Oireachtas committee:Widespread collusion between British security forces and terrorists was behind many, if not all, of a number of atrocities on both sides of the Border that resulted in 18 deaths in the mid-1970s, an Oireachtas committee has concluded in a report published last night.
A subcommittee of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice said it was "horrified" that people employed by the British administration to preserve peace and to protect people were "engaged in the creation of violence and the butchering of innocent victims".
The subcommittee which considered Mr Justice Henry Barron's report into nine terrorist attacks, including the bombing of Kay's Tavern in Dundalk, Co Louth, the Three Star Inn in Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, and the attack on the Miami Showband near Newry, Co Antrim, said it believed that unless the full truth about collusion is established, and unless those involved admit to or are fixed with responsibility, there cannot be closure for the families.
In its report, the subcommittee said there were acts of "international terrorism" that were colluded in by the British security forces. "The British government cannot legitimately refuse to co-operate with investigations and attempts to get to the truth," it said.
The committee found that the British cabinet was aware of the level to which the security forces had been infiltrated by terrorists and said there was an inadequate response to this.
The subcommittee said it further believed that unless the full truth about collusion is established there is always the risk of what occurred in the 1970s occurring again some day. "We are of the view that these matters cannot be swept under the carpet," it said.
However, the subcommittee fell short of calling for a full public inquiry into the atrocities, much to the disappointment of survivors and relatives of those killed who attended the report launch in Leinster House last night, and instead called for a full debate in the Dáil and Senate to allow for greater political impetus to highlight what occurred.
Fianna Fáil TD Sean Ardagh, the subcommittee chairman, said collusion was "widespread" and "endemic", but rather than a public inquiry, a Dáil debate would act as a catalyst for further action and for the UK parliaments to look at the findings. He said it was up to Westminster to ensure that people on the British side co-operate in full with any investigation.
It noted that at the time of the atrocities the authorities in this jurisdiction at all levels could have been more vigorous in their attempts to identify and bring to justice to the perpetrators.
The Irish government complained to the British government in August 1975 that four members of the RUC in the Portadown area were also members of the UVF.
The subcommittee said it could not understand why the documentation in relation to this stops dead in its tracks on September 3rd, 1975, given the gravity of the issue.
Mr Ardagh said in human terms the true cost of these atrocities is incalculable and the committee acknowledged the enormous suffering endured by both the victims and their families.
In relation to the Miami Showband murders, the committee noted that three serving members of the UDR were convicted and two other serving members of the UDR accidentally blew themselves up at the scene of the attack. They noted the conviction of three RUC officers in connection with the attack on the Rock Bar in Co Armagh in June 1976.