Belfast UVF carried out Dublin and Monaghan bombings
Review identified evidence of collusion between some security force members and loyalist terrorists
The long-running Kenova investigation has concluded that the Belfast UVF carried out the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings - one of the deadliest single days of the conflict - and that a broader loyalist network, aided at times by “corrupt” members of the security forces, was responsible for a series of other sectarian attacks in the 1970s.
These findings are at the core of Operation Denton, a thematic review of almost 100 loyalist attacks committed between 1972 and 1978, the findings of which were published today (Tuesday) as part of the final 164-page Kenova report.
The Denton review identified clear evidence of individual collusion between some security force members and loyalist terrorists, though it found no political or strategic-level collusion, and concluded that, rather than a single cohesive ‘Glenanne Gang’, the activity constituted a loose network of loyalist paramilitaries and corrupt individuals within the security forces operating across Armagh, Tyrone and neighbouring border counties.
Although the Belturbet bombing - in which teenagers Geraldine O’Reilly and Patrick Stanley were murdered in December 1972 - is not named explicitly, Kenova previously confirmed it, along with same-day bombings in Clones and Pettigo, came within the incidents reviewed.
Denton expressed concern over the limited intelligence uncovered regarding the bombs used in 1974 and over the weak investigative response that followed. While the review found no proof of collusion, it accepted it cannot be entirely ruled out.
According to Denton, the UVF - directed by its Shankill-based Brigade staff and supported by its Mid Ulster unit - planned and executed the attacks independently, possessing the necessary expertise and materials.
Although the RUC and Army later held intelligence pointing to suspected perpetrators, Denton found no actionable information that could have prevented the bombings.
Investigators also found no evidence implicating Glenanne farm.
With no indication of state collusion and no new compelling evidence, Denton concluded that further criminal investigation is unlikely to succeed without major new disclosures or admissions.
‘Stakeknife’
Beyond the Denton section, the final Kenova report concludes the nine-year investigation into ‘Stakeknife’, the prized British Army agent embedded within the IRA’s Internal Security Unit.
In a forceful intervention, Kenova head Iain Livingstone urged the UK Government to publicly identify ‘Stakeknife’ - widely acknowledged to have been the late Freddie Scappaticci - arguing that the ‘Neither Confirm Nor Deny’ (NCND) policy should not shield individuals involved in “grotesque serious crime”.
“NCND must be exercised proportionately,” Livingstone said, insisting it cannot be used to protect agents whose actions left victims and families “ignored”.
The report revealed that Stakeknife, recruited in the late 1970s, generated 3,517 intelligence reports - 377 in just 18 months. A dedicated military unit, the ‘Rat Hole’, was created solely to manage him, complete with its own hotline. Kenova found that Stakeknife directly participated in kidnap, interrogation and murder, with prosecution files linking him to 14 murders and 15 abductions.
State disclosure failings significantly hampered investigators. Only after an interim report in 2024 did MI5 release previously undisclosed material, showing the agency had earlier and deeper knowledge of Stakeknife’s activities than previously admitted.
Kenova also disclosed that advances in forensic science allowed investigators to extract DNA and other material from tape bindings, bullet casings, confession tapes, letters and a firearm recovered decades earlier. These breakthroughs have helped identify suspects.
Two additional inquiries - Operation Mizzenmast, into the 1972 murder of Jean Smyth-Campbell, and Operation Turma, reviewing the 1982 IRA bombing at Kinnego Embankment that killed three police officers - were also summarised. Both point to serious investigative failings.
The report arrives as the Government prepares a new Northern Ireland Troubles Bill to replace the 2023 Legacy Act, creating a reformed Legacy Commission and information-retrieval body.
Livingstone said this moment offers an opportunity to embed Kenova’s principles - independence, transparency and victim-centred engagement - into future structures.
Any new legacy system, he warned, must be fully resourced and empowered: “Families must be given the whole truth of what happened to their loved ones.”