Latest reports of the campaign for justice for the victims of the Dundalk bombing.

4 February 2005: Here are brief quotes from two Daily Ireland reports dated 4 February revealing for all the world to see clear evidence of British government duplicity in its dealings with the victims of British state terror in Ireland. It was revealed at a joint oireachtas committee hearing into the second Barron report, on the Dublin bombings of 1972/3 and other loyalist atrocities in the border counties, British premier Tony Blair has written two contradictory letters dated the same day. His ambiguity prompted great outrage among the families of the victims and all who demand justice:

A lawyer for the families of the Dublin and Monaghan bomb victims has slammed Tony Blair for his treatment of Justice Hemnry Barron's inquiry into the atrocities.

Cormac O Dualacháin SC, at yesterday's Dublin hearing of the Oireachtas joint committee dealing with the Barron report into the bombings in the early 1970s, outlined his outrage at the way two letters from Tony Blair show ambiguity in his treatment of the victims' families.

The first letter originated when Martin Douglas, whose brother Tomas was killed in a bomb in Dublin on January 20, 1973, lobbied Preston MP Nigel Evans to contact Mr Blair about an inquiry. In the last few days it has come to light that Mr Blair's reply to Mr Douglas' call for an inquiry gave a different message to a letter he sent to Bertie Ahern on the same date. . . . .

Relatives of the 1975 Dundalk bomb victims are outraged at Tony Blair for ruling out an inquiry into alleged British security force collusion with loyalists at the time of the pub blast.

In a letter to Bertie Ahern, Mr Blair ruled out an inquiry into the 1970s bombings in Dundalk, Dublin and Monaghan.

Maura McKeever, whose father Jack Rooney was killed in the dundalk blast, said, "I am really disappointed that Tony Blair has not made a better effort to accommodate us."

Another man, Hugh Watters, also died when the car bomb exploded outside Kay's Tavern in the Co Louth town's Crowe Street.

Mrs McKeever said, "We are waiting 30 years for answers and I can't see why there will not be a full inquiry into the bombing."

She added, "I have no doubt that there was collusion behind the Dundalk bomb. There has been a cover-up.

Use this link to access the complete Daily Ireland reports>>>.

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19 December 2004: Today marks the 29th anniversary of the loyalist car bombing of Kay's Tavern public house, Crowe Street, Dundalk, and the cruel murder of Jack Rooney and Hugfh Watters.

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8 October 2004: See today's Dundalk Argus for a further report of the Dundalk bombing relatives' latest meeting with Mr Justice Barron. Headlined Report into Dundalk bombings, the Argus report reveals that the Barron report on the Dundalk bombing is expected to be completed in November 2004, though it will most likely not be published before Christmas.

The Argus quotes Maura McKeever, daughter of victim Jack Rooney:

"It will be a relief when this is complete, but as to what its findings will be I really don't know. I don't think it will be able to tell us if there was collusion or not" she admitted.

"Justice Barron didn't really have the authority to compel people to answer questions," she added, casting doubt over whether the report would be able to uncover who was behind the car bombing which killed her father on 19th December 1975

Maura states that she shares the concerns of the family of Seamus Ludlow, who have continually called for a public enquiry into the death of the Mountpleasant man.

To view the full Argus report, please use this link >>>

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6 October 2004: Southern Correspondent, Valerie Robinson, writing in the Irish News, a report headlined Bombing report 'in new year', revealed:

A judge has told two families that a report on the murders of their relatives in the 1975 Dundalk bombing will be published in the new year.

Justice Henry Barron, the lone member of a private inquiry into the bombing, met relatives of Hugh Watters and Jack Rooney in Dundalk yesterday (Monday).

To view the full report please use this link: >>>

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17 August 2004: The Dundalk bombing's justice campaign was featured in an important article in today's edition of The Irish News:

'Christmas' bombing secrets may be told

Campaigners hope that a report due to be published by Justice Henry Barron early next year will pave the way for a public inquiry into the 1975 Dundalk bombing, Southern Correspondent Valerie Robinson reports

Former Supreme Court judge Justice Henry Barron is expected to publish his report into the 1975 Dundalk bombing by the New Year. . . .

Use the link above to read the complete Irish News report.

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14 August 2004: See the following reports of the Dundalk bombing campaign's and the Ludlow family's recent meeting with Justice Henry Barron in The Dundalk Democrat:

Dundalk families meet judge

Bomb victims families meet Judge Barron

NEWS SPECIAL: The Seamus Ludlow murder Murder of Seamus Ludlow shocked the entire country Special report

Original inquest deemed sloppy work

Upset at judge's reluctance to criticise investigation

See also the Dundalk Democrat above.

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8 August 2004: Dundalk man Peter O'Connor, a victim and survivor of the Kay's Tavern bombing, left the following message on our campaign Guestbook:

Hougie Watters died in my arms during the fire after the bomb. I suffered 17 separate concussions as I tried to knock myself out rather than being burnt alive. I had 93% burns incl 7% 3rd degree mostly my hands and buttocks and back.
I will NEVER forgive the politicians for what they put us through after the bombing. WE were the VICTIMS but made to feel as the perpetrators.
NO ONE deserved what we went through. *******S. I even left hospital at 46kg and ran off rather than face the indignities of being "The Bomb Fella" and all that carried.

Peter, now residing in County Waterford, describes his website as:

Contact for Glenribbeen Lodge B & B and Music School and also various arts and crafts schools in the area including our own DIY Course and local organic-farming-techniques

Email Website

Use this link to see Peter O'Connor's message complete on another page. >>>

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5 August 2004: Members of the Rooney and Watters families met with Mr Justice Henry Barron in Dundalk today to discuss his progress to date in his private inquiry into the murderous Dundalk bombing of 19 December 1975, which tragically ended the lives of Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters. A memorial to the two men is placed on the exterior of the Dundalk Town Hall, just a short distance from the site of the bombing.

Maura McKeever (nee Rooney) speaking to the local Argus newspaper:

said that she felt the enquiry findings, which are due to be published before Christmas, would represent "the first time we have got any real answers about what happened that night."

Justice Barron, she added, had been "very open with us, and was keen to find out if there was anything else we needed to discuss with him."

Mrs McKeever once aired her fears that the truth behind her father's death might never be known.

But, as both Dundalk families await the outcome of the private investigation being conducted by Justice Barron, she said she felt "a lot more positive."

"We have always called for a public enquiry into the Dundalk bombing, as both of our families have never had our questions answered."

Some of the questions she hoped would be answered by Justice Barron were: "Were there any warnings given? How much did the Gardai know?"

She added that it was "appalling" that the government of the day did not take more interest in the atrocities in Dundalk, and that her family had felt completely forgotten.

"We were never told anything after the bombing. There was no one able to help us understand what had happened and why, that is why we have had to keep pushing for an enquiry."

See the full report of the Dundalk families' meeting with Justice Barron in The Argus, 13 August 2004: The families of Dundalk bomb victims stay positive about enquiry

Mr Justice Barron also held a separate meeting with the family of the murdered Seamus Ludlow. See report in The Dundalk Democrat, 7 November 2004.

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30 May 2004: The following press statement was issued by the Derry-based Pat Finucane Centre following the recent broadcast by the BBC Northern Ireland Spotlight current affairs investigation of the activities of the Glenanne group of loyalist killers - a mix of RUC, UDR and UVF from the Portadown and Lurgan areas - who were involved in scores of sectarian murders in Counties Armagh, Tyrone and the southern border counties throughout the 1970s. The Glenanne group, some of whom were named or shown on film by Spotlight, were responsible for the bombing at Kay's Tavern, Crowe Street, Dundalk, resulting in the foul murder of Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters.

International Human Rights Delegation to Probe Collusion Allegations

An international delegation arrived in the North this weekend to probe allegations of collusion highlighted earlier this week in a BBC Spotlight Programme. The allegations concern the activities of the so-called Glenanne group who have been linked to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and a series of murders in Armagh, Tyrone and the border counties in the 1970s. The delegation will meet privately with families who have lost relatives and meetings have been requested with the authorities North and South of the border.

Among the cases featured in the Spotlight programme which the delegation will scrutinise are the multiple murders of members of the O’Dowd and Reavey families, the bomb and gun attacks on Donnelly’s Bar, Silverbridge, the Rock Bar, Granemore, the murders of two GAA supporters at Altnamackin and the bomb attack on Kay’s Tavern, Dundalk.

The delegation members are Piers Pigou, a former investigator with the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a member of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation and advisor to the East Timor Commission;

Susie Kemp, a barrister who was the Legal Director of the Centre for Human Rights Legal Rights Action in Guatemala and prepared cases for the truth commission in that county;

Steve Sawyer, a former prosecutor and legal counsel to the Centre for International Human Rights at North Western University in Chicago. The delegation, which has been invited by the Derry based Pat Finucane Centre, will be led by Professor Douglass Cassel, President of the Board of Directors of the Justice Studies Center of the Americas, and Director for the Centre for Human Rights in Chicago. He has served as consultant on human rights to the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the United States Department of State and the Ford Foundation.

The delegation which will hold private hearings, will spend two weeks in Ireland and will publish a report later in the year which will be provided to the two governments. The Chief Constable of the PSNI, Hugh Orde, has agreed to meet the delegation. Some of those named in the BBC programme are also being invited to meet the group.

A spokesperson for the PFC, Alan Brecknell, said,

“ We have been researching the activities of a group operating in the Murder Triangle for some years and the full extent of the links, both ballistically and through personnel, is shocking beyond belief. The work of the delegation will also focus on linked attacks including; the murders of Patrick Falls, Patrick Connolly, John Francis Green, the Miami Showband ambush, the bomb attacks at Killyliss and Castleblaney and Mc Ardles Bar in Crossmaglen and the gun attack on the Eagle Bar in Charlemont. The list goes on. In all we believe that over 100 deaths can be traced back to permutations of the same gang.”

Contact 07989323418

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26 May 2004: The following press release was issued by the Pat Finucane Centre in Derry City:

Press Release

Families respond to Spotlight Programme

A number of families in Armagh and Tyrone have responded to revelations of collusion between security forces and loyalists contained in a BBC Spotlight programme aired last night. Alan Brecknell, whose father Trevor was one of the victims of the Glenanne based gang, issued an appeal to Chief Constable Hugh Orde to meet the families.

"On the day following the publication of the Barron Report we wrote to the Chief Constable requesting an urgent meeting. To date there has been no positive response. We are renewing that request. There is no longer any doubt that a gang, consisting of members of the RUC, UDR and loyalist paramilitaries, some of whom had intelligence links, were carrying out dozens of gun and bomb attacks in the 'murder triangle' and beyond with virtual impunity. Over 50 deaths are directly linked to the activities of the Glenanne gang. The Chief Constable has talked recently of the need for a truth process. A good beginning would be a positive response to our call for a meeting.

Contact Alan Brecknell c/o PFC at 07989323418

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25 May 2004: A statement issued by the Pat Finucane Centre:

BBC 1 Spotlight programme on collusion

A BBC Spotlight Special is to be screened tonight which investigates allegations of collusion in the Armagh, Tyrone and border counties in the 1970s. The programme will focus on the activities of a group of loyalists, and members of the RUC and UDR, who operated from a farmhouse in Glenanne, Co Armagh.

The activities of the group, some of whom were involved in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, has been the subject of research within the PFC for the past four years. Earlier this year the PFC made a written and oral submission to a Joint Committee of the Oireachtas, the Irish Parliament, which held hearings into the Barron report into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

It is believed that a number of key members of the gang will be named in the programme.

See www.serve.com/pfc for background on the Barron Report and the PFC submissions.

BBC 1 Northern Ireland at 22.35 Tuesday May 25

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20 December 2003, The Dundalk Democrat, Editorial:

10 December 2003: The long awaited publication of the private Barron Inquiry Report into the 17 May 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which caused the Mr Justice Henry Barron is also conducting an inquiry into the deaths of Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters in the Dundalk bombing of 19 December 1975.

Mr Justice Henry Barron is also conducting an inquiry into the deaths of Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters in the Dundalk bombing of 19 December 1975.

deaths of 33 men, women and children - plus an unborn child - and left some 240 people injured, failed to answer all the questions still being asked about this the worst single atrocity of the Troubles.

The Rooney, Watters and Ludlow families, expecting further Barron Inquiry reports into the deaths of Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters in the Dundalk bombing and Seamus Ludlow's murder early in 2004, share the Dublin and Monaghan families' disappointment in the failure of this first Barron Report to bring final closure to the bereaved and injured. This failure now makes ever more pressing the families' demands for a public judicial inquiry where witnesses can be compelled to attend and give evidence under oath.

The outcome, after four years of investigation by Mr Justice Barron, and by his predecessor the late Mr Justice Liam Hamilton, does not promote confidence in the private inquiry's forthcoming reports on the Dundalk bombing and the murder of Seamus Ludlow. These inquiries will also be hampered by missing files in the Department of Justice in Dublin and by British government indifference to requests for cooperation.

Mr Justice Barron's Report has disappointed many of the surviving victims and their relatives in that he failed to find evidence of high level collusion between the loyalist UVF murder gang and the British authorities in the Six Counties.

Angela O'Neill, who lost her father in the attacks, said the report contained nothing that they did not already know.

"I do believe that the British State needs to be held accountable for the loss of those 33 lives... and the Irish State needs to be held accountable for their negligence in that," she said.

A solicitor representing relatives of some of the victims called for a public inquiry with powers to subpoena witnesses and documents.

"The problem is that this inquiry has been working behind closed doors for some time and simply hasn't delivered," said Des Doherty

"It's the fault of the process more than anything else - there's no other mechanism available."

He added: "How documents can go missing or cannot be found simply beggars belief."

While he did not exclude the possibility that individual RUC, UDR and British army/intelligence personnel may have been involved in a personal capacity in this outrage, Mr Justice Barron stopped short of contending that such collusion went higher. His failure to locate files in the Department of Justice - either lost or deliberately destroyed to prevent further revelations - and Britain's refusal to cooperate made such suspicions impossible to prove one way or another.

Somewhat implausibly, the Barron Report says the loyalists involved in the Dublin bombing were "capable of doing so without help" from any security forces in the North, "though this does not rule out the involvement of individual RUC, UDR or British army members".

Many, particularly in Dublin, believe the bombings were a warning shot from British intelligence for the Irish government not to interfere in the affairs of the Six Counties. At least three of the bombing team, all now dead, have been identified as paid British informers.

Jane Winter, the director of British Irish Rights Watch (BIRW), London, who has made detailed submissions to the Barron Inquiry, said: "Forensic evidence suggested that the bombs in Dublin were very much more sophisticated than any bombs loyalists had used before or since. All went off within one and a half minutes of each other - a technical achievement never matched before or since. The implication is that they had outside help in making these bombs."

She said if collusion were found, there would be grave consequences for Britain internationally. "Here we are gaily telling the world how to run its own human rights affairs and holding ourselves up as an example of a developed democracy which doesn't do wicked things. But if Britain did collude with loyalists to bomb another country, that is an act of war."

Mr Justice Barron concluded that the then Fine Gael/Labour coalition government led by Mr Liam Cosgrave showed "little interest" in pursuing the perpetrators of the 1974 Dublin/Monaghan bombings.

The coalition government, according to the inquiry, failed to pursue the British after the prime minister, Mr Harold Wilson, told the then Taoiseach Mr Cosgrave in November 1974 they had identified the bombers and interned them.

"Following the meetings, there is no evidence that the information was passed, either to the minister for justice, or any of his officials, or indeed the Garda commissioner." This "absence of apparent interest", said Mr Justice Barron, "strongly suggested that the government made no efforts to assist the investigation into the bombings at a political level".

Mr Justice Barron said: "It can be said that the Government of the day showed little interest in the bombings."

The Barron Inquiry Report is also heavily critical of the Garda investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan bombing attacks, which Mr Justice Henry Barron said "remain the most devastating attack on the civilian population of this State to have taken place since the Troubles began".

The investigation, which was wound down without explanation in early 1975 - some reports say it was mothballed after only 12 weeks - "failed to make full use of the information it obtained", according to the 288-page Barron inquiry report.

Criticising the Garda, Mr Justice Barron said: "The Garda investigation failed to make full use of the information it obtained. Certain lines of inquiry that could have been pursued further in this jurisdiction were not pursued." Detectives failed to interview suspects in Northern Ireland with the RUC's co-operation, and to collect vital forensic evidence from the bombing scenes, the report says.

However, the private inquiry found no evidence to back charges that the Garda investigation into the bombings was wound down because of cabinet interference.

The allegation was sharply rejected by the former Taoiseach, Mr Cosgrave and the former minister for justice Mr Paddy Cooney during their meetings with Mr Justice Barron.

Mr Justice Barron criticised the lack of co-operation by the British government, which refused to make original documents available to the inquiry.

Following a trawl of 68,000 files, the then Northern Ireland secretary of state Dr John Reid provided a 16-page document - out of the millions of relevant documents it held - to the inquiry in February 2002, nearly 18 months after information was sought. With some justification, the British Government was widely criticised over its “contempt” for the Barron Inquiry

Calling for a full public inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, Greg O'Neill, the solicitor representing the Justice for the Forgotten group, said the British government must choose "whether or not it wants to be eternally suspected of being involved in supporting terrorism".

In another disturbing aspect of state obstruction that will likely impact upon Mr Justice Barron's inquiry into the Dundalk bombing and Seamus Ludlow murder, a file of photographs of suspects collected by the Garda, which were shown to potential witnesses in the weeks after the bombings, "have been missing since 1993 at least".

It has been revealed that many relevant files held by the Department of Justice are missing - leading to a suspicion that they may have been shredded, thus hampering the Barron Inquiry effort at reaching the truth behind collusion in these cases.

Speaking in Leinster House (Irish parliament), the Tanaiste Mary Harney thanked Mr Justice Barron on behalf of the Irish Government for his work on the report, and said she had no doubt its findings would be debated in the House in the New Year.

The Oireachtas committee met in private this afternoon to consider the report and it is expected to discuss its contents with its author, Justice Henry Barron.

A report into the bombings and allegations that British security services colluded with the loyalist paramilitary UVF was ordered more than three years ago by the Irish Government. No one has ever been charged in connection with the offences.

Representatives of Justice for the Forgotten, which represents about 150 survivors of the attacks and victims', met the Taoiseach in private at Government Buildings today. The group is expected to call for a full public inquiry.

The Barron report was welcomed by Justice for the Forgotten. Mr Greg O'Neill, solicitor for Justice for the Forgotten, said it was "an immensely important stage in the struggle of families for truth and justice".

However, three families, denouncing the Barron Report as a shambles, walked out of an earlier press conference held by the Joint Oireachtas Committee to announce the findings. Others dismissed the Report as a "re-hash of what is already in the public domain" and renewed calls for a public inquiry.

Bernadette McNally, the chairperson of Justice for the Forgotten, said the onus was now on the Irish government to seek the full truth of the bombings.

“It’s the responsibility of the Irish government to open every door, to force it open whatever way they can, take the responsibility for this off (Barron) and do the work they should have done 30 years ago.”

“The combination of incompetence and downright carelessness on the part of those charged with protecting the citizens of Ireland is absolutely damnable,” said Mr O’Neill.

“The time for private inquiries is over. It is no longer our burden. Damnable facts have been established, and it is now your responsibility.

“This campaign is calling on the Irish government ... to take up the responsibilities and to discharge them to the families, to the dead, to the survivors and to the people of Ireland.

“There are people who are available in this state who need to be put in the witness box and cross-examined. The time for private inquiries into these matters is over.”

The Rooney and Watters families must now wait to see how Mr Justice Barron's inquiry into the murder of Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters will be weakened by his failure to gain access to British intelligence files and the disappearance of documents from the Irish Department of Justice.

8 November 2003: Following the recent handing of Mr Justice Henry Barron's private inquiry report on the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern TD, Margaret Watters and Jimmy Sharkey were critical of the Dundalk cases' exclusion from the report in this article from the Dundalk Democrat:

The families of Seamus Ludlow and the two men murdered in the Dundalk bombing have said they are disappointed that the draft Barron report failed to mention the County Louth atrocities.

The Barron Inquiry, which was commissioned by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 1999, investigated the circumstances surrounding the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, as well as the 1975 Dundalk bombing and the murder of Mountpleasant man, Seamus Ludlow.

But the draft report only referred to the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, in which 33 people died. The Taoiseach said he hoped a report into other cases under Justice Barron’s remit would be completed by the New Year.

Margaret Watters, whose father Hugh, was one of two men killed when a car bomb exploded in Crowe Street on December 19 1975, said she was “saddened” by the way the families found out about the case’s exclusion from the report.

“I was very shocked to hear about the exclusion of the Dundalk bombing in Barron’s report to the government”, she said.

“I’m saddened by the fact that neither myself, or Maura McKeever, whose father, Jack Rooney, also died had no prior warning that the case was not going to be mentioned.

“The first I heard about it was on radio and all the sadness and frustration came flooding back to me. After the initial shock had subsided and I thought about it, I wasn’t that surprised that the Dundalk bombing has always been pushed into the background.

“No matter what else, Hugh was my father and I am annoyed that we are being treated like this. It’s over three years since we met Justice Barron and it seems we are no further on.

“No one has contacted us about when a report into the Dundalk bombing may be handed to the government. The anniversary of the bombing is only six weeks away and this adds to the stress and sadness which we always feel at this time of year”.

Seamus Ludlow’s nephew, Jimmy Sharkey, said he too was told nothing of the exclusion of his uncle’s murder in the report.

“I have heard it through the support group, Justice for the Forgotten, who represent the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in the main”, he said.

“I have heard nothing through official channels about it, but to be honest, I’m not surprised as I didn’t hold out much hope that this investigation would get to the truth”.

The matter will be raised in the Dail by Sinn Fein TDs Caomhghin O Caolain and Arthur Morgan.

Mr Morgan said: “We are very concerned about the omissions from the report and we will be trying to get answers from the Taoiseach as to why these cases have been left out.

“The families in particular, as well as a lot of others, have been waiting for a long time for answers and some sort of resolution. They have a right to be concerned about what is happening with these cases”.

The Taoiseach’s office said that a decision would be made over the next few days to publicise the findings of the report.

The Taoiseach admitted this week that nearly €4000,000 has been spent on the commission into the Dublin, Monaghan and Dundalk bombings, but the report has not been completed.

This has angered the Dundalk families. Maura McKeever, whose father, Jack Rooney died along with Hugh Watters in the bombing at Kay's Tavern on 19th December 1975, is concerned over the delay.

"We cannot see any good reason why this report has been put off for so long", she said. "It seems as if the government is willing to keep putting this off.

"We were told in April last year that the report would be ready in the Autumn of 2002, but it was inexplicably delayed and we don't understand why".

Replying to questions from Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, Mr Ahern stated that it was his understanding that Mr Justice Barron, who is overseeing the inquiry into the atrocities, has "almost completed the drafting of his report".

"It is expected that his report will be ready for publication after the summer", said Mr Ahern. "I also understand that Mr Justice Barron has the resources necessary to complete his work.

"He has not indicated his intention to make an interim report and the cost of the commission to date this year amounts to approximately €398,000".

Mr Kenny wanted to know what was taking the Barron team so long. He pointed out that the Taoiseach gave the same answer on 22 April last year when he stated that the report would be ready by Autumn 2002.

Mr Ahern replied that the report, when it is received, will be immediately referred to the appropriate Oireachtas committee, where it will be examined.

The Irish government has done all it can, according to Mr Ahern. "There were direct dealings between Mr Justice Barron and the British authorities through the NIO, the British government and its agencies.

"We will have to wait for the report to see if Mr Justice Barron is entirely happy with that co-operation, but no matters are currently outstanding at this stage.

"That is not to say that Mr Justice Barron got everything he wanted as that would be an over-optimistic assessment.

"The delay can also be attributed to the fact that the team working with Mr Justice Barron continued to follow through on the various issues".

Mr Ahern revealed that the inquiry spent "considerable time" going through Oireachtas records as well as Garda files and information they received with the co-operation of the NIO and British authorities.

He admitted, however, that Mr Justice Barron was not briefing him directly, only that the report was being finally drafted.

The Dublin Government announce that a new £2m fund for relatives of victims of the Troubles has been set up .

The fund is one of the Irish Government's obligations under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Among those expected to benefit are relatives of the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings and the Dundalk bombing 19 December 1975 and the other victims of Loyalist murder gangs in the 26 Counties.

Meanwhile, there has been another call for a public inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan Loyalist car bombings in 1974, and another murderous explosion in Dundalk in December 1975.

The Justice For The Forgotten group, representing most of the survivors and the family's of the murdered victims of Dublin/Monaghan, says it is furious with the British Government over it's failure to co-operate in a meaningful way with the Barron Inquiry.

The Barron Commission is investigating the Dublin and Monaghan car bombs in 1974 and a 1975 explosion in Dundalk.

Material for bombs that killed 33 people in Dublin and Monaghan came from the British Army, according to reports at the weekend.

The findings of an Irish inquiry into the bombings, on May 17, 1974, are currently being written up by Mr Justice Henry Barron, a retired judge.

According to the report, the inquiry has been given evidence that British Army members supplied loyalist murder gangs with explosives and that these were used in the three bombs which exploded in Dublin during rush-hour traffic. The explosive material likely originated in RUC police raids on republican arms dumps. according to expert analysis.

Justice Barron has been forced to delay his inquiry repeatedly because British authorities have been slow to give him vital information.

His investigation, due to be completed in April, will bolster a widely-held belief that the bombings were engineered by undercover British military agents colluding with unionist paramilitary groups.

A British Army bomb disposal expert concluded from technical examination that the bomb material could not have been manufactured by the loyalists and must have been provided to them.

According to a Sunday Times report, the explosive expert's 100-page report submitted to the inquiry states:

"Loyalist terrorist groups did not have the skills to undertake this operation in 1974. Further, I do not believe they have ever possessed them, otherwise a similarly complex operation would have been repeated."

The expert's report estimates that only five people, all of them British soldiers, combined this level of access to seized explosives and to loyalist murder gangs.

It describes another bomb in Monaghan, near the border with Northern Ireland, which detonated 90 minutes after the Dublin blasts and killed eight people, as of standard loyalist construction. It is believed to have been built by a different loyalist unit.

The bomb disposal expert's report was commissioned by Justice for the Forgotten, an Irish government-funded group for the victims of the atrocities, at Barron's request in 2001.

The expert also believed two other loyalist bombs were probably composed of explosives provided by the British Army.

One of these was detonated at Kay's Tavern in Dundalk, a bar which was at the time used by republicans, on December 19, 1975 and claimed two lives. The second exploded on the same day outside a bar in Silverbridge, County Armagh, and killed three
people.

A lawyer for the families of Dublin/Monaghan victims has said he could not verify the report, and was concerned that leaks would cause anxiety for relatives.

He said they wanted to see the three-year long inquiry published as soon as possible to prevent a drip-feed of information.

Human rights group The Pat Finucane Centre also said it had not seen the report, and was said to be sceptical about the claims that materials for a bomb attack in Silverbridge in 1975 were originally seized from the IRA.

4 January 2003 - This photograph from the recent launch of Joe Tiernan's new book appeared in the Dundalk Democrat.

Joe Tiernan signs his book, "The Dublin and Monaghan Bombings and the Murder Triangle", for Maura McKeever, daughter of Jack Rooney, who was killed in the Dundalk bomb in Crowe Street, and Jimmy Sharkey, nephew of murdered Mountpleasant man, Seamus Ludlow. (Caption from The Dundalk Democrat)

Journalist Joe Tiernan will launch his controversial book about the Dundalk bombing and other atrocities at the Imperial Hotel this Saturday, 21st December, between 2 and 4pm.

The book "Dublin-Monaghan Bombings and the Murder Triangle", has been over 16 years in the writing and probes the circumstances surrounding the Dundalk bombing of 1975, as well as the two other atrocities. Tiernan names those he believes were responsible for the bombings.

A number of other events such as the bombings of Dublin, Monaghan and Castleblaney as well as the murders of Seamus Ludlow, the Reavey brothers in Whitecross and the shootings at Donnelly's Bar, Silverbridge, which took place just three hours after the attack on Dundalk, are also highlighted.

Two Dundalk men, Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters, were killed when the Dundalk bomb, packed into a car, went off outside Kay's Tavern in Crowe Street on 19th December 1975. A government inquiry into the bombing has been going on for three years, under the direction of Justice Barron.

Joe Tiernan has a formidable reputation as a journalist and has previously worked for RTE's Today Tonight programme, Yorkshire Television and Channel Four.

According to the author, the two men who were responsible for the bombing in Dundalk are now deceased. They may have been responsible for about 150 Catholic murders during the 'Seventies and 'Eighties.

One of the men was murdered by an active IRA unit in Newtownhamilton in 1976, but in the three years before his death, he was operating from a Loyalist enclave of South Armagh with virtual immunity. Tiernan believes this man may have been responsible for about 30 murders between 1973 and 1976.

The other man, who was a leading and feared Loyalist figure of the last 30 years of the Troubles, died of cancer in 1998 and the author suspects that this man was responsible for over 100 murders, including the 33 people who were killed in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

Although there are few new details about the circumstances leading up to the bombing of Kay's Tavern, Tiernan poses thought-provoking questions about the Garda investigation into the atrocity. According to him, Superintendent Dan Murphy, now deceased, was in charge of the investigation into the Dundalk bombing, the murder of local man, Seamus Ludlow, and the suspected murder of Captain Nairac.

During the course of researching the book, Tiernan claims he was told by another Garda, now retired, that when he and Murphy asked the RUC for help in tracing the car used in the Dundalk bombing, they refused.

"We knew who planted the bomb but the RUC refused to co-operate with (us) in tracing the car so there was nothing we could do about it", said the retired Garda.

The seemingly gaping differences in the way the Dundalk bombing and the Ludlow murder were handled in comparison to the murder of Nairac is a source of concern, contends Tiernan.

"In arresting and charging the suspected killer of Nairac, the Gardai in Dundalk were only doing their duty", says the book.

"However, the relatives of those killed in Dublin, Monaghan, Sallins, Dundalk and Castleblaney could be forgiven for asking what was going on.

"Dan Murphy is now dead and cannot answer the charges being laid against him. However, justice demands that his activities be brought into the public domain".

Despite legal challenges to his book, Tiernan has published the book himself and only a few hundred copies of the book will be made available.

Speaking about the publication of the book, Maura McKeever, whose father, Jack Rooney, died in the Dundalk bombing, said that she was delighted with the author's efforts in tracing those responsible for her father's death.

"I am glad that Joe has finally got the book out", she said, "i hope it will prompt the government to look deeper into what has been happening with the authority's investigations into these atrocities.

The current Barron Inquiry into the Dundalk and Dublin/Monaghan bombings is expected to recommend a full public inquiry into the atrocities, a leading news magazine has suggested.

According to this month's edition of Magill Magazine, Justice Barron, who has been conducting an inquiry into the bombings, will not "shy away" from drawing adverse inferences from the lack of British Military co-operation received so far.

Magill understands that his comments about the lack of British co-operation in the report, which is due to be put before the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights later this Autumn, may well be enough to warrant the setting up of a full judicial inquiry.

Maura McKeever, whose father, Jack Rooney, died along with Hugh Watters in the 1975 bombing at Kay's Tavern, this week welcomed the possibility of a full public inquiry.

"If there is a full public inquiry into the Dundalk bombing and the other atrocities we would obviously welcome it", she said. "We have been hoping that this would be the recommendation of the Barron Inquiry and I hope the government will take seriously what the report has to say".

Mr Justice Barron's report is likely to put the government under pressure to set up a full judicial inquiry, which may be along the lines of the Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday, in an effort to establish the truth about the bombings.

The Barron Inquiry was set up three years ago at the request of the bombing victims' group, Justice for the Forgotten. Since its establishment it has been dogged with comments that its scope is too limited.

It does not have the power to subpoena witnesses and is entirely dependent on voluntary co-operation.

Magill Magazine revealed that the Inquiry has received co-operation from the Gardai and the RUC, with the exception of Special Branch.

Earlier this year, replying to a question from the Opposition, the Taoiseach revealed that he had passed a memo to Tony Blair and his officials reiterating what Justice Barron required by way of information from their administration.

"Mr Justice Barron received an amount of information previously but has not got all the information he requires or answers to some of the issues he raised", Mr Ahern told the Dail.

"Whether that information is available or will be handed over is uncertain. We have had a commitment from the Prime Minister and from the Secretary of State, Mr John Reid, that they would provide everything they had through their own intelligence agencies.

"Mr Justice Barron is still unsatisfied and that is the position", he added. "It is important, in order to have as full and accurate a report as possible, that everyone with relevant information co-operates fully".

The Taoiseach continued: "As I pointed out to the last Dail, Mr Justice Barron has received some of the information that he sought but not everything.

"It will be a matter for him to assess and comment in his report on the co-operation he has received from the various authorities with which he has been in contact. My role has been to endeavour, as best I can, to get that information".

The Magill article states: "(We) understand that the (Barron) Inquiry has obtained strong new evidence that would indicate at least a willingness on the part of certain sections of the British military to engage in grave undercover actions".

It alleges that the Baron Inquiry has in its possession a security memo prepared for the British government in 1971 with regard to border security.

The memo allegedly states that additional battalions would be required to secure the border and make it difficult for the IRA to operate. There are a number of options open to the British government, instead of the unfavoured additional troops, including one that existing constraints on the British forces should be removed.

The first car bomb south of the border, which was linked to Loyalist terrorists, exploded in May 1972, six months after the memo was written.

In addition, it is expected that the Barron Report may at least hint at the identities of Loyalists responsible for Dublin-Monaghan and possibly Dundalk. It is also understood that the report will be critical of the Gardai and as for the role of British elements in the bombings, the report is thought to be inconclusive, which may prompt a full public inquiry.

Use this link to read the full text of the Magill Magazine article upon which the above is based.

The daughter of Dundalk Bombing victim, Jack Rooney, has welcomed Dail questions about the 1975 atrocity which were put to the Taoiseach recently by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny as well as other Opposition TDs.

Mr Kenny asked the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, when he expected the Commission of Inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings to complete its work and if he would make a statement on the mater.

In reply the Taoiseach said: "In the course of my recent meeting with Prime Minister Blair, I again raised with him the importance of British authorities providing material relevant to the Dublin, Monaghan and Dundalk bombings enquiry requested by Mr Justice Barron.

"I understand that Mr Justice Barron intends to submit his report on the bombings in the autumn".

Mr Kenny again pressed Mr Ahern about the Barron inquiry and said that the British cooperation with Barron to date had been "appalling".

"Does the Taoiseach share the concerns of the families of the victims of the bombings", asked Mr Kenny. "Does he feel that the British foot-dragging adds credence to the belief concerning involvement of British agencies in those tragedies?"

Replying to the question, the Taoiseach revealed that he had passed a memo to Tony Blair and his officials reiterating what Justice Barron required.

"Mr Justice Barron received an amount of information previously but has not got all the information he requires or answers to some of the issues he raised.

Mr Jim Higgins, Fine Gael Chief Whip, asked the Taoiseach to "get serious with Tony Blair over the "critical deficit of information" which the British authorities were "clearly refusing to hand over".

"It beggars belief that the Taoiseach can say he still does not know whether information exists or is available", said Mr Higgins.

"What does he talk about to the British Prime Minister when he raises this issue? Instead of passing memos, will the Taoiseach take the gloves off and demand that the information is provided forthwith?"

"It is months since a fresh request was sent by the Commission for specific information, but that information has not been received".

Mr Ahern reiterated the fact that the Commission had received an "enormous amount of material from a range of sources", including the British administration.

"It is important, in order to have as full and accurate a report as possible, that everyone with relevant information co-operates fully", he said.

"As I pointed out to the last Dail, Mr Justice Barron has received some of the information that he sought but not everything.

"I don't know if the security information, which should be in the security sections of the British government, is available. I do not have access to that information.

"All I can do is make the case that we require it. Whether it is available to be handed over or is handed over, we will read in due course in Mr Justice Barron's report, which will come before a committee of the House for Public Scrutiny.

In the meantime, we will put our full efforts into seeking the information Mr Justice Barron requires.

"However, it is not a question of the information being in this Prime Minister's or the previous Prime Minister's office. This is not the type of information about which we are talking, concluded the Taoiseach.

Maura McKeever, whose father, Jack Rooney, died in the car bomb which exploded outside Kay's Tavern, Crowe Street on 19th December 1975, has welcomed the Dail questions about her father's death.

Maura and Margaret Watters, whose father Hugh, also died in the bombing, have been campaigning for a number of years to find out the truth about their deaths.

"I am glad that someone is asking questions at last", said Maura this week. "it's about time that the British government were pushed a bit more to hand over relevant documents relating to the Dundalk bombing.

"I also would like to know what the Taoiseach talks about to Mr Blair when they discuss the subject. I would like to see Mr Ahern take the gloves off, as Mr Mr Higgins said, and demand the information required".

Maura added that she was looking forward to the publication of the Barron Report and hoped that there would be no delays.

"All we have ever wanted is the truth", she said. "We hope that Mr Justice Barron's report will get us the answers to the questions we have been asking all these years."

A new book into the circumstances surrounding the Dundalk bombing of 1975 will name those believed to be responsible for the atrocity.

Two Dundalk men, Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters, were killed when the bomb, packed into a car, went off outside Kay's Tavern in Crowe Street on 19th December 1975. A government inquiry into the bombing has been going on for a couple of years under the direction of Justice Barron.

The book, by journalist Joe Tiernan, will be published in the autumn and will highlight a number of cases such as the bombings of Dublin, Monaghan and Castleblayney as well as the murders of Seamus Ludlow, the Reavey brothers in Whitecross and the shootings at Donnelly's Bar, Silverbridge, which took place just three hours after the attack on Dundalk.

The book, which has been over 15 years in the writing, will be entitled 'Dublin-Monaghan Bombings and the Murder Triangle'. Joe Tiernan has a formidable reputation as a journalist and has previously worked for RTE's Today Tonight programme, Yorkshire Television and Channel Four.

The other man, who was a leading and feared figure of the last 30 years of the Troubles, died of cancer in 1998 and the author asserts that this man was responsible for over 100 murders, including the 33 people who were killed in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

Although there are few new details about the circumstances leading up to the bombing of Kay's Tavern, Tiernan poses interesting questions about the Garda investigation into the atrocity. According to him, Superintendent Dan Murphy, now deceased, was in charge of the investigation into the Dundalk bombing, the murder of Seamus Ludlow and the suspected murder of Captain Nairac.

"We knew who planted the bomb but the RUC refused to cooperate with (us) in tracing the car so there was nothing we could do about it", said the retired Garda

The seemingly gaping differences in the way the Dundalk bombing and the Ludlow murder were handled in comparison to the murder of Nairac is a source of concern, contends Tiernan.

"In arresting and charging the suspected killer of Nairac, the Gardai in Dundalk were only doing their duty", says the book.

"However, the relatives of those killed in Dublin, Monaghan, Sallins, Dundalk and Castleblayney could be forgiven for asking what was going on.

"Dan Murphy is now dead and cannot answer the charges being laid against him. However, justice demands that his activities be brought into the public domain".

Despite legal challenges to his book, Tiernan is confident that it will be published in the autumn. Only a few hundred copies of the book will be made available through the author himself.

Speaking about the publication of the book, Maura McKeever, whose father, Jack Rooney, died in the Dundalk bombing, said that she was delighted with the author's efforts in tracing the bombers.

"I am glad that Joe will be finally putting out the book", she said. "There is a lot of fuss about the Garda investigation into the Omagh bombing, which is only right, but people like us seem to have been forgotten".