Statement by the Taoiseach on the publication of the Bloody Sunday inquiry
Today is the day when the truth has been set free in the city of Derry.
This is not about the reopening of old wounds, but rather it is about the healing of the gaping wounds of injustice left behind by the terrible events of Bloody Sunday.
The brave and honest words of Prime Minister David Cameron in the House of Commons today will echo around the world.
I thank him for the good faith he has shown in ensuring that the Saville Report has been published so early in his time in office.
Is cúis bróin agus náire an méid a tharla i nDoire ar Dhomhnach na Fola.
Mar a dúirt Promh Aire na Breataine, David Cameron, ní féidir seasamh leis an méid a tharla ná é a chosaint.
Anois agus tríocha hocht bliain caite, tá fíor scéal na n’eachtraí agus lom chlár na fírinne deimhnithe.
Early this morning, in Rossville Street in Derry, a small group of the citizens of that city gathered to complete a journey.
They walked from the Bloody Sunday Monument to the Guildhall, following the intended route of the thousands who took part in the civil rights march of January 30th, 1972.
It was a route that their mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends set out upon on that fateful day.
Many of them never returned. 13 men and boys were killed and 15 more were wounded by British soldiers on the streets of their home town on that day. One of those wounded died later that year.
Their names are carved in stone in Derry, where they fell.
Their memories are etched in the hearts of their loved ones.
And their deaths are inscribed indelibly on the pages of Irish history.
It is a short distance from the Bogside to the Guildhall, but the journey that was completed today has taken over 38 years.
There are very few events in the history of a nation that are universally recognised and remembered — that are known for all time only by a name, a place or a date.
Bloody Sunday is such an event in the history of Ireland.
It was an immense tragedy for those who were killed and injured, and for the people of Derry. It was also a turning point in the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which led to a huge upsurge in support for violence. It was therefore an immense tragedy for all of the people of these islands.
Thousands died, and many more were injured, in the Northern Ireland Troubles. Nearly 500 people died in 1972 alone.
Each of those deaths gave rise to unspeakable grief and loss and suffering.
In each case, those left behind had to face the unbearable truth of a loved one never to be seen again — taken suddenly, without warning and without reason.
It is important to state clearly once more that violence — from whatever quarter — was not justified.
Not then. And not now.
Today, we think of all of the victims, the bereaved and the injured. And today, we resolve that this will never happen again.
The publication of the Saville Report is about the future as well as about the past. In Derry today, and across the North, a new generation is growing up in peace and equality. They do not face the injustices that motivated the civil rights movement in 1972.
They live in an Ireland that, in 1998, engaged in a historic act of self-determination when the people, North and South, voted for the Good Friday Agreement.
That was an overwhelmingly powerful democratic act that would have seemed unthinkable to their fellow citizens a mere 26 years earlier.
We owe it to our children to continue the great collective endeavour to build a better future, in Derry and throughout Ireland.
The beauty, character and history of the city of Derry place it at the centre of Ireland’s story - from the foundation of the walls nearly 400 years ago to the Nobel prize winners of today.
There are chapters of grief, destruction and division, certainly. But there are also chapters of joy, of creativity and of hope. Now, the city is building its own future, freed from the shackles that held back previous generations.
As the peace bridge makes its symbolic journey across the majestic River Foyle, so the people of Derry are continuing on their journey of reconciliation.
I hope and believe that the publication of the Saville Inquiry report is another step on that journey. And - let there be no doubt on this point - it is a necessary step.
Bloody Sunday was unique. The ultimate injustice perpetrated on Bloody Sunday was the unjustified and unjustifiable killing of innocent civilians by those who claimed to be keeping the peace and upholding the law. It was an act of murder that cried out for justice and truth. Instead, justice and truth were denied and cast aside.
The suffering of the victims and their families was deeply compounded by the discredited and disgraceful findings of the Widgery Tribunal. That is why the Irish Government joined with the families in pressing for a new Inquiry.
The Saville Inquiry was made necessary not by the events of Bloody Sunday, horrific though they were. The Saville Inquiry was made necessary by the whitewash that was the Widgery report.
I want to pay tribute to the families and friends of the victims of Bloody Sunday, and all of those who fought for justice. Their dignity and their determination have been an example to us all. Today is a day of vindication for them.
Their quest for a new inquiry has been fully and incontrovertibly justified.
A shameful attempt to distort history at the expense of the innocent - the Widgery report - has itself now been consigned to history. The truth has been set free.
From this day forth, history will record what the families have always known to be true. And from this day forth, he world will understand what the people of Derry have always understood. 14 innocent people died on the streets in Derry on January 30th 1972. There is no doubt. There are no ambiguities. In truth, there never were. They were innocent.
May they rest in peace.