merrion street

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD, laid a wreath at the Talbot St Memorial today to mark the 44th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.  Expressing his and the Government’s condolences to the families whose loved ones were killed and to those who were injured on 17 May 1974, he said:

I want to state clearly the Government’s continued support for victims and survivors. We will persevere in our efforts to seek out the truth behind those events and, hopefully, to secure some measure of comfort for you.

Telling those gathered that the Government has worked consistently to implement the previous all-party Oireachtas motions which call on the British Government to allow access by an independent international judicial figure to all original documents in their possession relating to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, he added:

I know you are frustrated that these motions have not yet been responded to and I share your frustration. However, I want to assure you that we will not give up in our efforts The Minister also spoke about his determination to achieve progress through the Stormont House Agreement: 

The Irish Government is determined to play our part in ensuring that the Stormont House legacy bodies are established in a way that will meet the legitimate needs and expectations of all victims and survivors. The Tánaiste continues his work with the British Government and the Northern Ireland parties to achieve this. He added:

Dealing effectively with the legacy of the past will be one way to honour the memory of all those killed and injured in the dark days of the troubles, including those victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings who are foremost in our thoughts today.