ENGLAND’S BOMBING OF DUBLIN AND MONAGHAN, 1974
Posted By: April 21, 2020
IRISH CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING
Distributed to Congress by Irish National Caucus
“There is little doubt that British intelligence and agents were responsible for the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings. The bombings killed 34 persons—the highest number of people killed in one day during The Troubles. Sadly, and disgracefully, the Dublin government did not have the nerve or backbone to hold England to account. In today’s Irish Times, my good friend Tom Cooper in Dublin reminds us of this awful act of England’s terrorism.”–Fr. Sean McManus
Dublin and Monaghan bombings
Tom Cooper. Templeogue. Dublin
Tom Cooper. Templeogue. Dublin
Letters to Editor, Irish Times. Dublin.Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Sir, – As we approach the 46th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974, it is timely that Brian Maye (“Liam Cosgrave: Longest living taoiseach was never afraid to speak his mind”, An Irishman’s Diary, April 13th), outlines some of Mr Cosgrave’s political highs and lows while in office.
Suggesting that the high point of Mr Cosgrave’s 1973 coalition was the power-sharing Sunningdale agreement in Northern Ireland has some merit, but to refer to the Dublin and Monaghan bombing as a “major difficulty for his government” is an understatement.
Inexplicably, it was 25 years before any taoiseach would agree to meet the families of those killed in the bombings.
Those families must still be wondering why they have been treated so shabbily over the years. Just weeks after the atrocity, the Garda investigation was effectively wound down, Garda files relating to the bombings went missing, and the late Mr Justice Henry Barron in his report said that “the government of the day did not show much concern for those killed and injured in Dublin and Monaghan”.
Mr Cosgrave was invited by the sub-committee on the Barron report to defend his government’s actions in regard to the bombings, but he declined.
That is an appalling indictment of not just the Irish government of the day but of all succeeding governments since.
Furthermore, successive British governments refused to co-operate with the Barron inquiry into the bombings. The British government ignored two all-party resolutions passed unanimously by Dáil Éireann in 2008 and 2011 urging the British authorities to make relevant undisclosed documents available to an independent, international judicial figure. It is regrettable that this policy remains unchanged.
Although the issue of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings has cast a long dark shadow on our relationship with our nearest neighbour, the Government must continue to demand the release of the files which have been withheld by the British government pertaining to these bombings.
The possibility that this demand may cause diplomatic tensions between Dublin and London must not be a deterrent from our pursuance of justice for the innocent victims. END.
Sir, – As we approach the 46th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974, it is timely that Brian Maye (“Liam Cosgrave: Longest living taoiseach was never afraid to speak his mind”, An Irishman’s Diary, April 13th), outlines some of Mr Cosgrave’s political highs and lows while in office.
Suggesting that the high point of Mr Cosgrave’s 1973 coalition was the power-sharing Sunningdale agreement in Northern Ireland has some merit, but to refer to the Dublin and Monaghan bombing as a “major difficulty for his government” is an understatement.
Inexplicably, it was 25 years before any taoiseach would agree to meet the families of those killed in the bombings.
Those families must still be wondering why they have been treated so shabbily over the years. Just weeks after the atrocity, the Garda investigation was effectively wound down, Garda files relating to the bombings went missing, and the late Mr Justice Henry Barron in his report said that “the government of the day did not show much concern for those killed and injured in Dublin and Monaghan”.
Mr Cosgrave was invited by the sub-committee on the Barron report to defend his government’s actions in regard to the bombings, but he declined.
That is an appalling indictment of not just the Irish government of the day but of all succeeding governments since.
Furthermore, successive British governments refused to co-operate with the Barron inquiry into the bombings. The British government ignored two all-party resolutions passed unanimously by Dáil Éireann in 2008 and 2011 urging the British authorities to make relevant undisclosed documents available to an independent, international judicial figure. It is regrettable that this policy remains unchanged.
Although the issue of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings has cast a long dark shadow on our relationship with our nearest neighbour, the Government must continue to demand the release of the files which have been withheld by the British government pertaining to these bombings.
The possibility that this demand may cause diplomatic tensions between Dublin and London must not be a deterrent from our pursuance of justice for the innocent victims. END.
