Omagh relatives find 'wall of frustration'

Relatives of the Omagh bomb victims have come up against a wall of frustration south of the border, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny claimed today.

As they prepared for the start of High Court action against the men they claim were responsible for the outrage, the Fine Gael leader said he would raise the families’ concerns in the Dáil.

Mr Kenny said he believed the relatives of those killed in the 1998 Real IRA bomb attack had been badly treated by the Government.

The families hit out at the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, after he refused to discuss the contents of a report into allegations that Gardaí failed to act on intelligence that might have helped prevent the atrocity.

Mr Kenny said he thought Taoiseach Bertie Ahern should have met the relatives to hear at first hand their concerns and the trauma they suffered.

“I know that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Justice did meet with them.

“However, they’ve told me that they’ve come up against a wall of frustration.

“And that it appears to the group – who have no other agenda except the pursuit of the truth here – as if the level of assistance given is not what it should be.”

Mr Kenny said he would ask Mr Ahern in the Dáil about the status of the report on the allegations by the Nally Committee.

“I’ve undertaken to raise the issue of the Nally Report being presented and considered by Government and to have a statement in the Dáil from the Minister for Justice on what this means,” he said.

“The families of the victims have made the case that they’ve supplied evidence and information relevant to this matter.

“They are concerned that persons who should have been called before the Nally Committee don’t seem to have been called there.”

The Omagh bomb in August 1998 was Northern Ireland’s biggest atrocity, killing 29 people including the mother of unborn twins.

Relatives have launched a civil action against those who they believe are responsible.

So far only one person has been convicted for playing a part in the attack.

Colm Murphy, from Co Louth, was convicted for his involvement in the plot.

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan was killed in the bomb attack, welcomed the meeting with the Fine Gael delegation, which also included justice spokesman John Deasy, Senate leader Senator Brian Hayes and Jim O’Keefe, vice chairman of the British Irish Parliamentary Body.

Mr Gallagher said the families were grateful for the continued support they had been promised by Fine Gael.

“We raised our concerns about the three man team who carried out the report into the allegations that the Gardaí had prior information about an attack on Omagh,” he said.

“Mr Kenny assured us of his full support and that the issues talked about would be raised in the Dáil.”

Mr Kenny also met a number of politicians during his visit to Belfast following the collapse last week of the latest peace process deal.

He said Fine Gael remained committed to the Agreement and hoped that the Assembly election campaign would be carried out in a conducive atmosphere in the run up to polling day on November 26.

The men also met Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan and members of Northern Ireland’s Policing Board.