Upcoming MacEntee Report on British Terrorism

December 9, 2006

The MacEntee report on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings is due to be handed to Government on December 11. It may have some relevant points on the topic of British Govt Terror campaigns.

British colluded in loyalist murders

An Oireachtas subcommittee has found that members of the British security forces in the North colluded extensively with loyalist paramilitaries, and played a part in a number of fatal bombings and shootings on both sides of the border in the 1970s. The committee was reporting after it had considered the findings of former Supreme Court judge Justice Henry Barron, who had investigated nine incidents which claimed the lives of 18 people. In his report, completed earlier this year, Justice Barron also found evidence of collusion but was more diplomatic in his references to it.

Among the atrocities investigated was the massacre of the Miami Showband in 1975. This was carried out by uniformed members of the Ulster Defence Regiment, two of whom died when the bomb they were planting in the band's van exploded prematurely. Three others were subsequently convicted and remained in prison until they were released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. Three band members, Fran O'Toole, Anthony Geraghty and Brian McCoy, were shot dead. Two survived; Des McAlea was blown into an adjacent field with the force of the explosion and Stephen Travers feigned death after being shot. Mr Travers has no doubt that the person giving commands on the fateful night had an English accent and that he was a British Army officer. It was later established that the guns used to kill the band members had been used in a number of sectarian murders in the mid-Ulster area.

Other incidents investigated by Justice Barron and considered by the committee were fatal bombings in Castleblayney, Dundalk, Dublin Airport and Silverbridge, Co. Armagh as well as gun murders in Keady, Co. Armagh and Gilford, Co. Down.

The committee concluded that successive British Governments were fully aware that the security forces had been infiltrated by known loyalist paramilitaries but failed to act on this information. The committee was also satisfied that the Irish authorities of the day were aware of the collusion. In 1975 the Irish Government contacted the British Government about four members of the RUC who were active in the UVF, but correspondence on the matter came to an abrupt and inconclusive end in less than a month.

The committee believes that the relatives of the victims will not find closure until the truth is known and those involved identified. Without disclosure the committee argues that the situation could be repeated at some time in the future. The truth, it is acknowledged, will only emerge with the co-operation of the British authorities, something that hasn't been forthcoming to date. It is suggested that a full Dáil debate on the committee's findings might change attitudes at Westminster and lead to British participation in an inquiry of the type recommended by Canadian Judge Peter Cory.

In the wake of the report Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern contacted Northern Secretary Peter Hain to inform him of the Government's concerns at what has been emerging. Mr Hain had, according to Mr Ahern, responded positively while referring to the difficulties in establishing the facts of events that occurred more than 30 years ago.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern responded to the report by describing the revelations as "deeply disturbing". He too had been in touch with the British Government and called on it to "examine the findings of all these reports as well as the forthcoming MacEntee report" and to "fully co-operate with all investigations into the serious issues that have arisen". The MacEntee report on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings is due to be handed to Government on December 11.

On Thursday the Taoiseach had a meeting with Stephen Travers and relatives of those who died in the Miami massacre. Afterwards those who attended the meeting, which lasted two hours instead of one, were full of praise for Mr Ahern's interest in the case and his willingness to follow up on a number of the issues raised.

http://www.emigrant.ie/article.asp?iCategoryID=9&iArticleID=61865

British security forces collusion over Republic bombings in 1970s

AN IRISH parliamentary committee has found that British security services colluded with Loyalists involved in a series of attacks in the Republic.

The committee studied the findings of Mr Justice Henry Barron’s report into 18 Loyalist murders in the 1970s. The conclusions are likely to fuel fresh demands for investigations into what is alleged to have been a pattern of collusion between British security forces and the Ulster Volunteer Force.

Mr Justice Barron named several Loyalists and members of the security forces suspected of involvement. The committee also criticised the Northern Ireland Office and the RUC for failing to co-operate with inquiries.

The atrocities that the report covers include the bombing of Kay’s Tavern in Dundalk, the 1976 Castleblaney bombing, the Dublin Airport bombing, the gun and bomb attack at Donnelly’s Bar Co. Armagh and the attack on the Miami Showband in Co. Down.

In its conclusions the committee said it was “left in no doubt that collusion between the British security forces and terrorists was behind many if not all of the atrocities considered in this report.”

The report urged the British Government to cooperate with any further investigations.

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern — who said the committee’s findings were “deeply troubling” — called on the British Government to examine the report carefully.

He said: “They paint a very disturbing picture. It is absolutely essential that the British Government examine the findings of all of these reports, as well as the forthcoming MacEntee report and that it fully cooperates with all investigations into the serious issues that have arisen.”

http://www.irishpost.co.uk/news/story.asp?j=5007&cat=news

Want to start your own business? Learn how on Small Business.