The Murder of Seamus Ludlow in County Louth, May 1976. Towards a public inquiry?
The Murder of Seamus Ludlow in County Louth, May 1976. Towards a public inquiry?
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Introduction to the murder of Seamus Ludlow and the official cover-up. Michael Cunningham investigation - 1978 The recent Campaign for Truth and Justice. Irish Victims Commission Report. Ludlow family's questions for the RUC (now the PSNI). Jim J. Kane's letter to the N I Human Rights Commission. Jim J. Kane's letter to the RUC Ludlow Family Letter to Bertie Ahern Other Ludlow Family Sites. |
The Argus, 21 May 1999: "Great news" say members of family Full enquiry into Ludlow murder has been ordered by Francis Carroll A full enquiry is to be ordered by the Government into the murder of Seamus Ludlow, who was shot dead by a loyalist gang just over 23 years ago. It will concentrate on a recent Garda investigation which has concluded that the names of four prime suspects were known since 1979. These men were never interviewed until last year when they were held in Castlereagh detention centre for two days and then released without charge. "This is great news and the family are very pleased," was how Jimmy Sharkey, a nephew of Mr Ludlow, greeted the inquiry. "This is what we've been seeking all along, not just to clear our uncle's name, but to put the mater behind us and show the way we were treated by the Gardai," said Mr Sharkey. The report of the Garda investigation, which was recently submitted to the Government, is likely to pose embarrassing questions for former senior members of the Gardai and RUC. It has yet to be decided on how the inquiry will be set up and whether the evidence will be heard in public, but that that is expected to be sorted out shortly when these latest findings are considered by the Cabinet. Seamus Ludlow's murder occurred in a laneway off the Bog Road, close to his Mountpleasant home on the night of 1st/2nd may 1976 and ever since then his family have been trying to find out why the killing was covered up and who were the people being protected. Their campaign gathered impetus in February when a large crowd attended a public meeting in the Town Hall, Dundalk, following a press conference in Dublin. it is understood police on both sides of the border are now satisfied that the 47-year-old forestry worker was randomly selected by a drunken group from the Red Hand Commandos and that the suspects included two members of the UDR. "We will never be happy with the men responsible being charged, as they will just receive a slap on the wrist, but we want to know why the authorities on both sides of the border colluded from the start," said Jimmy Sharkey. However, it's believed the fresh report did not discover any evidence of collusion between the Gardai and RUC, but raised the question why 1979 evidence was not acted upon.
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