by David Lynch

Justice campaigners yesterday said the new Barron report raised serious questions about the Garda investigation into a loyalist bombing in Dundalk in 1975.

The report was based on the findings of Mr Justice Henry Barron.

The judge said in his report that the actions of the Northern security forces allowed a climate to develop in which loyalists believed they could launch attacks “with impunity”.

“By their attitudes towards loyalist violence and towards violent members of their own forces, some senior members allowed a climate to develop in which loyalist subversives could believe that they could attack with impunity,” he said.

“However, there is no evidence that senior members of the security forces were involved in any way in the bombing.”

Mr Justice Barron concluded that allegations of collusion were impossible to prove because it could not be established who carried out the bombings.

Margaret Urwin of the Justice for the Forgotten group said of the report: “I am still reading it and I am only 70 pages in, so we cannot make any overall comprehensive comment yet.

“But from early observations, it seems the same story we have heard before in other reports regarding the Garda investigation — so many loose ends not followed up; decisions going unrecorded.

“Barron himself comments that the Garda investigation report into the Dundalk bombing is very similar to the investigation report into the Monaghan bombing.

“It is also frustrating that so many names are left out of the report.

“It is also a little disappointing that Barron himself did not come out more forcibly on collusion.

“However, in saying that, his comments on collusion do seem stronger than in his previous reports.

“He seems to be saying that collusion definitely took place. However, according to some of the newspaper reports, he concludes that there is no evidence that senior members of the security forces were involved in collusion.

“However, we think that seems rather unlikely.”

Ms Urwin also said she was disappointed about the way the report had been made public.

On Wednesday, Daily Ireland revealed that the report was to be published a day earlier than first planned.

“It is deeply unsatisfactory the way it was done. It led to confusion for the families who first thought it was coming out on Thursday,” said Ms Urwin.

“Also, the families only got the report about 35 minutes before it went public. That is not enough time to really look at the contents before they are asked to comment publicly on it. I do not think the families or the joint Oireachtas committee on justice had enough time to look at the report before it went public.

“They will have to look at the mechanism of how the report is published.”

Justice for the Forgotten will make a more detailed response on the new Barron report in the coming days.

Mr Justice Barron’s report focuses on the Dundalk bombing of December 19, 1975. A loyalist car bomb exploded on the street outside Kay’s Tavern in the Co Louth town.

Two men — Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters — died as a result of the bombing. Fourteen people were injured.

Seán Ardagh, chairman of the Oireachtas committee, said on Wednesday that the families would get ample opportunity to express their frustrations at September hearings.