Sir, - I was surprised by Conor Brady's assertion (Books, July 24th) that the extent to which David Neligan "might or might not have been involved" in the deaths of irregular prisoners in Kerry "has never been publicly documented". The central role played by Neligan in one of those affairs was indeed very publicly clarified in a 1997 RTE television documentary, Ballyseedy. The programme did not rely on anti-Treaty accounts of the Kerry fighting in tracing Neligan's direct role in the Ballyseedy business. The primary source was the official record of the tribunal of inquiry, in particular the evidence of Capt Jim Clarke of the 27th Infantry Battalion Kerry Command. If the reporting in so public a forum of what Clarke had to say about Neligan was missed by the editor of this newspaper, is it not worth repeating here to keep the record straight?
"When we got to Ballyseedy there was a stone barricade across the road. I got down and looked at it and decided to return and get civilian prisoners to remove it. I came back and reported to Cmdt Neligan. I asked him for some prisoners to remove barricade. He asked me how many would I need. I said nine or ten. He got six from the goal [sic] and three from the workhouse."
From that very pro-Treaty source it's clear that David Neligan - Chief Intelligence Officer, 17th Batt. Kerry Command - was directly responsible for the selection of the nine men sent to die on the Ballyseedy barricade. - Yours, etc.,
Pat Butler, RTE, Dublin 4.