34th Anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings marked in Dublin

17th May 2008. Relatives of the victims of the bombings, along with those injured in the attacks, today commemorated the 34th Anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

In the speech delivered at the annual wreath-laying ceremony, Mr. Kevin O’Loughlin, Chairperson of Justice for the Forgotten, emphasised the profound disappointment towards the Government felt by the victims of the bombings on this particularly poignant Anniversary.

Thirty-four people, including an unborn baby, died in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17th May 1974. Yet thirty-four years on, nobody has been held to account for the murders.

During the speech, the Chairman noted that the bombings were among some of the most troubling attacks of the conflict - with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice stating in its final report on the Barron Inquiries in November 2006 that, “We are dealing with acts of international terrorism that were colluded in by the British security forces.”

In the aftermath of the publication of that report, Sean Ardagh TD, Chair of the Joint Committee, stated that the Government would be demanding that the British Government establish a Cory-style investigation to examine the relevant documentation in its possession.

Yet despite the deeply serious nature of the Committee’s findings and despite Deputy Ardagh’s clear commitment, the Irish government has taken no such action.

On behalf of Justice for the Forgotten, on this the 34th Anniversary of the worst atrocity of the Northern conflict, the Chairman called on the government to make good its promises and agree a motion to be passed in the Oireachtas without further delay.

The motion should:

* endorse the interim and final Barron Reports

* agree to forward the Reports to the Houses of Parliament at Westminster

* call on the British Government to immediately establish a Cory-style inquiry into the relevant records and documentation held by the British authorities.

The Chairman also thanked the Remembrance Commission and Dublin City Council for their assistance in the creation and installation of new memorial stones marking the individual sites of the bombings.

MacEntee Report to be challenged

Monday, 21st April 2008. Following receipt of legal advice, Justice for the Forgotten has reached a decision to take a High Court challenge against An Taoiseach, Ireland and the Attorney General in relation to aspects of the Commission of Investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which was conducted by Mr. Patrick MacEntee, S.C.

The two main points on which the challenge is being taken are:

* That the Commission of Investigation failed to report on Term 2(ii) of its Terms of Reference ('The man in the Four Courts Hotel') and Justice for the Forgotten has not been informed as to the reason why the Commission failed to report, despite three letters to the Taoiseach’s Department over the past year.

* That Justice for the Forgotten has not been allowed access to the evidence gathered and the archive assembled by the Commission, again despite three unanswered requests to the Taoiseach’s Department, and it is a matter of great concern to us that this evidence may now be locked away for at least the next 30 years.

We have been advised that these failures constitute an injustice to the deceased, the injured and their families under the European Convention of Human Rights.

30/31 January 2008. Members of Justice for the Forgotten, along with bereaved families and survivors of other collusion-related atrocities, observed the long-promised Dáil debate on collusion on the 30th and 31st January from 5-7pm.

Also present to observe the debate were members of the Eames-Bradley Consultative Group on the Past.

The Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights called for the debate in their Final Report on the Report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Bombing of Kay's Tavern, Dundalk in November 2006.

The Taoiseach made the opening statement to the House, repeating his call on the British Government "to meet its responsibilities to co-operate with inquiries in this State and to help the process of uncovering the truth about what happened." Other speakers on the government side endorsed this call, with Cavan-Monaghan TD, Margaret Conlon, condemning the "state-sponsored terrorism" of the British authorities.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny noted that the "persistent refusal of the British government to co-operate properly with the Barron inquiry" was a "sore point" in the new era of peace and prosperity in Ireland. He also stated that the Fine Gael party "supports every effort the Government makes to have the information released".

The call for the release of documents was strongly endorsed by Labour party members including the party's spokesperson on Justice, Joe Costello TD; members of Sinn Féin and the Independent TD, Finian McGrath. All parties were in agreement in endorsing the proposal for a cross-party motion calling on the British government to release the relevant documents.

As a consequence of the debate, Justice for the Forgotten is currently working with all parties to ensure that this motion is passed in the Dáil with all due haste.

Victims' Groups Call for international, independent Truth Commission

15th Jan 2008. Justice for the Forgotten, along with several key victims' groups representing bereaved families and survivors of the Northern conflict, today issued a statement in Dublin calling jointly for the establishment of an independent, international Truth Commission.

Justice for the Forgotten, along with The Pat Finucane Centre, Relatives for Justice, Ardoyne Commemoration Project, An Fhirinne, and Firinne Fermanagh collectively represents families of more than 1,000 victims of the conflict across Ireland. Together the groups are seeking a way to deal with the legacy of over 30 years of conflict.

Over the past year the groups, from across the island, have been meeting to discuss truth recovery, examine truth commissions elsewhere, and agree core principles and values that would be required as part of a Truth Commission here.

Speaking at the press conference, Margaret Urwin, on behalf of the groups stated,

"We believe that the only way to bring truth to the greatest number of families is through an international independent truth commission. This should be available as a mechanism for all victims who wish to have their cases investigated thoroughly.

The focus of such a commission should be on truth and acknowledgement rather than prosecutions. The criminal justice system has frustrated rather than facilitated access to the truth. All combatant groups, British, republican and loyalist should co-operate in good faith and have a moral duty to do so."

The groups believe that the past must be addressed in a positive manner for the benefit of the victims of the conflict as well as the wider society. It is clear from the evidence of other countries, such as, for example, Spain or Lebanon, that if the past is not dealt with constructively now, there is a serious risk of it re-emerging and destablilising the peace in the future.

In response to journalists' questions regarding the need for all sides to engage with a truth commission, Paul O'Connor, of The Pat Finucane Centre stated, "our job is...to convince people that what we're talking about is not a witch hunt. What we're talking about is not going after people, pinning blame on them in a retributive process. That's why we expressly ruled out the South African model of public confrontations and hearings."

Read the Victims' Groups statement in full here: Statement

View RTE News at One coverage of the announcement here: News at One

Memorial to Miami Showband unveiled

10th Dec 2007. An Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern TD, today unveiled a memorial to the three members of the Miami Showband who were killed outside Newry, Co. Down in 1975. The band members were murdered by serving members of the UDR who were also members of the UVF.

The memorial, by Donegal sculptor Redmond Herrity, was unveiled at the site of the old National Ballroom in Parnell Square in Dublin, where the band regularly played.

Among the hundreds in attendance at the ceremony were: survivors of the attack, Stephen Travers and Des McAlea; and band member Ray Millar, who was not travelling with band at the time of the muders. Family and relatives of McCoy, Geraghty and O'Toole - some of whom travelled from abroad - also attended.

Geraghty (24), O'Toole (28) and McCoy (32) were killed after their minibus was stopped at a roadblock by the now disbanded British Army Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).

The band members, who were on their way to Dublin after playing in Banbridge, Co Down, were told to get out of the vehicle and line up on the side of the road.

Two serving members of the UDR, also UVF members, Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville, secretly attempted to plant a bomb on the minibus but it blew up killing them both.

Three members of the band were then shot dead by the UDR/UVF men. Travers and McAlea were injured in the attack for which James Somerville, Thomas Crozier and Rodney McDowell received life sentences.

Responding to questions about the British government's failure to order a public inquiry into the incident, survivor Steve Travers said: "They must stop stonewalling all the mountains of evidence that says there was collusion.

"I don't even need any of this evidence. I was there. I saw the British army officer in control on that night. He wasn't that worried about hiding his identity because he thought we'd be dead in 20 minutes."

In his speech at the ceremony, the Taoiseach noted that the suffering of the families is "sharpened by the clear evidence of collusion by the security forces in many of these murders, as has been made clear by several reports over the years."

"I know the quest for answers continues and I reiterate the Government's support for the families in that quest" he added.

He again committed to a "full debate in the Dáil at the beginning of the new session in early February."