Justice at last for the forgotten victims of sectarian murder in Dundalk
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Justice at last for the forgotten victims of sectarian murder in Dundalk |
Magill Magazine article Sept. 2002
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The Irish News, 6 July 2006: Report points to RUC reservest's farm as base for UVF operations By Valerie Robinson Southern Correspondent
Mr Justice Henry Barron first referred to the Mitchell farm at Glenanne near Newtownhamilton in his report on the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings. In his final report, the former Supreme Court judge repeated his belief that the farm provided a base for the UVF men who carried out bomb attacks on both sides of the border in the mid-seventies, including the 1975 Dundalk bombing. Margaret Urwin of the Justice for the Forgotten group last night expressed her disappointment that while the judge appeared to indicate collusion between loyalists and the British security forces he "fell short" of condemning it. "He seemed to be hedging his bets. He just won't come down and say outright that there was collusion which is very disappointing." she said. In the case of the Dundalk attack, the judge referred to 19 suspects but only named seven, including known loyalists James Nelson Young, Joseph Stuart Young and a man known as 'Alexander'. Several other names were blacked out for security reasons. He also complained that entire albums of suspects' photographs had gone missing without a trace from Garda files. He revealed that a claim that four RUC members in the Portadown area were UVF members had been passed from the gardai to the Department of Justice and on to the Department of Foreign Affairs - but documents could only be found in the latter department's files. Mr Justice Barron went on to examine information he had received on a number of weapons that he had identified as used in a number of fatal and non-fatal attacks on both sides of the border. Ms Urwin expressed fury at how relatives of those killed in a number of loyalist atrocities investigated by Mr Justice Barron had been treated by the Irish government. She said that they had been given just 24 hours notice that the report was to be published yesterday by a Oireachtas Committee - and had been given the judge's finding just 35 minutes before they were made public. "These people have been treated appallingly," she said, also voicing her disappointment at the lack of new information on the Miami Showband massacre and the Castleblayney bombing. Earlier, Margaret English, whose father Hugh Watters died in the Dundalk bombing, claimed victims' families were neglected by the state for three decades. "I think the bombers were treated better than we were," she said. "It is absolutely disgusting that citizens of the state were treated in this way." Ms English added that her family had not received any cooperation from gardai when they held an event at the scene to mark the 30th anniversary of the atrocity in December last year. Oireachtas hearings on the Barron report are due to take place from late September. I Top I
Download the Barron Report on the Dundalk bombing from the Oireachtas website.
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 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 I Top I Produced in association with the Ludlow Family. Last edited: 13 July 2006 18:14:38
Visit the Ludlow family's website. Visit 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 13, 2006 .
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The farm of RUC
reservist James Mitchell has been singled out in a new report as a centre of
operations for loyalist paramilitary activity at the height of the Troubles.