Dublin bombings report questioned by Justice For The Forgotten

Justice for the Forgotten, an advocacy group which represents the bereaved and the survivors of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of May 1974, has dismissed the findings of a British government report about the attacks.

The British government concluded that there was no collusion between security forces and the UVF, a finding which the group dismissed.

27 people died in a series of car bombs across Dublin, while seven died in a separate attack on the same day in Monaghan.

The blasts took place on Parnell Street, Talbot Street and South Leinster Street.

The report established that the UVF was capable of carrying out the attacks without external state interference.

Margaret Urwin, of the Justice For The Forgotten campaign, said, “the most striking thing about their findings is that there is a huge dearth of information concerning the bombings.”

“There is a wealth of information around the loyalists involved, their meeting in Rumford Street Loyalist Club on the morning of 17 May 1974, the allocation of tasks, the procurement of the three cars for Dublin. Then there is silence. There is no knowledge after that point.”

Urwin said that the Denton Report has been unable to discover anything about the bombs – who made them, where they were made, what their components were, where they were stored, or where they were collected from.

“They have no idea of what route(s) were taken to Dublin. So, when they say they have no evidence of collusion, that certainly does not mean there was no collusion,” she said

.Sinn Féin leader and Dublin Central TD Mary Lou McDonald cast doubt on the findings, saying “while today’s report references collusion throughout, the complete extent of British involvement in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings has not yet been revealed.”

“The failure to explicitly recognise the strategic nature of collusion will disappoint many families who have fought for decades for truth and accountability.”

McDonald criticised what she called “continued obstruction by British agencies, the withholding of files, and the refusal to face up to their role in the murder of Irish citizens”

She said the report and its findings “cast grave doubt on the British government’s commitment to dealing honestly with the past. Their proposed Legacy legislation will deepen impunity, not deliver justice.”

“What is needed – and what victims and families deserve – is a fully independent, Article 2 ECHR-compliant, victim-centred truth and accountability process. Nothing less will meet the needs of families or the standards of justice.

“Today must mark a turning point. The days of denial must end. The British state must finally confront the truth of its actions in Ireland,” she said.