Minister commits to raise Belturbet bomb issues
A commitment by the current Minister for Justice to raise issues around the investigation into the Belturbet Bombing with her counterparts in Northern Ireland and the UK has been welcomed locally.
It is the first time in almost five years that a Minister for Justice has given such a concerted commitment.
It also comes at a time when the families of those who died in the December 1972 blast - teenagers Geraldine O’Reilly (15) and Paddy Stanley (16) - await the outcome of a Freedom of Information request regarding the case.
Minister Helen McEntee assured Cavan-Monaghan Fianna Fáil Deputy Brendan Smith in the Dáil last week that she would highlighted outstanding concerns around the investigation of the suspected Loyalist bombing that ripped through Belturbet's Main Street almost five decades ago.
The Meath-East TD is appealing for anyone with new information to come forward.
“[Garda authorities] remain committed to working with the PSNI where that could advance the investigation. I ask anybody with information in relation to this act to bring it to the attention of the Garda and the authorities. I commit to raising this with my counterparts in Northern Ireland and the UK as the Deputy has asked,” said Minister McEntee.
Not since Deputy Frances Fitzgerald in 2015 had there been such a forthright response to raising the bombing with British government counterparts
Deputy Smith had stated that he was “not convinced” that an “adequate investigation” had been carried out in Northern Ireland with regard the bombing, one of three December 28, 1972 - the others being Clones, Co Monaghan, injuring two; and Pettigo in Co Donegal, no deaths or injuries.
The three bombs all exploded within just 30 minutes of each other.
Deputy Smith in the past has asked successive Ministers for Justice to pursue the British Government for the need to honour international commitments and provide full and proper co-operation with all investigations into such attacks.
While bombings elsewhere have been investigated by the Police Ombudsman, cases such as the Dublin and Belturbet bombings were not accepted.
The Government has in the past stated that it continues to press the British governments to abide by the Stormont House agreement and investigate the past and facilitate information recovery for victims and survivors.
Also in her response to Deputy Smith, Minister McEntee noted that the families of Ms O'Reilly from Belturbet and Mr Shanley from Offaly had “recently sought” access to files under the Freedom of Information Act.
“I can inform the Deputy that those records are being prepared for release to the families. I have been advised that the normal response timeframe has passed so it has gone on a bit longer than they would like but, as the Deputy would appreciate, the request necessitated significant work regarding older files and preparations of paper, with any necessary redactions that need to be taken into account. This work is now concluded and they will be released in the coming days. That is something the family have been looking for,” said Minister McEntee.
She concluded by saying that violence “should never be the answer” and that “we need to do everything possible to support and work with An Garda Síochána and the communities involved to bring these perpetrators to justice but also to bring other perpetrators who have not been caught to justice for many other serious crimes and murders that have taken place over the last number of decades.”