Minister for Justice Mr McDowell said this evening it was "a matter of regret" that the Barron report had drawn attention to inadequacies in the Garda investigation of the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings.
But he welcomed the report's publication and said it was now "a matter for people to draw their own conclusions" about the document.
He paid tribute to Mr Justice Henry Barron for "completing a thorough examination and assessment of the circumstances surrounding the single greatest atrocity to have been visited upon citizens of the State during the period of the Northern conflict."
Mr McDowell said it would not be possible for him to account for the course of an investigation some decades ago, but it was a matter of regret to him that the report had found inadequacies with the Garda investigation.
The minister pointed out that since that time there had been "profound changes" in Garda structures, criminal justice legislation, available technology and co-operation between police forces.
He added: "While obviously there will be concern and disappointment about what the report says about the Garda investigation, we should not lose sight of the fact that in the course of the last thirty years the Gardaí have proved vital in preserving the security of the State and, indeed, some of its members have been called on to pay the ultimate sacrifice in that battle."
Mr McDowell also said that he was disturbed by what the report had to say about the absence of files in his department dealing with the bombings even though it was virtually certain that any significant information on any such files would have been provided by the Garda Síochána and thus would very likely have been available to the inquiry.
He had been assured that, while it was not possible to establish definitely what files may have existed in the department, all relevant papers that could be located in the department had been provided to the inquiry.
Mr McDowell said he would not be commenting further as the report was now to be examined by the Joint Oireachtas (parliamentary) Committee on Justice.
But he pointed out that while in opposition he had always supported the members of the Justice for the Forgotten in "their quest for the truth."
The Minister stressed that he "remained very conscious of the suffering that was caused to the injured and bereaved victims of the atrocities," and hoped that Mr Justice Barron's comprehensive report would go some way towards redressing the terrible wrong done to them.
Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy tonight said the British Government had been committed to helping the inquiry and viewed the bombings in 1974 as "an act of obscene evil."
Mr Murphy said London would study the report carefully.
Fianna Fail's Mr Pat Carey, a supporter of the families affected by the bombings, said a public inquiry into the affair would be beneficial.
He said it was "unfortunate" that the British authorities had not "found it possible to be fully co-operative with the inquiry."