Madam, - This weekend marks the 29th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings - the worst atrocity of "the Troubles", and the single biggest massacre in the history of the State. It is hard to believe that 29 years after this horrific act of mass murder took place, the relatives of those killed or injured are still waiting for answers.
Notably, Bertie Ahern declared a national day of mourning for the unfortunate victims of September 11th, which is more than any government, past or present, has done for our own dead citizens.
While the last Government did establish an independent commission of inquiry into the bombings, it took 26 years for this commission to happen and, without the tireless campaigning of the relatives of those killed and injured, I do not believe it would ever have been established.
Last year the British Ambassador, Ivor Roberts, assured the Irish public of his government's "commitment to respond positively and sympathetically to the request for assistance by Justice Barron". However, one year later it appears that the information and documentation it has supplied is far from what is required, and that Justice Barron will have to draw up his report without all the information and documentation he requested.
The British authorities have also taken issue with me in the past regarding my suspicion that they may have been involved in these atrocities. They do not believe that Ed Moloney's disclosures in the Sunday Tribune (April 21st, 2002), which indicated that the British authorities were considering mounting a defence of "sovereign immunity" to avoid being sued by the survivors and relatives of those killed, imply any involvement on their part. But why would they consider such a defence if they had nothing to hide?
There were also revelations in the Sunday World on May 3rd 1987, which claimed that back in the early 1970s gardaí had dealt directly with the British army despite a ruling that all security liaison should take place through the RUC. Have these claims ever been thoroughly investigated, and if so, what conclusions were drawn?
Very many questions remain unanswered about the events of 1974 (and, indeed, the Dublin bombings of 1972), and I fear that as time goes by, it will become more and more difficult to get answers. Surely the people of Ireland deserve the truth, regardless of the problems it may cause for some in positions of authority, past or present. - Yours, etc.,
PATRICIA McKENNA, MEP, European Parliament Offices, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2.