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23 April 2001 - Ludlow family supporter Jim
J. Kane, of Irish
Organizations United (IOU), issued this letter to the press in
Ireland and the United States to promote the Ludlow family's upcoming 25th.
anniversary commemoration. The letter also appears on IOU's website at http://celticj1.tripod.com/IOU/ludlow//ludlow1.html
The Ludlow family appreciates the tremendous help that Jim, Jeannie and IOU
have given them by promoting this commemoration.
SEAMUS LUDLOW
25TH COMMEMORATION - APRIL 29, 2001
REMEMBERING SEAMUS LUDLOW -
REMEMBERING TO FIND JUSTICE
Seamus Ludlow was a 47-year-old Catholic bachelor who lived at
Thistlecross, Mountpleasant, Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. Seamus was
murdered on the 2nd of May 1976. He was killed for resembling another
person, as local people say that the sleeves of the murdered man's coat were
ripped
out by those looking for a tattoo on both arms to verify that they had
"gotten" the correct person, but to their dismay they indeed
murdered an innocent man.
THE COMMEMORATION:
On the 25th Aniversary of the murder of Seamus Ludlow, his family,
individual and group supporters are involved in a commemoration ceremony for
the slain County Louth man. On April 29, 2001, the commemoration will begin
at 4.00pm at the memorial at the place where the body was found, in a lane
off the Bog Road, near his Thistlecross home, just north of Dundalk, and in
the vicinity of the Ballymascanlan Hotel. The opening speeches will be by Ed
Moloney, Kevin Ludlow, Michael Donegan and Jimmy Sharkey. Wreaths will
be laid by relatives of Dublin and Monaghan bombing, Castleblaney Bombing,
Dundalk Bombing and by relatives of Seamus Ludlow. Prayers will be read
by, Monsignor Raymond Murray and Fr. McCreesh.
It is expected that members
of other families demanding justice for the victims of the Dublin, Monaghan,
and Dundalk bombings and other loyalist murders south of the border
will attend.
There will be a special
anniversary Mass at the nearby Ravensdale Church at 7.00pm the next
Wednesday, on the 25th anniversary precisely. Seamus is interred in the
nearby Ravensdale Calvary cemetery.
REMEMBERING SEAMUS:
Seamus lived at his life-long home with his elderly mother and his married
sister and her family. Seamus worked with his brother-in-law Tommy Fox (now
deceased) as a forestry worker in the vicinity of his home. Every week
when he got his wages, he dutifully handed them to his mother and she gave
him back an "allowance". He was educated at the nearby old
Faughart National School.
Seamus, who was ordinarily a quiet man, had a great love for children in his
large family circle. Seamus Ludlow was a man with no enemies, who worked
tirelessly on behalf of charitable organisations and was a friend to anybody
who needed his help.
He was the man who for many years acted as Father Christmas to hundreds of
young children. He used to go from door to door in the big Marian Park
estate for a number of years distributing presents on behalf of the local
tenants' associates. He was always playing jokes on the children, who
adored him.
Who killed Seamus and why?
Recent revelations of an RUC and Gardai cover-up dating from the 1970's show
how in fact it was known all along that Seamus Ludlow was the victim of a
Loyalist/British Army murder gang. It is now known that the RUC in
Belfast handed a file on the killing to the Gardai in 1979. This file
contained the
names of at least three of the suspects who were arrested by the RUC nearly
20 years later, in February 1998. It has also emerged, from statements
made by one of the suspects, Paul Hosking, than a 19-year-old member of the
Ulster Defence Association (UDA), that he was questioned about the murder by
the RUC Special Branch , some eleven years later in 1987.
In a report given by a Mr. Paul Hosking, the fourth man in the car that
tragic day, Mr. Hosking gives his report to the RUC Special Branch a full
account of the murder, including the name of the person who he said did the
actual shooting, and yet it was not until 1998, a year after the case was
reopened that the four were arrested for this murder. Mr. Hosking stated the
murder was carried out by three (3) UDR soldiers who were also members of
the Loyalist Red Hand Commandos, and he also stated in the National Press
that the Garda were aware of their identities in 1979. The decision by
the Northern Director of Public Prosecutions not to press charges over the
murder brings a very strong belief by many that there has
been a cover up by both the Garda and the RUC for over two decades.
What we must ask is:
Will the British and Irish authorities ever accede to the Ludlow family's
demands for a full and public inquiry, where the family and its legal
representatives will have the right to view files and papers, and to
subpoena and question witnesses regarding the murder of Seamus and what
seems to be a
cover-up on both sides of the border?
REMEMBERING TO FIND JUSTICE - HOW YOU CAN HELP:
We, the supporters of the family of Seamus Ludlow and the Seamus Ludlow
Campaign, believe a full inquiry can be achieved. Your assistance is
needed in writing to and asking the public officials who have the power to
institute
such an inquiry, to begin such a proceeding immediately. Seamus
deserves to be remembered for the kind of person he truly was - a man with a
family, home, community ties and love for his land. Justice for Seamus can
be realized with your help.
For more information on the Seamus Ludlow Campaign, please click on the link
below:
http://www.seamusludlow.com/index.html
SUPPORT THE SEAMUS LUDLOW APPEAL FUND
Bank of Ireland
78 Clanbrassil Street
Dundalk
County Louth
Ireland
Account No. 70037984
Thank You.
Jim J. Kane
Irish Organizations United
1420 N. Lincoln Avenue
Scranton, Pennsylvania
18508
Here is the list of newspapers and other
media groups that Jim
sent the letter to. His IOU colleague Jeannie's list follows his:
Irish Times
Irish News
Newsnow Ire
Irish Echo
Irish Post
Belfast Telegraph.
An Phoblact
Newshound
BBC Online
Guardian
Nat. on live Ire.
World News Ire.
Cincanati Post
Andersontown News
Dundalk Argus
Donegal News
Irish Examiner
Scranton Times, Pa
Sunday Business Post
Irish People
Irish Emigrant
Citizens Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa
The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa
Philadelphia Weekly, Phila, Pa
Philadelphia City Paper, Phila. Pa
Allentown Morning call, Allentown, Pa
Capitol Wire, Harrisburg, Pa
Pittsburg Posat Gazete, Pittsburg, Pa
Pittston Gazette, Pittston, Pa
NORAID E-Group
Voyer E-Group
Irish Heritage RBB
Jeannie sent the IOU letter to:
Irish-Afterdark LIst
Irishdiscussion List
Irish-American List
Washington Post
IAIS
AIPEC
LAJI
Amnesty International
Irish People
Irish Voice
Irish Abroad
The Oregonian
USA Today
Tampa Tribune
Washington Times
The Gazette, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Seattle Times
San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco Chronicle
San Antonio Express News
Orlando Sentinel
New Jersey Online
New York Times
Miami Herald
ABC News
Atlanta Journal
CNN
Boston Globe
Houston Chronicle
Denver Rocky Mountain News
Denver Post
IAUC
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21 April 2001 - A new web page giving further
details of the Ludlow family's 25th anniversary commemoration
for Seamus Ludlow was placed online for the first time today by Jeannie and
Jim, valued supporters from the United States, and members of the Irish
Organizations United (IOU). The Ludlow family appreciates all the great
work that these good friends in the United States are doing to promote this
important event. This temporary page will be removed from IOU's website when
the commemoration has taken place.
This new page can be found at http://celticj1.tripod.com/IOU/ludlow//ludlow1.html
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15 April 2001 - ED Moloney, writing in the
Dublin Sunday Tribune newspaper, reported on the most recent
development in the Ludlow family's campaign for truth and justice. The full
report can be accessed on the Newshound
website. The following extracts are of particular interest:
The family of Seamus Ludlow, the Co Louth man
shot dead in controversial and possibly sinister circumstances by Loyalists
twenty-five years ago, have asked the North's Police Ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan
to investigate the RUC's handling of the investigation into his death. . .
The approach to the North's Police Ombudsman
comes in the wake of remarks by the RUC Chief Constable's office that could
mean that an agent was involved in the affair. In a July 2000 letter to an
American supporter of the family the Chief Constable's office wrote: "I
can inform you it is not force policy to comment on matters pertaining to
"Agents". Police reports to the DPP are confidential documents as
are forensic/ballistic reports."
The letter to Nuala O'Loan from the Ludlow family
solicitor states: "Our clients are anxious that you would use your
powers to investigate the role of the RUC in relation to the investigation
of this murder. Our client's primary concern is that the guilty parties were
identified at an early date but that no effective steps were taken to secure
a prosecution.
"Of primary concern therefore to our clients is to
establish what was known to the police authorities and when it was known. On
a second level they would be anxious to know what information was
communicated by the RUC to their colleagues in An Garda Siochana and when
that was communicated."
See also a follow-up
in The
Irish News Online Edition, 17 April 2001.
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13 April 2001- In a letter to the Ludlow
family's solicitor, Nuala O'Loan, the North's new Police Ombudsman, replying
to the solicitor's letter of 9 April, said that "on initial
examination" the Seamus Ludlow murder "is outside my remit because
of the length of time that has elapsed since the murder. However, I am making
preliminary enquiries about when the police investigation terminated".
However, on 4
October 2001,&case for sometime and indeed we may have
to relocate outside the Island.
In the meantime you may wish to adjust any links on your site.
You can still get general League info at:
http://homepages.enterprise.net/mlockerby/clint/clint.html
and news at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_leagueArgus
newspaper reported that the Ludlow family's 25th anniversary commemoration
for Seamus Ludlow would take place on Sunday, 29th April at the monument that
was erected in his memory at the laneway off the Bog Road - near his home at
Thistlecross - where his body was dumped after he was murdered by Loyalists
in 1976.
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3 March 2001 - The
following was received from Mr. Bernard Moffatt, Secretary General, Celtic
League:
Note: due to problems with the Isle of Man Data Registration authority the
main Celtic league site at:
(http://www.manxman.co.im/cleague/index.html)
is currently down. This may be the case for sometime and indeed we may have
to relocate outside the Island.
In the meantime you may wish to adjust any links on your site.
You can still get general League info at:
http://homepages.enterprise.net/mlockerby/clint/clint.html
and news at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league
b.moffatt@advsys.co.im
At this time, the Celtic League uses all of
the above web addresses. The original address is in use
once more.
See also Mr. Moffatt's letter to
the Ludlow family dated 9 December
2000, and his previous press release and letter of 30
October 2000.
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15 - February 2001 -
The following two messages were received by the Ludlow family. The
sources are no friends of the Ludlow family. They peddle lies,
abuse and sectarian spitefulness that sadly reveal the depth of
hatred and the fear of truth that remains rampant within loyalism in the
Six Counties.
Seamus Ludlow was an
innocent Catholic victim of loyalism, not an executed republican,
and his death should not be traded off in arguments about RUC
casualties. These correspondents have nothing useful to say about
Seamus Ludlow. Instead, their vitriol says more about themselves.
Received from a James
Armour, who dwells in a state of whataboutery, and for whom the splendid
Red Hand Commando and UDR killers of Seamus Ludlow are not the
"real enemies of Ulster":
"What about the 302
R.U.C men and women killed by the real enemies of Ulster the I.R.A. who will
weep for them and their widows and children, it will not be the pro Irish
Americans who stand with the I.R.A . or your web site"
The following was submitted to our guestbook by an
anonymous bigot who identifies himself only as "T", and giving a
web address for a loyalist hate site, supposedly about "Ulster
Culture". These filthy lies reveal the unrepentant face of a supporter
of those who cruelly murdered Seamus Ludlow:
Justice came or Ludlow in 1976. As a member of an IRA
team who was crossing the border and systematically selecting Protestants and
border farmers, who would not bow to the IRA will, for torture and murder
whoever was responsible for his execution can rightly say - Justice caught up
with him. Irish imperialism and war crimes of severe brutality against
the civilian population in the border areas of Ulster carried out from safe
havens such as Louth, were no doubt a safer place, how many lives were saved
by Ludlow's execution.
Email:
HomePage: UC, http://members.tripod.co.uk/uindex
IP: 194.117.133.22
Significantly, this cowardly apologist for
loyalist killers does not question the basic truth of the Ludlow family's
case, that Seamus Ludlow was murdered by his fellow loyalists. Indeed, the
anonymous "T" appears to gloat about loyalist involvement in this
foul sectarian murder.
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31
January 2001 - The following press release was issued by the
Celtic League.
CELTIC LEAGUE - PRESS INFORMATION
LUDLOW MURDER - PROPOSALS SOON
The Department of Justice, in Dublin, has said that the Minister for
Justice John O'Donoghue, TD "hopes to put proposals to...the Irish
Government as soon as possible" to end the impasse over an enquiry
into the murder of Séamus Ludlow.
The Celtic League had added its voice to calls for an independent
enquiry into the murder of the Co. Louth forestry worker in 1976.
Mr. Ludlow was killed in an apparently sectarian attack by a Loyalist
paramilitary gang. Controversy has surrounded to brutal killing for
many years and there is believed to have been knowledge of or complicity
in the killing by the British Security Services.
Following requests from the Ludlow family, the Celtic League wrote
to the Irish Premier, Bertie Ahern, backing calls for a public enquiry
in line with their wishes. Parallel correspondence to the Northern
Secretary querying the extent of British Security Services collusion
prompted an ambivalent response via the RUC.
It is hoped that the Irish government will move soon to resolve the
inertia around the case.
Bernard Moffatt
Secretary General
Celtic League
31/01/01
The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries of the
western British Isles and Brittany. It works to promote cooperation
between these countries and campaigns on a broad range of political,
cultural and environmental matters. It targets human rights abuse and monitors all military activity within these areas.
TEL (UK)01624 627128 MOBILE (UK)04624 491609
Internet site at http://www.manxman.co.im/cleague/index.html
b.moffatt@advsys.co.im
See also the Celtic League's
message of 3 March 2000 regarding
temporary change of web address.
See also Mr. Moffatt's letter to
the Ludlow family dated 9 December
2000, and his previous press release and letter of 30
October 2000.
22
January 2001 - In a reply to a letter (dated 7 November 2000)
from a member of the Ludlow family, Tom Owens, Book Director,
Eason & Son Ltd, referring to the Ludlow family's concern over
Eason's refusal to stock or distribute the book Unfinished
Business State Killings and the Quest for Peace, wrote:
"We have been
bookselling for over 100 years and our reasons for not stocking
titles would be either commercial or legal."
Significantly, in this brief
statement Mr. Owens has not given any clear reason or
justification for his company's refusal to stock Bill Rolston's
recently published book. This refusal denied the Ludlow family,
and many other relatives of victims of British state killers the
opportunity to bring their personal accounts of tragedy to the
general public notice.
(See also Ludlow family letter to
Easons of 7 November 2000)
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19 December 2000 - The unveiling of
a memorial plaque at Dundalk's Town Hall, on the occasion of the
25th
anniversary of the Dundalk bombing. The plaque is dedicated to
the late Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters, the victims of the bombing
of 1975. The solemn ceremony, beginning at 6.22 pm, the precise
moment of the no warning Loyalist car bombing attack, was attended by several
prominent members of the Ludlow family.
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9 December 2000 - The following
message was received from Mr. Bernard Moffatt, Secretary General
of the Celtic League. He has
received a less than enlightening response from the British
Northern Ireland Office (NIO) - one that adds nothing new to that which
has already been received by the Ludlow family. The Ludlow family
thanks Mr. Moffatt and the Celtic League for their efforts.
This NIO response was apparently in
reply to Mr. Moffatt's press release and letter of 30
October 2000.
Says Mr. Moffatt:
The N. Ireland Office has responded
following our protest to the British Prime Minister about the
circumstances surrounding the death of Seamus Ludlow they say:
"I can inform you that
information relating to the murder of Mr. Ludlow was passed to
An Garda Siochana in 1979.
"I am advised also there is no
evidence to suggest a cover-up to protect the killers took place
or continues to take place. If there is any further information
pertaining to the murder of Mr. Ludlow we would be keen to
pursue it"
The letter is sent by the Security
Policy and Operations Division NIO.
Sec. Gen.
Celtic League
See also the Celtic League's press
release of 31 January 2001.
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29 November 2000 - The Irish
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. John O'Donoghue
TD responded in a written answer to a question (No. 130) about the
Seamus Ludlow case that was tabled by Mr. Seamus Kirk TD: "To
ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the
timescale for completion of the inquiry into a case (details
supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter."
Mr. O'Donoghue's reply to the
above:
It has been indicated to
solicitors acting on behalf of the person concerned that the
Government is prepared to have an inquiry into the person's
death along the lines of the inquiry which was established,
initially under Mr. Justice Hamilton, into the Dublin/Monaghan
bombings. To date that proposal has not found favour with the
representatives of the relatives. In the circumstances, I am
considering how best to progress the matter and I hope to put
proposals to this end before Government as soon as possible.
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29 November
2000 - The national press report the passing of former Irish
Chief Justice Liam Hamilton, his death caused by cancer. Only a few
months previously Mr. Hamilton resigned unexpectedly, due to what
were then unspecified health reasons, from his private inquiry into
the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. He was also expected to soon
commence an inquiry into the Dundalk bombing - and there were strong
indications that the Dublin government also wanted Mr. Hamilton to
investigate the 1976 murder of Seamus Ludlow. The Ludlow family had
consistently rejected this proposal in favour of a public inquiry,
but this rejection was in itself no adverse criticism of Mr.
Hamilton.
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18 November 2000 - In an Irish News
article by journalist Sharon O'Neill, leading academic Bill Rolston
hit out at major Irish book seller and distributor Easons for
refusing to stock his latest book Unfinished Business: State
Killings and the Quest for Truth.
The
book features interviews with families of several victims of state
killing in Ireland - with members of the Ludlow family featured in
chapter 3, where they speak out about the murder of their relative
Seamus Ludlow and their campaign for truth. The Ludlow family has
also spoken out about Easons' failure to stock Unfinished
Business, in a letter dated 7
November 2000.
The book has been banned from the
outlet's shelves since its release some four months before.
The
Irish News reports:
And, according to the author, a
recent plea to overturn the decision has fallen on deaf ears.
Last night Professor Rolston demanded to know why Ireland’s
biggest distributor and retailer banned the publication, which is
on sale in England, Germany, the United States and other prominent
bookstores here.
The book focuses on 23 cases of state involvement in killings
associated with the conflict here and includes harrowing stories
from relatives of the Bloody Sunday dead and the sister of
Portadown murder victim Robert Hamill.
Branding the ban “scandalous”, Professor Rolston said:
“I’ve been in contact with Easons once since to ask them to
reconsider, but as yet we have heard nothing, which is a telling
sign.
“They originally expressed concern that there was a possibility
of libel over the book, but it was unspecific. If I was told
exactly what it was I would be more than happy to go back to
relatives and try to address the issue.
“But what I want to know is why don’t they have these fears
with other controversial books on Northern Ireland?”
He added: “It appears that anything that looks like it’s
anti-state gets removed,” he said.
“Friends and colleagues I’ve talked to said its political, but
only Eason’s can say what’s true or not.”
Eason book director Tom Owens said last night: “For commercial
reasons we decided not to stock the book.”
See also the Ludlow family's
letter to Easons, dated 7 November 2000,
and Mr. Collins' letter to the Ludlow family, dated 22
January 20001.
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7
November 2000 - In a letter to Mr. Robin Gourlay, Eason's
Wholesale Books, Belfast, a member of the Ludlow family wrote:
"I am writing to enquire why
Easons do not stock copies of the recently published Unfinished
Business State Killings and the Quest for Peace, by Bill
Rolston (Beyond the Pale, Belfast). If I am badly misinformed,
could you please tell me when you expect to stock this important
book.
"As a relative of the late
Seamus Ludlow who was murdered near Dundalk in May 1976, and one
who is quoted in this publication, I am saddened to hear that
Easons has decided not to stock or distribute this book. The
Ludlow family sincerely believes that the public have a right to
hear the full truth about Seamus Ludlow's appalling murder and our
family's demands for a public inquiry. Accordingly, Mr. Gourlay, I
appeal to you to reconsider this decision."
See also Easons' reply to the
above dated 22 January 20001.
I
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30 October 2000 - The Ludlow family is
delighted to receive support from Mr. Bernard Moffatt, the distinguished
Secretary General of the Celtic League organization. Mr. Moffatt has written
in support of the Ludlow family's demands for a public inquiry to Irish
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern; Irish Minister for Justice John O'Donoghue; and to
British Secretary of State in Belfast Peter Mandelson. The following are the
Celtic League's press release and the full text of Mr. Moffatt's letters to the above.
The Celtic League's press release:
From: Mr B Moffatt
Date: Mon Oct 30, 2000 7:08am
Subject: MURDER GANG ENQUIRY CALL
CELTIC LEAGUE - PRESS INFORMATION
LEAGUE BACK MURDER GANG ENQUIRY CALL
The Celtic League has added its voice to calls for an independent enquiry into the murder of a Co. Louth man in 1976.
Seamus Ludlow a forestry worker was killed in an apparently sectarian
attack by a Loyalist paramilitary gang. There is believed to have been knowledge of or complicity in the killing by the British Security
Services.
In calls to the Irish Premier Bertie Ahern (attached) the League back
calls for a public enquiry. Parallel correspondence to Northern Secretary
(attached) queries if the extent of Security Services collusion was
investigated by the RUC. The killers of Seamus Ludlow are apparently
known to the police north and south of the border. However, as in other cases, their inertia in progressing a prosecution is unexplained.
Bernard Moffatt
Secretary General
Celtic League
30/10/00
The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries of the
western British Isles and Brittany. It works to promote cooperation
between these countries and campaigns on a broad range of political,
cultural and environmental matters and monitors all military activity
within these areas
TEL (UK)01624 627128 MOBILE (UK)07624 491609
Internet site at http://www.manxman.co.im/cleague/index.html
Mr. Moffatt's letter to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern:
An Taoiseach
Mr. Bertie Ahern TD
Government Buildings
Kildare Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
Re. The Murder of Seamus Ludlow in County Louth, May 1976
Dear Mr. Ahern,
I write with reference to the death of Seamus Ludlow who was murdered
on the night of 1/2 May 1976, inside County Louth, Ireland, by members
of a Loyalist murder gang believed to be acting in concert with members
of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).
I understand that the family of Mr. Ludlow and supporters have for
sometime been campaigning to achieve an open enquiry into the circumstances
of his death. There have also been open and public concerns about the inability of the Police Services, north and south of the border,
to bring the perpetrators of this crime to Justice.
We urge that an open and full enquiry is established into this incident.
It is becoming increasingly obvious, with the passage of time, that
a great number of crimes were perpetrated during this period with the active support of the British Security Services. It is therefore
desirable that full and open enquiries are held into this, and other
atrocities, so that the extent of this involvement can be tested.
Yours sincerely,
J B Moffatt
Secretary General
Celtic League
30/10/00
Mr. Moffatt's letter to Minister for Justice John
O'Donoghue:
The Minister for Justice
Mr. John O'Donoghue TD
Department Of Justice
72-76 St. Stephens Green
Dublin 2
Ireland
Re. The Murder of Seamus Ludlow in County Louth, May 1976
Dear Minister,
I draw your attention to the attached letter to Mr. Ahern which supports
calls by the Ludlow family for a full public enquiry into the circumstances
of the death of Mr. Ludlow and subsequent failings on the part of the police services in Northern Ireland and the Republic to bring
the perpetrators to justice.
I understand that in addition to calls for an open enquiry the Ludlow
family has made repeated requests for the release of a Gárda Síochána
investigation report from the 1998 inquiry, headed by Chief Superintendent
Ted Murphy, and other relevant files from 1976 and 1979.
If the State is not prepared to grant the family a full and open public
enquiry can all relevant documentation pertinent to the Ludlow murder
enquiry be released to them so that they can seek other avenues for
redress of grievance?
Yours sincerely,
Bernard Moffatt
Secretary General
Mr. Moffatt's letter to Mr. Peter Mandelson, British Secretary of
State:
The Secretary of State for N. Ireland
Castle Buildings
Stormont
Belfast
N. Ireland
Re. The Murder of Seamus Ludlow in County Louth, May 1976
Dear Secretary of State,
I refer you to the attached correspondence to the Irish government
concerning the death of Mr. Ludlow.
Could you advise if all relevant documentation pertinent to this case
has been passed by the RUC to the Gárda Síochána.
Can you further advise if enquiries by the Police authorities in Northern
Ireland have considered the possible knowledge or involvement of the
Security Services in this crime.
Yours sincerely
J B Moffatt
Secretary General
Celtic League
30/10/00
See also the Northern
Ireland Office's unsatisfactory reply to the above. See also the Celtic
League's further press release of 31 January 2001.
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I
17 October
2000 - Jimmy Sharkey, representing the family of the late Seamus
Ludlow, attended the successful Dublin launch of Don
Mullan's new and eagerly awaited book The Dublin and Monaghan
Bombings, published by Wolfhound Press, with royalties going to
the Justice for the
Forgotten campaign of the relatives and victims of the bombings
of 17 May 1974.
This new book is highly recommended.
It highlights British security links to the coordinated
loyalist bombings which claimed 33 lives and raises searching
questions surrounding the Gardai's handling of the
investigation into the "forgotten" killings and the
appalling treatment of the survivors and their families down the
years since then.
The Ludlow family wishes their good
friend and supporter Don Mullan and their fellow campaigners for
truth in the Justice for the Forgotten campaign great success
with this momentous publication.
14 October 2000 - Ludlow family
member Jimmy Sharkey attended a meeting, organized by the Pat
Finucane Centre (PFC), at Crossmaglen, County Armagh, with
families gathered from across Ireland, all linked by the loss of
loved ones to more than 30 loyalist attacks in the 1970s - with
strong suspicions of British security - RUC or Army -
involvement.
The Ludlow family is not alone in
accusing RUC and the British Army elements of collusion with
loyalist death squads on both sides of the border. Nor is the
Ludlow family alone in demanding truth and justice for their loved
ones after so many years of lies and state indifference.
Among those present were relatives of
victims of up to 10 of these attacks, including those bereaved by
bombings at Silverbridge, Dublin, Monaghan, Dundalk,
Dungannon, and a series of shootings. At least 10 other families
were supportive but were unable to attend on the day.
At the meeting, attended by some
forty relatives, the Derry based Pat Finucane Centre presented
dramatic new evidence of collusion in at least 80 murders. This
followed the Centre's research into allegations of RUC and British
Army involvement in the murderous gun and bomb attack on Donnelly's
Bar, at Silverbridge, County Armagh, on 19 December 1975, which left
three local people dead.
Paul O'Connor, of the Pat Finucane
Centre, told relatives assembled at Crossmaglen that a senior RUC
officer who was stationed in the south Armagh area at the time of
these attacks had come forward and had met with the relatives of the
Silverbridge victims' families on several occasions.
Paul O'Connor claimed that the as yet
un-named RUC officer had confirmed the family's suspicions by saying
that he believed security force members were directly involved in
the attack on Donnelly's Bar, thus corroborating claims recently
made by the former RUC Special Branch man John
Weir, who served a prison sentence for his
activities with loyalist murder gangs.
According to the Irish News,
Monday 16 October:
"It was alleged he also
suggested that 'permutations of the same gang' were suspected of
involvement in a series of other killings in the area during the
same period. The officer has yet to confirm the allegations in
public.
"The PFC followed up the
claims with a "mapping exercise" - involving court
appearances, news reports, and security sources - to identify
possible links with other attacks. . .
"In all, it claims at least 32
attacks, involving 87 killings (including two pregnant women) may
be linked. There have been no convictions in 22 of the
cases."
The Ludlow family applauds the Pat
Finucane Centre and the good people who had assembled to remember
their dead and stand up for the justice that they have been long
denied.
Please visit the Pat Finucane
Centre's website for further information, including the complete
text of the above quoted Irish News coverage of the
relatives' meeting at Crossmaglen and an extensive article
on collusion in the south Armagh / mid Ulster area in the
mid-1970's.
Attending the launch, Cavan-Monaghan
TD, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, called for a cross-jurisdictional
inquiry into the bombings. He also demanded inquiries into other
attacks in the 26 Counties between 1972 and 1976, where there is
evidence of involvement of British armed forces. He said:
The survivors and the bereaved of
Dublin and Monaghan must have a full public inquiry with power to
call witnesses from both sides of the border. They deserve nothing
less.
Don Mullan's book raises very
serious questions for successive Dublin governments and for the
gardai. The full extent of their knowledge has yet to be revealed.
The victims of Dublin and Monaghan, like the victims of other
tragedies perpetrated or sponsored by British state forces have
been consistently denied the truth.
There is also need to be public
inquiries into other fatal incidents in the period 1972 to 1976.
These include: the Dublin bombing of December 1972 (2 killed); the
Dublin bombing of January 1973 (1 killed); the killing of John
Francis Green, Castleblayney, January 1975; the Dundalk bombing of
December 1975 (2 killed); the Castleblayney bombing of March 1976
(1 killed); the killing of Seamus Ludlow, Louth 1976.
In all of these cases there needs
to be an investigation into the role of British forces, into the
true nature of contacts between the gardai and British
intelligence in that period and into the role of successive Dublin
governments.
I Top I
5 October 2000 - In an oral answer to
questions at Leinster House, Dublin, regarding the implementation of
the Irish Victims' Commission's Report "A Place and a
Name", (14 and 140) tabled by by Deputy Caoimhghín
Ó Caoláin, Cavan-Monaghan, Mr. John O'Donoghue, TD, Minister for
Justice, Equality and Law Reform, said:
In May 1998 I appointed, with
Government approval, the former Táiniste Mr. John Wilson to conduct
a review of services and arrangements in place in this jurisdiction
to meet the needs of those who had suffered as a result of violent
action associated with the conflict in Northern Ireland over the
past thirty years. In his report "A Place and a Name", Mr.
Wilson made wide-ranging recommendations on measures to be taken to
acknowledge and address the suffering of those in question.
My Department has been involved in
detailed discussions with other relevant Departments and agencies in
relation to the implementation of the recommendation. In some areas
work has already commenced on implementation. For example, as the
House will be aware, former Chief Justice Liam Hamilton was
appointed to conduct inquiries into the Dublin-Monaghan bombings of
1974 and the Dundalk bombing of 1975. As the House will also be
aware the Taoiseach announced yesterday that Mr. Justice Baron has
agreed to take over from Mr. Hamilton, who was obliged to retire
from the inquiries for health reasons. I would like to express my
sincere thanks to Mr. Hamilton for his work on the inquiries.
As regards the balance of Mr.
Wilson's recommendations, I am now finalising a detailed plan, based
on the consultations which have taken place, and I intend to submit
this to Government very shortly for approval.
I
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4 October 2000 - The Irish News
reports that former Irish Supreme Court judge Henry Barron has been
appointed to take over the private inquiry of the ailing Liam
Hamilton into the Dublin, Monaghan and
Dundalk bombings atrocities.
I Top I
3
October 2000 - In a shock development it is announced that Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern has accepted "with regret" the resignation of
former Chief Justice Liam Hamilton who had been heading a private
inquiry into the 1975 Dublin and Monaghan bombings. Mr. Hamilton was
the sole member of the "Independent Commission of Inquiry"
which has not been accepted by the Ludlow family as a proper
mechanism for investigating the murder of Seamus Ludlow and the
subsequent cover-up and smear campaign.
The
Irish News reported that Mr. Hamilton took the decision for
(at that time, unspecified) health reasons and that he was supposed to have immediate surgery and
post-operative treatment. Mr. Hamilton's sudden and entirely
unexpected resignation raised many questions as to the state of his
private inquiry which had yet to be concluded. It remained unclear whether
or not his sudden resignation would result in a further stalling of any
inquiry into both the Dundalk bombing of December 1975 and the
murder of Seamus Ludlow in May 1976.
Sadly,
Mr. Hamilton's illness was very serious indeed, for, within a few
months he had passed away on 29 November. According to reports in
the national press (1 December) the retired Chief Justice had been
suffering from cancer.
I
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11 August 2000 - The Ludlow family
circle was devastated on hearing of the death, after a long illness,
in Daisyhill Hospital, Newry, of Louth County Councillor Miceal
O'Donnell (aged 67 years), a dear friend, good neighbour and a
staunch supporter of their fight for justice. The Ludlow family has
lost a valuable friend and supporter who will be dearly missed.
The huge attendance at the Requiem
Mass at Saint Brigid's Catholic Church, Kilcurry, and burial in the
adjoining cemetery, gave a moving testimony of the universal
popularity and respect that Miceal O'Donnel commanded from far and
wide.
Living just south of the border
,
and a short distance from the Sharkey-Ludlow home at Thistlecross,
Mountpleasant, Miceal had been a close and personal friend of the
late Seamus Ludlow and other members of the family.
In his role as County Councillor,
Miceal O'Donnell was always available to help the Ludlow family when asked to
do so. Elected to the County Council in June 1979, Miceal, a member
of Fianna Fail, held the
post of Chairman twice, 1990-91 and 1998-99, and on the latter
occasion he never failed to stand faithfully with the Ludlow family
in their demands for truth and justice.
Speaking to the local Dundalk
Democrat, 19 August 2000, Jimmy Sharkey, a nephew of Seamus
Ludlow, said:
"Miceal was a very good
friend and staunch supporter of the Ludlow family. Anytime he
was called on by the family to speak at the County Council, or,
in the media, he would do so".
Jimmy said that over the past twenty
years Miceal had held the belief that the truth into Seamus' murder
would have to come out. Councillor O'Donnell went on to bring the
matter to County Council level, and in his capacity as County
Council Chairman, attended a special Press Conference organised by
the Ludlow family in Dublin on 18 February 1999. On that occasion,
Miceal willingly drove three nephews of the late Seamus Ludlow to
the venue for the press conference.
Proudly wearing his
chain of office as Chairman of Louth County Council, Miceal
accompanied members of the Ludlow family throughout a gruelling day
of engagements, culminating in a public meeting later that night at
Dundalk Town Hall.
Later, in December 1999, Miceal
seconded a motion at a meeting of Louth County Council, calling for
an independent public inquiry into the murder of Seamus Ludlow. Here
is how his contribution was reported by the local Dundalk
Democrat (Saturday , 25 December 1999):
Cllr. Miceal O'Donnell said the
mentality of the seventies was still here today. He was not "garda
bashing" but he wanted to get rid of the rotten apples in the
barrel." These men now have pensions funded by the State. The
gardai said they would represent the family and they told blatant
lies. This has to be taken into
account".
"A man's life was taken and
the only sin was that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Ludlows must have all the information they need."
Cllr. O'Donnell said Mr. Ludlow was
a neighbour of his and on the Saturday night before his murder he
was sitting in his kitchen, teaching his children to play cards.
"That was the simple kind of man that he was", he added.
The Ludlow family was deeply honoured
to have Miceal O'Donnell's unstinting support on that occasion, and to his family they extend their
deepest sympathy towards their great loss.
A great friend and
supporter of the Ludlow family is gone, and he will be dearly
missed.
Ar Dheis go raibh a Anam.
Thank
You. 