Dublin Monaghan Families launch bid for Gardai Files

For 50 years now the Irish Government and senior political figures have rightly called on the British Government and its agencies to release all intelligence material relating to the Dublin Monaghan Bombings. That call is all the more significant after the High court in Belfast threw out an attempt by the British Government to stop the families Troubles related civil actions.

For some time now we have urged The Gardai to reciprocate and release all their files on the 1974 bombings to The Police Ombudsman. PONI are conducting a thematic investigation entitled Operation Newham into allegations of collusion between the Northern security forces and the terrorist activities of The Glennane Gang who were involved in the bombings. To date Gardai have failed to adequately respond leaving families and survivors with little option but to launch a bid to force the handover of the files.

Speaking today outside The Four Courts Solicitor Kevin Winters of KRW LAW Human Rights Lawyers said,

“The revelation that there’s been no reciprocal sharing of files by the Irish State with The Police Ombudsman is staggering. It’s hypocritical of successive Senior Irish Government figures to call out Northern agencies in failing to release information when they’re guilty of the very same failing.

The pending Newham report will be completely prejudiced. The absence of not just intelligence material but any files whatsoever will leave a gaping hole in the middle of this very important report. The failure to transfer the files is all the more galling when you consider that the very same files have already been sent to the independent Police inquiry set up to look at all cases linked to the Glennane Gang. Operation Denton is due for publication later next year and will have the benefit of access to Gardai information on Dublin Monaghan.

The families of the bereaved and injured here today are therefore asking why the Irish authorities and the Garda Commissioner are refusing to release the files. Those concerns aren’t confined to Dublin Monaghan but also bombings in Dundalk and Castleblaney together with the killing of john Francis Greene in the early 1970s.This only serves to increase suspicion of a cover up or the possibility of prior intelligence of imminent threat.