Hindsight can be dangerous. Looking back from today's vantage point, where co-operation between North and South is taken for granted, it is easy to forget that the past is a different country.

Back then, any security incursion or overflight by either side was guaranteed to provoke howls of outrage.

The RUC would have been looking for reciprocal rights to interview people in the Republic if gardai had been allowed to question the killers of Seamus Ludlow in the North. In the climate of the early 70s that would have been unthinkable.

It does, therefore, seem unfair that the Barron Report into the murder criticises the gardai for not pursuing their inquiries across the border. It is easy now to ignore the political reality of the time and look for Garda scapegoats.

That said, it is inexcusable that the identity of the Ludlow killers and of the Dublin-Monaghan bombers were known and nothing was done.

Around 50 innocent people were murdered in those years, many by killers who were either in the security services in the North or in collusion with them. Some of those responsible were probably out on patrol or manning roadblocks within hours of murdering people.

Nothing was done then and it is unlikely that much can be done now. Truth is not a substitute for justice but it may be that the best we can hope for now is that the forthcoming public inquiry by an Oireachtas sub-committee will uncover that truth.

I Top I I Barron Report is Published I

See also:

Daily Ireland, 4 November 2005: Ludlow relatives accuse authorities of not pursuing killers because of fear of upsetting British Family lashes government

The Irish News, 4 November 2005: Ludlow murder 'a random sectarian killing

The Belfast Telegraph, 4 November 2005 (early print edition): More delays for Ludlow family

The Irish Independent, 4 November 2005: Ludlow family insists public inquiry is crucial for justice

BBC News online: 4 November 2005: Call for public inquiry into 1976 murder

RTE News online, 4 November 2005: Wren rejects Barron report finding

The Irish Times, 4 November 2005: Ludlow report criticises Garda investigation

The Belfast Telegraph, 4 November 2005 Relatives of man killed by loyalists urge police action probe

The Irish Examiner - Editorial, 4 November 2005: Family needs a full-scale inquiry

The Irish Examiner, 4 November 2005: Report critical of handling of Ludlow case

The Irish Examiner, 4 November 2005: 'We think this goes right to Cabinet level'

The Irish Sun, 4 November 2005: Storm as Ludlow report is revealed

Irish Daily Star, 4 November 2005: No result in death probe Gardai ignored RUC tip on loyalist killers of Louth man

Daily Ireland, 5 November 2005: Ludlow suspect in swap deal

The Irish News, 5 November 2005: Ludlow family call for public inquiry into death

The Irish Independent, 5 November 20095: Garda chief vows to clear his name in Ludlow probe inquiry

The Irish News - Editorial, 05 November 2005: Ludlow family deserve justice

The Belfast Telegraph, 5 November 2005: Loyalist named in Ludlow murder inquiry admits: I Was There But I Didn't Kill Him

The Belfast Telegraph, 5 November 2005: Ludlow Murder Witness Battles To Clear His Name

The News of the World, 6 November 2005: I'm no killer, says 'branded' UDA man Loyalist hits at Report

The Sunday Life, 6 November 2005: 'Murder car' man feels like a victim

The Belfast Telegraph, 8 November 2005: Victims group questions report into loyalist killing

The Irish Times, 8 November 2005: Ludlow family seeks sworn public inquiry

The Dundalk Democrat, 9 November 2005: Full public inquiry is Ludlow aim

The Argus (Dundalk), 11 November 2005: Four suspected of killing named

The Argus (Dundalk), 11 November 2005: Family’s call for a full public inquiry remains unchanged

The Argus (Dundalk), 11 November 2005: “We’re overjoyed all we wanted was truth of killing to emerge”

The Argus (Dundalk), 11 November 2005: Gardai were ordered to ‘abandon’ plans to interview four suspects

The Sunday World (Northern edition), 13 November 2005: Jim Campbell Truth is out there

Copyright © 2005 the Ludlow family. All rights reserved.
Revised: November 22, 2005