to announce that it is up and running again as part of the Pat Finucane Centre, a development which both organisations view as very positive and we are confident will strengthen cross-Border ties. Our very existence was threatened when funding was withdrawn last July.

Speaking today Margaret Urwin said,

"We are very pleased to be part of a network and team with offices in Dublin, Armagh and Derry. The issues that affect victims of the Northern conflict are similar on both sides of the border and we should remember that some 130 people died in the Republic due to the conflict.

We have had a close working relationship with the Pat Finucane Centre for more than a decade as many of the bereaved families we both represent are victims of the Glenanne gang, so this new development can be seen as a natural progression in that relationship.

From the point of view of Justice for the Forgotten, this move should see an end to the isolation we have often felt operating south of the Border. Our campaigning and lobbying work will continue as before but within the legal and organisational structure of the PFC."

Speaking on behalf of the PFC Paul O’Connor said,

"We believe that the hundreds of families who seek support and advocacy from JFF and the PFC will also benefit from the merger of research skills, knowledge and experience that this development entails. It’s a very encouraging and constructive change.

Short-term funding has been provided but it is essential that the Pat Finucane Centre receives long-term funding on a cross-Border basis so that we may complete all our outstanding work."

For further information contact

Margaret Urwin
Justice for the Forgotten
(a project of the PFC)
63, Lower Gardiner Street
Dublin 1

Paul O’Connor
Pat Finucane Centre
Derry & Armagh
Tel : 00353 (1) 855 4300 00(44) 37 515191 Armagh
00(44) 71 268846 Derry