Inquiry urged after inquest verdict

The Irish Government must hold a full public inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, relatives of the victims of the 1974 blasts said tonight as the inquest concluded.

The 10-member jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing by person or persons unknown on the 34 victims – including an unborn child – of the four bombs.

No-one has been brought to justice over the bombs, the first of which exploded at around 5.30pm on the busy Friday afternoon of May 17, 1974.

Those explosions killed and injured people in Dublin’s Parnell Street, Talbot Street and South Leinster Street. Another followed at 7pm in Monaghan.

During the inquest the jury said that evidence pointed to the bombers being members of a loyalist paramilitary organisation but it was not proved beyond reasonable doubt.

Dublin City Coroner Dr Brian Farrell read out the jury statement which called for the verdicts to be sent to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to inform the Government.

The jury also said the Irish Government should consider sending it to the Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy.

Bernie McNally, speaking for the relatives, said: “There are issues for another forum. Many questions have been answered and the loss of each life was solemnly acknowledged here.

“This issue now goes back to the Dail and the Government finally for action. It has taken 30 long years and the Government must act now,” the chairwoman of Justice For The Forgotten added.

The group campaigned for many years for an inquiry to bring the bombers to account for the atrocity.

The Irish Government reopened the inquest into the bombings just three weeks ago to formally acknowledge how the 34 people died, as it was originally closed within two weeks of the bombings.

The investigation was resumed as rumours still persisted that members of the British security forces had colluded with the bombers, though the Ulster Volunteer Force has admitted responsibility for the bombings.

After hearing evidence from 123 witnesses, including survivors, gardai, technical and forensic workers, the jury returned its verdict late this evening.

Dr Farrell branded it the worst atrocity in this part of Ireland during the Troubles.

He said: “It was savage cruelty for the bombs to have gone off without warning as people went about their business in Dublin and Monaghan that day.”

As the verdict was returned on the 34 victims, the coroner said the jury found that Colette Doherty’s unborn baby was also unlawfully killed.

He said the baby was unable to sustain life due to the death of the mother from the car bomb.

Dr Farrell called the people who planted the four car bombs callous and cowardly.

The car bomb on Dublin’s Parnell Street, which killed 11 people, was planted in a green Hillman Avenger.

The Talbot Street device, which killed 14, was planted in a blue Ford Escort, and the South Leinster Street bomb was carried in a blue Austin Maxi.

All three cars, plus the one left in Monaghan, were stolen from Northern Ireland that day and driven to Dublin.

Dr Farrell said it was a mass killing of international importance, and as well as the 34 killed another 300 people were injured.

“There was an unconscionable delay completing the inquest,” Dr Farrell said, as he apologised to the families for the 30-year-wait for the inquest verdict.

He thanked the jury, the Justice For the Forgotten solicitor Greg O’Neill and counsel representing the families for their efforts in seeking justice.

“Your quest for the truth in relation to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings has reached heroic proportions,” he told the families.

As the inquest was held in Dublin it had no power to demand witnesses from Northern Ireland or Britain give evidence.

After the verdict, Ms McNally said: “Throughout the inquest witnesses were willing to attend and give evidence of collusion. They were not called to give that evidence because of the legal scope of the inquest.

“The Northern Ireland authority went into hiding.

“They refused to attend the inquest even to confirm the basic facts about the bomb vehicles or the investigation they conducted in 1974,” she added.

“I think it is outrageous that they didn’t take part in this – we are in a time of peace and reconciliation now.

“It is Bertie Ahern‘s place to put pressure on them to take part.”

Michelle O’Brien, whose mother Anne Byrne was killed by the Talbot Street bomb, said she was glad the inquest had taken pace.

She added: “I’m very emotional. I’m glad they have taken place but it shouldn’t have taken thirty years for it to have been done.

“It has raised an awful lot more questions than it has actually answered so I‘d like to call on the Government for a full public inquiry.”