Quote from: Tubberman on May 16, 2024, 08:44:46 PMQuote from: Main Street on May 16, 2024, 07:59:58 PMThurs night. 21:35 RTE Prime Time
Ahead of the fiftieth anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, the programme asks why no-one was ever brought to justice
Dublin-Monaghan bomb gang investigator says 'there was collusion'
The officer leading the inquiry into the activities of the loyalist gang suspected of being responsible for the Dublin and Monaghan bombings has said he has no doubt there was collusion between the gang and the British security services.
Sir Iain Livingstone heads up Operation Denton, which is examining allegations relating to the activities of the so-called Glenanne Gang, which was based in County Armagh and Mid-Ulster during the Troubles, including its role in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.
There's been a lot on the radio over the past few days, but given the scale of the bombings in terms of civilian lives lost, its amazing how little has been said about it over the years.
I was in school in the 80s and 90s and it was a footnote in history class at best - there was certainly no in depth coverage or analysis.
It seems many people have been unhappy with the Irish state response to it - presumably in terms of pressuring the British government to investigate probable collusion. Why would the Irish state be reluctant to press the Brits about that though?
Well consider the reaction of the FG/Labour government in the aftermath. Their interest in the bombing evaporated once it became clear that they couldn't get away with blaming the IRA. It was better for them to deny the families truth/justice than allow, in the words of the Barron Report, "publicity which might have led to an increase in popular support for the IRA" by confirming loyalist and British state collusion.
The very day after the bombing, ministers in the Dáil made statements attempting to pin responsibility on the IRA.
Despite it being the single biggest mass murder of the troubles north or south and the largest mass murder in the history of the state, the FG/Lab government was found by the Barron Report to have had "little or no interest" in it. It refused to hold a national day of mourning and initially attempted to refuse to fly the national flag at half mast. It was not until 1993 that any government minister attended the annual commemoration.
The Gardai wound up its special investigation unit for the bombings within just 8 weeks of the attack and 'lost' vast amounts of evidence.
The Justice Department also refused to offer any documents to Barron and according to Barron, the Department's files on it subsequently went "missing in their entirety". These were the only Dept of Jusitce files from the era to go missing.
Even after the RUC said they had a number of suspects, the Gardai did not even ask for their names.
Then Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave even refused to assist the Dáil subcommittee on the Barron Report saying that he has "retired from public life". Up to his death he refused to give interviews or answer questions about the bombings.