State papers: Irish officials raised concerns about Christy Moore's questioning by UK officials in 2004

Christy Moore said at the time it was saddening to think that this kind of treatment of Irish people travelling to the UK was not a thing of the past. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Irish officials queried the decision of British port authorities to question folk singer Christy Moore in 2004, amid a rise of similar complaints relating to anti-terrorism measures.

The singer-songwriter said he was stopped by officers and detained for more than two hours after he got off a ferry from Dublin in the Welsh port of Holyhead in October of that year.

Both he and his driver were interrogated separately by police at the port under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. In a statement released through his publicist at the time, Moore said none of his equipment, bags or his car was searched by police.

He said it was saddening to think that this kind of treatment of Irish people travelling to the UK was not a thing of the past. He said he was questioned about his song lyrics and the contents of his briefcase.

Moore said other cars in the queue off the ferry had been searched, but maintained his own vehicle had not been inspected. He described the incident as “heavy and harassing and invasive and scary”, and made a diplomatic complaint.

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs met counterparts in the UK Home Office about the matter in London on December 1, 2004.

It came amid a rise in complaints of the treatment of Irish people going through the Common Travel Area (CTA) after the imposition of new British anti-terrorism laws in preceding years.

According to the file, the department highlighted three main areas of concern: 

• Irish passengers being unwittingly photographed at ports and airports, 
• Authorities carrying out stops and examinations under the Terrorism Act 2000, 
• People being asked to fill in personal information on a landing or embarkation card, an act known at the time as “carding”.

Issues involving Moore’s “high-profile” case, including the locking of his interrogation room, were also raised in the meeting.

British Home Office figures said they would not comment on individual cases, but Irish officials brought up the issue of “inappropriate lines of questioning and the damage that can be done should a person feel that they are being questioned for entertainment or curiosity value”.

In response, the UK’s national co-ordinator of ports policing commander, Bob Milton, stated this was a “training issue”.

The file said Mr Milton added that should a person feel the line of questioning was inappropriate, he should make a complaint to the chief constable of the force in question.