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Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Omagh bombing inquiry: bereaved families' long-standing quest for truth collides with reality
For those bereaved and injured in the August 1998 Omagh bombing , the inquiry into the atrocity brought hope that, finally, they might get answers. Could the UK authorities have prevented the bombing by Real IRA dissidents that killed 29 people including a woman who was pregnant with twins on a sunny Saturday afternoon? This week, that hope collided with reality. Over two days of opening statements, the inquiry heard from the UK government and Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on the logistical challenges they faced in providing documents and exhibits to the inquiry. READ MORE The slow pace of disclosure has led to an 'unfortunate' gap of nine months, as lawyer to the inquiry, Paul Greaney KC, put it; the inquiry cannot now begin considering the bombing itself until March 2026, almost two years after it opened. Michael Mansfield KC, representing the family of one of the victims, 57-year-old mother of three Libby Rush, cut to the chase. 'It cannot be said that government departments were not on notice,' he said. 'Once this happened on the 15th August, 1998, are we to imagine that state authorities didn't immediately have meetings ... which should have ensured the preservation [of materials] – not 'Oh, we only got notice yesterday'.' In fairness, the task facing them is not inconsiderable. The PSNI has so far made ready 26,000 documents and 2,000 exhibits and reassigned staff. This is a body that is so pushed for resources that earlier this month 24 police officers were reallocated from tackling domestic violence and sexual abuse to deal with public disorder. [ The stories of the Omagh bomb victims Opens in new window ] Both its barrister and that representing the UK government repeatedly stressed their commitment to assisting the inquiry. None of their explanations, Philip Henry KC said for the PSNI, were an excuse but rather 'a candid explanation of what is involved, so that expectations are realistic'. Yet the difficulties continued. It emerged that a document said to be missing, then destroyed, was subsequently found. The inquiry chairman, Lord Turnbull, echoed families' concerns 'over statements made by state bodies about apparent inability to locate relevant documents' and warned any such assertions would be subject to 'the most rigorous scrutiny'. Lord Turnbull. Photograph: Northern Ireland Office/PA Wire There were concerns, too, around sensitive material and how this will be approached, particularly given the relevance of intelligence, including warnings said to have been passed on by an alleged British agent, to the answers the inquiry is seeking. Last month it emerged a 'considerable body of material' had not been shared with the inquiry because of applications by the UK government and the PSNI to redact information. This, said barrister Stephen Toal KC, representing the families of five of those killed, 'speaks to a defensive instinct, not a transparent one.' Just ask the family of Seán Brown. The GAA official was abducted and murdered by loyalists in Bellaghy, Co Derry, in 1997, the year before the Omagh bombing. The UK government is currently challenging a court ruling that it must hold a public inquiry into his killing. That the Omagh investigation is happening at all is the result of decades of campaigns and courtroom battles, not least by Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son, Aiden, was among the victims. He brought the judicial review which resulted in the High Court judgment ordering the UK government to set up the inquiry. [ Omagh inquiry: Father of victim describes toll taken by years of campaigning for justice Opens in new window ] That same judge also recommended a similar inquiry south of the Border. The Irish Government was repeatedly criticised this week for failing to do so, though Lord Turnbull said he took the repeated assurances he had received about Dublin's commitment to assisting the inquiry 'in good faith'. Alan Kane KC quoted the future taoiseach Enda Kenny in the Dáil in 2004: 'You will get your truth, and so will Ireland.' 'Talk is cheap,' said Toal of both governments. 'They make warm statements about solidarity, but these families have learned to measure words against deeds.' As Lord Turnbull observed, some of those listening to the proceedings 'may have been thinking to themselves that if the various secretaries of state and other ministers involved had not so staunchly set their face against a public inquiry over the very many years and very many times that such requests were made, the problems now being grappled with would not be so acute.' Yet, he said: 'We are where we are.' Where we are is that the legacy of the North's Troubles still has not been dealt with, and the Omagh inquiry goes to the heart of one of its enduring tensions, the interests of national security versus the rights of individuals to life, to justice and to truth. The bereaved and injured have already suffered through decades of delay, obstruction and denial, broken promises, frustration heaped on devastation, and it is clear this inquiry will be a lengthy and complex one. States will always seek to protect their secrets, but a way must be found to balance these interests with the 'moral imperative', as one family barrister put it, to provide the answers which have been so desperately sought by so many, for so long. This is the reality; ultimately the hope, said Michael Mansfield, representing the Rush family, is that 'this public inquiry represents the beginning of the end of the story of the Omagh bombing'.
Irish Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Post
Omagh bombing victims demand full accountability
NEARLY 27 years after the deadliest attack of the Troubles, victims and survivors of the Omagh bombing are demanding more than condolences and symbolic gestures. They want the full truth - and they believe that can only be achieved through meaningful cooperation from both the British and Irish governments. The Omagh bombing on August 15, 1998, carried out by the Real IRA, killed 29 people, including a pregnant woman expecting twins. It happened shortly after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, shocking both sides of the Irish border. Despite civil actions in 2009 that found four men liable, no one has ever been criminally convicted for the attack. Today, an ongoing public inquiry that began in january, chaired by Lord Turnbull is investigating whether the bombing could have been prevented. While the inquiry primarily focuses on the actions of British authorities, victims' families have expressed deep frustration with the perceived lack of genuine cooperation from the Irish government. Barrister Alan Kane KC, representing several families, did not mince words. Speaking during the inquiry's recent hearings, Kane said the victims are 'sick and tired of platitudes, false assurances and broken promises' from Dublin. The Republic of Ireland's failure to establish a parallel inquiry or to engage in what the families consider meaningful cooperation is a central point of contention. 'There is a moral, human and legal imperative for the Republic of Ireland to establish its own inquiry,' Kane said. 'The perpetrators of the bombing found cowardly refuge in the Republic, and there are serious concerns about intelligence failures on that side of the border.' A memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed earlier this year was supposed to allow the inquiry access to relevant materials held by Irish authorities. However, Kane described the MOU as 'wholly unsatisfactory' and 'redundant', criticising its clauses that allow the Irish government to unilaterally decide what is deemed relevant. The inquiry also heard troubling revelations about missing documents and alleged intelligence gaps. Counsel Hugh Southey KC highlighted concerns that intelligence-sharing between British and Irish security services was ineffective, noting that the Garda Síochána rarely provided actionable intelligence to preempt threats. He also raised the disturbing possibility that state informants were allowed to operate without oversight, possibly endangering public safety. Families have likened the current inquiry to inspecting only the engine of a vehicle when the whole car - including where the bomb was planted - is what's truly relevant. As one victim's representative put it: 'This inquiry can only examine the parts of the car made in the UK. It cannot examine the rest of the car where the terrorists sat or the boot area where the deadly bomb was hidden.' For many, this limitation underscores the need for a full, transparent parallel inquiry in the Republic of Ireland. Without it, they argue, the truth will remain incomplete and justice unfulfilled. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has defended his government's position, insisting that cooperation has been full and transparent. Speaking to RTÉ, he called accusations of bad faith 'not fair comment' and pointed to the MOU as proof of their willingness to collaborate. However, the families remain unconvinced. They see years of inaction and redacted documents as evidence of evasion, not engagement. 'There is reason to believe that intelligence was known by the Garda but not the RUC,' said Southey. 'Effective protection would have required cooperation across the border, and that simply didn't happen.' As the Omagh Bombing Inquiry continues, the families hope their long pursuit of truth and accountability will finally yield results.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Government has ‘plain duty' to assist Omagh inquiry with swift disclosure
The UK Government has a 'plain duty' to ensure that full disclosure of documents is swiftly made to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, its chair has said. Lord Turnbull said his experience to date over the cooperation of some state agencies with the inquiry had caused him to have 'some concerns'. The inquiry chair was speaking at the end of two days of hearings in which the legal representatives of core participants delivered opening statements. The Real IRA bomb in the Co Tyrone town in August 1998 killed 29 people, including a woman who was pregnant with twins, in the worst single atrocity in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The public inquiry was set up by the previous secretary of state Chris Heaton-Harris to examine whether the explosion could have been prevented by the UK authorities. Lord Turnbull said he understood the challenges of providing disclosure of relevant documents to the inquiry were 'significant'. But he added: 'The fact remains that two years have already passed since the secretary of state announced that there was to be an enquiry. 'At many times since that point the progress towards setting up the inquiry and then of trying to move towards evidential hearings, has appeared to be frustratingly slow. 'Difficulties over providing disclosure of course impact on the ability to schedule evidential hearings.' The inquiry chair said some of those watching may have observed that if successive governments had 'not so staunchly set their face against a public inquiry the problems now being grappled with would not be so acute'. He added: 'Having opposed the setting up of an inquiry so long, there is a plain duty on the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) and others in government to remedy that now by making available whatever resources are necessary to ensure that full disclosure can be swiftly made available. 'I say that not just because of the passage of time. 'My experience to date has caused me to have some concerns. 'I have not been convinced that some of those with whom the inquiry has to depend upon to provide it with the material it seeks have always been in a position properly to engage with the inquiry or to dedicate the necessary resources to those tasks. 'I therefore trust after all that has been said over today and yesterday, that my remarks and concerns will be passed on to the relevant ministers and others who manage the responses to the inquiry's requests.' Lord Turnbull also said that the inquiry would not 'simply accept statements' that documents had been lost or destroyed. He said: 'Where claims are made that documents of importance have been destroyed or cannot be located, material providers can expect such assertions to be subjected to the most rigorous scrutiny. 'Accordingly the inquiry will expect to hear detailed evidence as to the nature of the efforts made to locate any such documents and the processes around their storage and retention. 'And having done so, the inquiry will draw such inferences as seem appropriate in light of the nature and importance of the documents concerned, alongside the quality of any evidence given by way of explanation for their absence.'
Leader Live
4 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Government has ‘plain duty' to assist Omagh inquiry with swift disclosure
Lord Turnbull said his experience to date over the cooperation of some state agencies with the inquiry had caused him to have 'some concerns'. The inquiry chair was speaking at the end of two days of hearings in which the legal representatives of core participants delivered opening statements. The Real IRA bomb in the Co Tyrone town in August 1998 killed 29 people, including a woman who was pregnant with twins, in the worst single atrocity in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The public inquiry was set up by the previous secretary of state Chris Heaton-Harris to examine whether the explosion could have been prevented by the UK authorities. Lord Turnbull said he understood the challenges of providing disclosure of relevant documents to the inquiry were 'significant'. But he added: 'The fact remains that two years have already passed since the secretary of state announced that there was to be an enquiry. 'At many times since that point the progress towards setting up the inquiry and then of trying to move towards evidential hearings, has appeared to be frustratingly slow. 'Difficulties over providing disclosure of course impact on the ability to schedule evidential hearings.' The inquiry chair said some of those watching may have observed that if successive governments had 'not so staunchly set their face against a public inquiry the problems now being grappled with would not be so acute'. He added: 'Having opposed the setting up of an inquiry so long, there is a plain duty on the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) and others in government to remedy that now by making available whatever resources are necessary to ensure that full disclosure can be swiftly made available. 'I say that not just because of the passage of time. 'My experience to date has caused me to have some concerns. 'I have not been convinced that some of those with whom the inquiry has to depend upon to provide it with the material it seeks have always been in a position properly to engage with the inquiry or to dedicate the necessary resources to those tasks. 'I therefore trust after all that has been said over today and yesterday, that my remarks and concerns will be passed on to the relevant ministers and others who manage the responses to the inquiry's requests.' Lord Turnbull also said that the inquiry would not 'simply accept statements' that documents had been lost or destroyed. He said: 'Where claims are made that documents of importance have been destroyed or cannot be located, material providers can expect such assertions to be subjected to the most rigorous scrutiny. 'Accordingly the inquiry will expect to hear detailed evidence as to the nature of the efforts made to locate any such documents and the processes around their storage and retention. 'And having done so, the inquiry will draw such inferences as seem appropriate in light of the nature and importance of the documents concerned, alongside the quality of any evidence given by way of explanation for their absence.'
South Wales Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Government has ‘plain duty' to assist Omagh inquiry with swift disclosure
Lord Turnbull said his experience to date over the cooperation of some state agencies with the inquiry had caused him to have 'some concerns'. The inquiry chair was speaking at the end of two days of hearings in which the legal representatives of core participants delivered opening statements. The Real IRA bomb in the Co Tyrone town in August 1998 killed 29 people, including a woman who was pregnant with twins, in the worst single atrocity in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The public inquiry was set up by the previous secretary of state Chris Heaton-Harris to examine whether the explosion could have been prevented by the UK authorities. Lord Turnbull said he understood the challenges of providing disclosure of relevant documents to the inquiry were 'significant'. But he added: 'The fact remains that two years have already passed since the secretary of state announced that there was to be an enquiry. 'At many times since that point the progress towards setting up the inquiry and then of trying to move towards evidential hearings, has appeared to be frustratingly slow. 'Difficulties over providing disclosure of course impact on the ability to schedule evidential hearings.' The inquiry chair said some of those watching may have observed that if successive governments had 'not so staunchly set their face against a public inquiry the problems now being grappled with would not be so acute'. He added: 'Having opposed the setting up of an inquiry so long, there is a plain duty on the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) and others in government to remedy that now by making available whatever resources are necessary to ensure that full disclosure can be swiftly made available. 'I say that not just because of the passage of time. 'My experience to date has caused me to have some concerns. 'I have not been convinced that some of those with whom the inquiry has to depend upon to provide it with the material it seeks have always been in a position properly to engage with the inquiry or to dedicate the necessary resources to those tasks. 'I therefore trust after all that has been said over today and yesterday, that my remarks and concerns will be passed on to the relevant ministers and others who manage the responses to the inquiry's requests.' Lord Turnbull also said that the inquiry would not 'simply accept statements' that documents had been lost or destroyed. He said: 'Where claims are made that documents of importance have been destroyed or cannot be located, material providers can expect such assertions to be subjected to the most rigorous scrutiny. 'Accordingly the inquiry will expect to hear detailed evidence as to the nature of the efforts made to locate any such documents and the processes around their storage and retention. 'And having done so, the inquiry will draw such inferences as seem appropriate in light of the nature and importance of the documents concerned, alongside the quality of any evidence given by way of explanation for their absence.'
