The inquest into the deaths of 34 people in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings nearly 30 years ago was set to open on April 27th by the Dublin City Coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, yesterday.
The timing was decided by taking into account the fact that the 30th anniversary of the bombings falls on May 17th.
Dr Farrell said he hoped the inquest would be over before that date. Family members were present in court for the hearing.
On April 7th counsel for the parties will make submissions on the scope of the inquest, including the chain of causation, the scale of evidence extending beyond the jurisdiction, and also an issue of anonymity of one witness.
Yesterday Dr Farrell said he had received acknowledgment from the Chief Constable of the PSNI and the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána regarding matters raised by counsel. He said the coroner's office was reading 1,600 statements and seeking other relevant information.
In Dublin city, inquests are normally conducted by the coroner and the registrar on their own. There is no procedure for counsel to present evidence on behalf of a coroner.
"I've been assured by the Department of Justice that legal advice will be available to the coroner," Dr Farrell said.
At this stage it appeared there might be some difficulty in securing the attendance of some pathologists. They might have to deal with some of the evidence on a documentary basis, he said.
Mr Cormac Ó Dúlacháin SC, for some families, including members of Justice for the Forgotten, said: "We would be anxious to hear of more than an acknowledgment from the PSNI and if witnesses are available and records regarding the transportation of the \ vehicles."
On the inquest's structure, he said it might be appropriate if there were separate agendas. He suggested that one section should deal with each of the deceased individually and the witnesses relating to them.
There could be another on each explosion site and eye-witness evidence. Another agenda would relate to the Garda and Army investigation.
This would be followed by a section on forensics, the extent and scope of the chain of evidence. He said an explosion was not of itself evidence of unlawful killing.
Mr Michael Mansfield QC, for some families, said he estimated the inquest would take three weeks or more. There needed to be discussion on the scope of the inquest.
"The nature of the submissions should relate to the chain of causation and the sequence of witnesses, most obviously how the cars became converted to bomb cars, not just the geographical route, but the motivation route and who was responsible," he said.
He wanted to know if the coroner had been provided with the Barron report and the underlying documents and material relating to reports North and South of the Border.
Mr Mansfield also said one of the witnesses should remain anonymous. Their concern was that his name should not be made public.
Dr Farrell said in principle he had the jurisdiction to grant anonymity for good and proper reasons. He would defer the matter.
Mr Shane Murphy, for the Garda Commissioner, said: "I think there may be a divergence [of opinion\] on questions regarding the chain of evidence, of the scale of evidence extending beyond the jurisdiction, and I am reserving any submission on that," he said.
He said he wanted to establish and collate an index of documents from An Garda Síochána and an index from the Chief State Solicitor's office.