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The Argus (Dundalk), 12 July 2006:

Inquiry lists 19 suspects


The Inquiry lists 19 persons who have been suspected of taking part in the Dundalk bombing and give their reasons for their suspicions.

Seven of those are named and the remainder are listed as “Suspect “A” up to Suspect “L”

One of the 19, Robin Jackson, known as “the Jackal” who was a notorious UVF member from Lurgan was identified in 1999 by a former RUC officer John Weir and self-confessed member of a Loyalist gang, as the leader of the team which planted the Dundalk bomb.

Jackson was suspected by the RUC of having taken part in a large number of sectarian attacks from the early 1970’s until his death in 1998. Though arrested many times he was only convicted of one serious offence - possession of a firearm in October 1979 for which he received seven years imprisonment.

Jackson was not identified by any eye witnesses at or near the bomb scene, but Gardai received information from an unknown source described as “reliable” that Jackson and his car, a Vauxhall Viva were involved in the attack.

Weir did not know the other members of the gang. Some years previously, while still in prison, Weir had written a letter to a friend in which he claimed that Jackson had close links with British Army Captain, Robert Nairac who was subsequently murdered. This claim was also made in the 1993 Yorkshire TV programme investigating the Dublin / Monaghan bombings “Hidden Hand” and by former British intelligence operative, Colin Wallace who expressed the opinion that if the link had not been authorised Nairac would have been removed immediately from NI.

The significance of the relationship is heightened by the knowledge that Nairac also worked closely with the RUC Special branch officers based in Portadown. All of these connections the Inquiry concludes “give rise to a perception that if Jackson was involved in the Dundalk attack, this fact would have been known to certain members of the security forces”.

Weir made a statement to the Gardai in 1999 in which he said he got his information that Jackson led the gang that planted the Dundalk bomb from the Armagh Special Control Group (a group composed of uniformed policemen who focused on subversive crime) and he added “I have no information or evidence that could assist the Gardai in this case; neither do I know who was with Jackson”.

The Inquiry considered a number of incidents which had been used as a basis for alleging that Jackson was being protected by the security forces and while the Inquiry had been told by former senior RUC officers that there were officers who worked tirelessly to obtain evidence to sustain charges against him and ridiculed the suggestion that Jackson might have been working for them, one retired CID officer interviewed by the Inquiry in 2005 said it would be inconceivable that the special branch and / or the British Army would not try and recruit someone as influential as Jackson for intelligence purposes.

“In that officer’s view” the Inquiry concluded “it would have amounted to a dereliction of their duty if they did not attempt to do so. That said, he had no evidence that such attempts were made, successful or otherwise”.

The conclusion of the Inquiry into the list of suspects given is that “it is not sufficient to found a successful prosecution”, adding “the fragility of eyewitness evidence in general is well established and in this instance, the only identification which appear reliable were in situations which have no proven link to the bombings”.

Furthermore the Inquiry adds “the intelligence information is sporadic, largely unrelated and from unknown sources, whose authenticity and reliability cannot be judged”.

And the Inquiry finally concludes “the exception to this - former RUC Sergeant John Weir- whose naming of Robin Jackson is based on information acquired by him in the course of his own involvement with Loyalist subversives during 1976-77 and the Inquiry believes that he is telling the truth when he says he was given this information. In the absence of any sightings or other reliable information to corroborate it, however, it is not a sufficient basis for concluding that Jackson was involved”.

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Download the Barron Report on the Dundalk bombing from the Oireachtas website.

This document is in Adobe PDF format and can be downloaded from the link below.

Interim Report on the Report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Bombing of Kay's Tavern, Dundalk.

Houses of the Oireachtas, Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights.

Download the free reader software for Adobe PDF format

See the Irish News: "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

Daily Ireland, 13 July 2006: Justice Group seeks advice

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Produced in association with the Ludlow Family.

Last edited: 17 July 2006 18:52:27

 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: July 17, 2006 .