February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Independent TD Finian McGrath said the failure to call a full public inquiry was an insult to the families of the 34 people who died in the atrocities in 1974.
“I am absolutely appalled that the government has seen fit to call yet another private inquiry,” said McGrath.
“In an age dominated by international terrorism we have a state whose intelligence agencies are strongly suspected of engaging in an act of terrorism. Any kind of dithering or holding back in properly investigating this can never be an option in a democracy,” the Dail deputy said.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s department announced last week that a commission of investigation is to be established which will look at the Garda investigation into the bombings. The commission will sit in private. Among the issues it will examine is the disappearance of crucial Garda files.
McGrath was one of several TDs who studied the Barron report on the attacks.
While Barron found no evidence of collusion between the British state and the Ulster Volunteer Force he said it was “more than likely” that individual RUC officers and British soldiers were involved.
“I know who was responsible for planting the bombs, I’ve seen all the information. Any international judge worth their salt who is given access to this will say ‘this stinks’,” said McGrath.
“As a member of the Oireachtas sub-committee I was put under pressure by the three main parties to back off on this. I’m not going to be intimidated or bullied — I won’t back off.”
McGrath said that while the British government was failing to live up to its responsibilities the Irish government also had serious questions to address. He described the attitude of successive governments to the victims of the bombings as “scandalous.”