1974 bombings – State must probe claims of collusion

Relatives of people killed and injured in the Dublin-Monaghan bombings of 1974 indicated yesterday that they would be taking their case for a proper inquiry to the European Court of Human Rights.

Justice for the Forgotten (JFF) contended that it has evidence of official British collusion with the loyalists who planted the bombs that killed 33 people.

This is no longer a matter of speculation, a solicitor for the group contends. There is prima facie evidence of British collusion at an official level.

None of this is going to bring back any of the dead, nor will it undo the horrific injuries of those who were maimed. But it is important that our Government should be, and be seen to be, concerned about what happened to our people by demonstrating that such collusion would be pursued with full vigour.

Last December Mr Justice Henry Barron was critical of the initial garda investigation, the fact that files have gone missing from the Department of Justice, and the Government’s handling of the bombings, but he found no evidence of official collusion at a senior level.

Subsequent hearings by an Oireachtas committee concluded that there were significant issues that the State needed to investigate. If there are such issues, then they should be investigated.