President Michael D Higgins has said that the relatives of those killed and injured in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings were left with pain and suffering and unanswered questions, and that the “manifest failure of both the British and Irish governments to initiate suitable responses in the aftermath of the attacks has left a legacy that cannot be left unaddressed”.
His comments come as the officer leading the inquiry into the activities of the loyalist gang suspected of being responsible for the bombings has said he has no doubt there was collusion between the gang and the British security services.
RTÉ reported that “Iain Livingstone, who heads up Operation Denton, which is examining allegations relating to the activities of the so-called Glenanne Gang, which was based in Co Armagh and Mid-Ulster during the Troubles, including its role in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings” said the investigators could “say categorically there was collusion”.
“What we are going to do – and we are going to do it with rigour, and we’re going to do it with complete transparency – is define the character, the nature and the extent of that collusion,” he said.
“It’s well established that people who worked for the State – police officers, members of the UDR – had previously been involved in some of these despicable, sectarian attacks that were carried out primarily by loyalist paramilitaries.”
“Whether there were individuals within that who were also agents and in terms of informants – that’s something that our review will consider, we’ll make an assessment around that, and we will report on that because it’s a matter of legitimate public interest,” he added.
Speaking at a wreath-laying ceremony in Dublin today to mark 50 years since the bombs exploded, the President said that those gathered were marking “the 50th anniversary of that terrible set of events that constitutes the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings, in which 34 people were killed, including a full-term unborn baby, we also recall the many hundreds who were badly injured, the families left bereft with grief, and the communities torn to pieces by a day that became known as one of a savage violence, an ordinary weekend day horrifically changed.”
Huge crowds at the commemoration to mark the 50th anniversary of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. pic.twitter.com/KyPV26U1pm
— Ronan McGreevy (@RMcGreevy1301) May 17, 2024
He said: “For so many of you here today, directly affected as you were, and are by the devastating bombings that day, I recognise that attending this commemorative event is a distressing occasion, even after all these years.
“While I know that the people of Ireland stand in solidarity with you in your loss, it is yourselves and your families who have had to bear the grief of those tragic events, and, added to it, have had to bear the long wait for information on those tragic events, that was and is your right.
“I know that the resulting pain and suffering remains with you to this day, as do the unanswered questions. Your still seeking to have responses to questions that remain unanswered represents the pursuit of a basic right by any standard of justice.
“Even in the context of the many atrocities committed at that time, the Dublin and Monaghan car bombings of 1974 were crimes of a particular level of savagery, executed consciously upon workers and civilians with total disregard for human life and suffering.
“As was so vividly captured in the accounts given by survivors including those interviewed for the recent excellent RTÉ radio documentary series The Forgotten, that evening of 17th May 1974 had begun like any normal Friday evening – the din of rush-hour traffic, people leaving work, many anticipating the weekend ahead as they made their way through the city centre. However, it was to become an evening that would become known as a dark day of terror in Dublin City and Monaghan Town.
“Dublin city centre was rocked by three explosions – the first in Parnell Street, at 5.28 pm, resulted in the death of 11 people; the second explosion in Talbot Street took place almost immediately after the first, killing 14 people; the third explosion in South Leinster Street occurred moments later and was responsible for the death of two more.
“Just 90 minutes later, there was a further explosion 75 miles away in Monaghan Town, in which seven people were killed.
Floral tributes laid today at the monument on Talbot Street in Dublin today pic.twitter.com/BxdIUVN6zE
— JusticeFTForgotten (@JFForgotten) May 17, 2024
“In addition to the lives lost, it is estimated that more than 300 people were injured by the explosions, some of them disabled for life. No warnings were given of the bombings, and no organisation claimed responsibility for them at the time.
“I pay tribute to all of those who in recent broadcasts and interviews have been recalling these painful events. As well as personal injury and the horror of seeing the impact of the bombs on human bodies and in what were familiar streets, now altered forever, many families experienced the slow realisation that a family member was missing, the panic and foreboding of the search that ensued in overcrowded city hospitals, for some the grim task of identifying loved ones through body parts, bits of clothing or fragments of jewellery, followed by the ordeal of the funerals – and then, for many, seeking basic information, nothing.
“Like the families of so many other victims and survivors of the Northern Ireland conflict, so many of you here today have been trying to find answers about what happened.
“The report compiled by the late Judge Henry Barron, published 10th December 2003, provided some of the answers, pointing as it did to systemic failures at State level, one that included possible collusion between the security forces and loyalist paramilitaries, the disappearance of important forensic evidence and files, the slow-motion conduct of the investigation, a reluctance to make original documents available, and the refusal to supply other information on security grounds.
“At parliamentary level, the subsequent hearings of the Joint Oireachtas Committee heard that in all probability most if not all perpetrators came from Northern Ireland, that in all probability information which concerns or identifies perpetrators still exists in Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
“It is not only a matter of the most profound regret, it is unacceptable in terms of justice that no one group or institution has been made accountable for these atrocities. The manifest failure of both the British and Irish governments to initiate suitable responses in the aftermath of the attacks has left a legacy that cannot be left unaddressed.
“I share with the relatives gathered, or represented, here their feeling of being abandoned and failed by the system, of their being denied justice for the loss of loved ones.
“Many people have listened to the heart-breaking stories, heard of the remarkable bravery of bereaved families and survivors, and of their battle for the truth. However, relatives need more than an empathetic ear. Justice demands that they deserve the truth – no more, no less.
“The truth must surely include a clear account of the context, the information shared and the knowledge as to preparations for what happened to, and caused the death and injuries of, those on 17th May 1974, the why and how these events occurred, who was responsible, and, perhaps most importantly, as to whether could the attacks have been prevented and, if so, why were they not so prevented?
He said that “on Tuesday of this week (14th May 2024), the Dáil has for the fourth time unanimously supported a call for the British government to open and allow access to all documents relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.”
“The enactment of that unilaterally sourced legislation has resulted in families who have spent decades fighting for an effective investigation into their cases of not only facing further uncertainty and delays but of the deprivation of legal rights. For example, 38 legacy inquests covering the deaths of more than 70 people are now suspended as a result of the Troubles legislation. Victims’ families have been further denied dignity, respect and the basic information which may be available as to who was responsible,” the President said.
“The Dublin and Monaghan Bombings are clearly events which leave questions that cannot continue to be left unanswered, including those pertaining to failures at State level. In addition to addressing ongoing unanswered questions, the achievement of convictions for the crimes that were committed must be addressed,” he added.
The President also thanked Margaret Urwin from Justice for the Forgotten, not only for the invitation to address you today, but for all her work over the years representing the families and survivors of the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings.
President Micheal D. Higgins calls on the British government to open the files on Dublin Monaghan today on the 50th anniversary that saw 34 people murdered in 4 UVF bombings and hundreds injured pic.twitter.com/rDTsKDB5Si
— JusticeFTForgotten (@JFForgotten) May 17, 2024
After 50 years, survivor Marian Keenan meets Marian and Pauline Bradley for the first time.
Marian was with their sister Jo the day of the bombings. Jo lost her life in the blast.
The Forgotten: Dublin Monaghan Bombings 1974 continues tomorrow 👇https://t.co/bzMFeoLo7J pic.twitter.com/Z0ceagx7AR
— RTÉ Radio 1 (@RTERadio1) May 14, 2024
Memorial beneath feet at Nassau Street remembering the two people killed in bomb here 50 years ago next Friday, and remembering the other 32 people killed in Dublin and Monaghan bombings that day. Simple and powerful memorial put in place many years ago by @JFForgotten pic.twitter.com/AbtHZVuHYK
— Barry Cummins / Barra O’Coimín (@barrycummins12) May 10, 2024