Suppressing names 'will compromise' Barron report

Blocking out certain names in a report into one of the biggest atrocities of the Northern Ireland Troubles would compromise the integrity of the investigation, it was claimed today.

Socialist Party leader Joe Higgins said the suppression of any part of the long-awaited Barron report would “devalue” it and jeopardise its integrity.

He said the families and friends of victims were looking to the report as a form of catharsis and a resolution to questions which have lingered ever since the atrocities.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern reiterated his commitment to protecting those individuals who were not charged.

“Some of these names have never been in the public domain, some of these people have never had any record and there is a concern for their right to life,” he said.

The report by High Court judge Mr Justice Henry Barron on terrorist bombings in Dublin and Monaghan on the same night almost 30 years ago will be considered by the Government next week and will be discussed in public session, Mr Ahern, confirmed.

The delay concerns the protection of around 10 individuals named in the report.

Mr Justice Barron is expected to deliver a separate report on the Dublin bombings of December, 1972 and January, 1973, before Christmas.

The Barron report was due to have been completed more than a year ago, but its preparation was frustrated by an alleged lack of co-operation on the art of the British authorities.

The inquiry was established to examine a range of issues, including claims of collusion between members of the British security forces and the Ulster Volunteer Force loyalist bombers responsible for the attacks.

The Dublin bombs on May 17, 1974, killed 26 people in three streets, including a pregnant woman. The Monaghan bomb on the same day killed seven people.