Ireland

British condemned in report on Dublin bombings

An Oireachtas sub-committee examining a report into bombings in Dublin in the early seventies has published its final report …

John Collins and Éanna Ó Caollaí
Wed Feb 16 2005 - 00:00

An Oireachtas sub-committee examining a report into bombings in Dublin in the early seventies has published its final report in which it condemns the lack of co-operation from authorities in the North and in Britain.

Mr Seán Ardagh, chairman of the sub-committee said in its refusal to co-operate, the British government was not meeting its committments under the Good Friday Agreement.

While he said he was pleased that the Minister for Justice, Mr M cDowell, and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, had said they would do their best to get the British to co-operate, Mr Ardagh said the committee 'deplored' their lack of co-operation.

The report, compiled by the J oint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Womens Rights, was the final report on the report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the bombings of 1972 and 1972.

The committee is chaired by Fianna Fail TD Mr Sean Ardagh, and includes Dail deputies Mr Joe Costello, Ms Maire Hoctor, Mr Finian McGrath, Mr Gerard Murphy, Mr Sean O Fearghail and Senator Tony Kett.

The committee also recommended widening the scope of the investigation to include the bomb attack in Clones and the activities of British agents, the Littlejohn Brothers.

Mr Finian McGrath pointed to a submission made by Mr Sean Donlon, former secretary general at the Department of Foreign Affairs, where he made the point that if the British decide they have something to hide, the subcommittee would not get access to the papers.

The Barron Report was given to the Government last year. It referred to the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights which formed a new sub-committee to consider it.

Earlier this month, Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy agreed to appoint a liaison officer to work with the Justice for the Forgotten group.

On the evening of December 1st 1972, a car bomb exploded near Liberty Hall in Dublin.  There were no fatalities, but many were injured.  A second bomb a short time later at Sackville Place, off O'Connell Street, killed Mr George Bradshaw (29), a bus driver, and Mr Tommy Duffy (23), a bus conductor.

On January 20th 1973, a car bomb exploded at Sackville Place killing Mr Tommy Douglas (21), a native of Stirling in Scotland.  He had been living in Dublin for just four months and was working as a bus conductor for CIÉ.