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The Argus (Dundalk), 6 December 2006:

Report of independent Commission of Inquiry into Dundalk bombing

'Irish Govt. guilty of worse crime than bombers - they covered up'

L-R: Margaret English and Maura McKeever, daughters of the victims of the Dundalk bombing, gave evidence before the Joint Oireachtas Justice sub-committee.In the report of the sub-committee into the Dundalk bombing the Chairman, Sean Ardagh commented on the invaluable contributions of the families of Hugh Watters (60) and Jack Rooney (62) who were killed in the bombing of Kay's Tavern.

Included in the report of the sub-committee were comments from the families that included:

Margaret English: a daughter of Dundalk bombing victim Hugh WattersMrs Margaret English " I thought the Irish Government would look after its citizens. It is actually breaking my heart to think that it did not. My thoughts are - I hate to say it and I hope Daddy is not looking from up there and saying ' Margaret, that is awful' - that I really and honestly believe that the Irish Government committed a worse crime than the people who killed my dad by covering it up. If it had, in the early 1970s, done something about what was happening with these bombings, my Dad would not be dead".

The widow of Jack Rooney was too ill to attend the hearing but she made her thoughts known through her daughter, Ms Maura McKeever who told the sub-committee "as two citizens of the State, two innocent victims, they should have been treated more fairly. Nobody wanted to know; nobody ever came near to us to say anything".

Ms McKeever herself told the sub-committee that her mother was now 89 and was still waiting for someone to come and tell her there was collusion and she added that the family felt abandoned by certain sections of the community. "Neither the Government, Garda or priests - nobody - came near my mother. It was like saying 'we will ignore it and it will go away'. Nobody cared and I am living with that".

She concluded that she would like a public inquiry because she said "the guards were supposed to be doing their duty and the Government was supposed to be doing its. We are citizens of this State. We are not being protected, we have been ignored".

Reflecting on her childhood in Dundalk Mrs English told the sub-committee "I always felt we were so secure - really secure - and then when Daddy was murdered it was like somebody got our little cocoon and just broke it".

She continued "after my father's death we just went round in circles but nobody ever came to ask if we wanted to talk about it. We were just pushed aside. It destroyed families, but nobody helped".

Mrs McKeever, whose father survived for three days despite his injuries recounted to the sub-committee the day that she had to tell her mother there was no hope for her father. "I do not know why I was asked to do that. I was only in my early 20s. What would I have known about anything? When I said it to her she went crazy. She said, 'what kind of daughter are you, trying to tell me your father is going to die'? However, I was only doing what I was asked to do. I did not know any better. It was an awful time. My father was buried on Christmas Eve and Christmas was an awful time for me". 

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See  early media reports from the http://www.breakingnews.ie/ dated 29 November 2006:

Britain 'Colluded Over Murders In Republic' 

and British security forces 'colluded in international terrorism'

See also the following report from ireland.com: Barron finds British collusion in attacks

The Argus (Dundalk), 29 November 2006: A high level of collusion found in Dundalk bombing

The Daily Telegraph, 29 November 2006: Ahern call for ‘collusion’ inquiry

Ulster Television News online, 29 November 2006:Green Party demand public inquiry

The Irish Examiner, 30 November 2006: Government backs report on collusion in North

The Irish Examiner, 30 November 2006: The nine attacks — a litany of terror and death

The Irish Examiner, 30 November 2006: ‘What we have heard today are things we have known for years’

The Irish Independent, 30 November 2006: British colluded in 'butchery'

The Irish Times, 30 November 2006: London must co-operate on collusion inquiries - Ahern

The Dundalk Democrat, 6 December 2006: Dundalk Bombings News Special: Reports by Anne Marie Eaton:

Taoiseach supports debate on collusion

Hope at last for victims families

Case gets attention it deserves

Truth must emerge

The Argus (Dundalk), 6 December 2006: News Special Report of Independent Commission of Inquiry into Dundalk Bombing

International Terrorism Can UK now legitimately refuse to co-operate with investigation in the light of 9/11 and London bomb?

A Culture of secrecy existed together with a grudging handing over of information

'Authorities in the Republic should have been more vigorous to bring perpetrators to justice' Principal conclusions of the Inquiry

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Here is media coverage of the fourth Barron Report:

The Irish News, 5 July 2006: "Relatives 'furious' over Barron report blunder

See also The Irish News online breaking news, 5 July 2006: Pub bombers 'treated better than victims' families'

See also: Oireachtas press release of 5 July 2006.

Daily Ireland, 6 July 2006: Blast victim’s relative hits out

The Irish Examiner, 6 July 2006: Loyalists had licence to kill Catholics, finds inquiry

The Irish Independent, 6 July 2006: Bombers 'treated better than victims'

The Irish News, 6 July 2006: Relatives want 1975 bombing inquiry

The Irish News, 6 July 2006: Horror lives on for bar owner

The Irish News, 6 July 2006: Report points to RUC reservist's farm as base for UVF operations

The Irish News, 6 July 2006: Hope that collusion theories may be brought to surface

The Irish Times, 6 July 2006: 1970s bombing victims complain of official neglect

LMFM Radio online news report, 6 July 2006: Hearings into report on Dundalk bombing to begin in September

TOM News, 6 July 2006: Latest Barron Report Highlights Need for Ahern-Blair Summit on Collusion

Daily Ireland, 7 July 2006: Taoiseach urged to call summit

Daily Ireland, 7 July 2006: Barron inquiry typically leaves more questions than answers Conclusion of report into collusion allegations between loyalists and the British government is 'unsatisfactory'

Daily Ireland, 7 July 2006: Families to discuss Barron report

Daily Ireland, 7 July 2006: Garda probe questions raised

The Irish News of the World, 9 July 2006: Showband massacre: shocking new report Former cop behind plot

The Newry Democrat, 11 July 2006: Collusion summit call

The Dundalk Democrat, 12 July 2006: Gardai expected bomb at Imperial

The Dundalk Democrat, 12 July 2006: Barron Report is a step closer to the truth

The Dundalk Democrat, 12 July 2006: Families will continue their campaign for justice

The Argus (Dundalk), 12 July 2006: Inquiry lists 19 suspects

The Argus (Dundalk), 12 July 2006: Members of RUC and UDR probably knew about plan to bomb Dundalk

The Argus (Dundalk), 12 July 2006: Guide to names listed by inquiry

The Argus (Dundalk), 12 July 2006: My father and family have been let down by the government

The Argus (Dundalk), 12 July 2006: Authorities reluctance to admit mistakes cost families heartache

The Argus (Dundalk), 12 July 2006:Joint Committee likely to hold series of hearings in autumn

The Argus (Dundalk), 12 July 2006: Sharp differences over fingermarks evidence

The Argus (Dundalk), 12 July 2006:Questions that still need answers

Daily Ireland, 13 July 2006: Justice Group seeks advice

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Produced in association with the Ludlow Family.

Last edited: 28 December 2006 16:20:55

 Visit the Ludlow family's websiteVisit Justice for the Forgotten  Statement by John Oliver Weir

Download the Barron Inquiry Report into the 17 May 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, (pdf file)

Barron Report: on the Dublin Bombings of 1972 and 1973, can also be downloaded in pdf form

Download the Barron Report into the murder of Seamus Ludlow from the Oireachtas website (pdf file)

Copyright © 2006 the Rooney, Watters and Ludlow families. 

All rights reserved. Revised: December 28, 2006 .