The victims of the 1974 car bombings in Dublin and Monaghan had not been forgotten and the Government would continue to insist that there be “engagement and truth” for the relatives of those who lost their lives on the single deadliest day of the Northern Ireland Troubles, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee told Seanad Éireann on Tuesday last.
Minister McEntee was speaking on the 48th anniversary of the bomb attacks in Monaghan Town and the capital, which was marked by a wreath-laying ceremony by Monaghan Municipal District at the memorial in Church Square in Monaghan Town, and a commemoration at the Talbot Street memorial in Dublin which was attended by the Cathaoirleach of Monaghan Co Council Councillor Aidan Campbell and addressed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD (see story on inside page).
Minister McEntee came to the Seanad at the behest of Cavan/Monaghan Fianna Fáil Senator Robbie Gallagher, who in the Upper House the previous week had raised the issue of why the Gardaí had not so far handed over documentation to assist in the Operation Kenova enquiry being conducted by former UK police officer Jon Boucher. The Minister said on Tuesday that a mechanism would be put in place by the summer to enable the Gardaí to co-operate with the investigation.
Speaking in the Seanad last week, Senator Gallagher referred to the approaching 48th anniversary, stating: “Every year for the past 48 years the families of the victims have been searching for answers as to who was behind the awful atrocity that occurred in 1974. “An investigation is currently under way. It is headed by Mr Jon Boucher, a former chief constable in the UK. His team is seeking documentation from both the British and Irish authorities. We have been pleading with the British Government for years to hand over documents, but that has…
