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THE TAOISEACH HAS said the British government “should and must” hold a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane.
Micheál Martin has told the Dáil the Finucane family have the “full weight” of the government behind their endeavour to seek justice for Mr Finucane’s killing.
It comes after Mr Finucane’s widow Geraldine and son John met the Taoiseach at Government Buildings in Dublin on yesterday It was the first time the Fianna Fail leader met the family since he became Taoiseach.
North Belfast MP John Finucane said Martin had “committed” to engaging with Prime Minister Boris Johnson in advance of the court deadline of 30 November for the British Government to respond to a Supreme Court ruling made last year.
Pat Finucane, 39, was shot by loyalist paramilitaries in front of his family in 1989 amid claims of collusion with state security forces.
Speaking in the Dáil today, the Taoiseach said the need for a public inquiry was agreed as far back as 2001 and that the UK should stick to that agreement.
“I will be engaging with the British Prime Minister on this issue, and making it very clear the consistent view of successive of Irish governments that are should and must be called public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane,” Martin said.
Yesterday I did sit down with Pat’s wife Geraldine and her son John and I made it very clear to them that they would have full weight of the Taoiseach’s office behind their endeavour. I think for more than 30 years Geraldine Finucane and her family have campaigned tirelessly to get to the truth of what happened in to Pat It’s been a very, very long journey. They have conducted it with great dignity and determination.
In February last year, the UK Supreme Court ruled that investigations into the fatal shooting of the solicitor have not been effective and fell short of international human rights standards.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has indicated that a decision over how the government will proceed will be announced.
Martin was responding to Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald TD, who said the family should not have to suffer any longer and that only a public inquiry could assist them in getting to the truth.
“The Finucane family have spoken truth to power for 30 years. They haven’t been and they will not be silenced. Their questions deserve answers and their questions will not go away,” she said.
“The British Government has an obligation to ensure that the truth is told.”
McDonald told the Dáil she had written to Johnson urging him to “fulfil Britain’s international human rights obligations and hold a public inquiry”.
Speaking after meeting the Taoiseach yesterday, John Finucane MP said the Taoiseach was “completely unambiguous” in his support for their cause.
Finucane said the family were very grateful for his support.
“There’s no doubt in our minds that he understands not just the issues in our case, but the significance that it represents, the importance of having an inquiry, of finally dealing with this campaign, which has been going on too long – we’ve been fighting for an inquiry for 31 years,” he said.
Pat Finucane’s widow Geraldine said: “It means a great deal that the Irish government are continuing to strongly back our call for an inquiry.
He has obviously supported us for a long time, long before he became Taoiseach and I thank him from the bottom of my heart for all he’s about to do. I just hope it pays dividends.
On Sunday, it emerged that four of Northern Ireland’s political parties united to call for a public inquiry into the murder of the solicitor.
The letter, signed by senior members of Sinn Fein, the SDLP, Alliance and Green Party, emphasises that establishing the full facts around the killing is a matter of “the utmost public interest” and that “only a public inquiry can now assist the Finucane family to get the truth about the scope and extent of state collusion into Pat’s killing”.
- With reporting by Rónán Duffy
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Eileen I have to agree with Lauren for the simple reason…..that she’s smoking hot.
Naw, fake tan and stretched plastic looking.
Well done once again to the bomb squad , amazing work !
One wonders though how long the Ministers of Justice and Defense are going to allow this increasingly dangerous situation to continue?
What would you propose they do? Set up search check points at every cross roads in the country?
What do you suggest Lauren ?
The Gardai and Army HAVE access to more information than you or I . The thing is there is only so much that so few manpower can do. There should be more Gardai .The Gardai and Army bomb disposal teams do great work and I am not criticising them , but the politicians who have reduced their numbers should be held accountable . It is worth noting that any number of Gardai can be summoned to Mayo , yet there are viable exploding devices being found , but who is panting them ??? . The Banks have access to Gardai and Army to protect their money in transit …..
As it happens Eileen the banks have to pay for the gardai and army when they need cash escorts
What would you propose we pay all this extra man power with? gratitude?
So the banks pay for private security from State police . Says it all there. By the way I have the utmost of respect for te majority of Gardai. They like the prison service have a thankless job. Maybe it is about time for the banks to pay for their own private security and this in turn would free up gardai and army personnel to carry out duties for the state and the citizens. Shell should also employ more security if they feel so much at risk. You seem to be very defensive. I have good time for the work of the gardai .
Gratitutde does not put food on the table so are you telling us here that shell and the banks pay Garda salaries ? Are you seriously implying that only for Shell and the banks Gardai would not be paid ? Lauren , maybe you should retract your comments , because what you are saying is actually accusing the government of offering preferential treatment and service for money …… I do not think the Gardai will like that .
How are finding life on the outside Larry? I thought you were in hiding.
Free travel. I can pop up anywhere.
Lucky for Lauren she’s not your type so.
Let’s not trivialise the greatest risk to the Irish State since the so ceasefire in Northern Ireland. Increased terrorist activity across the Border including shots being fired at PSNI last month and this sad total of 123 call outs with more than fifty viable devices in the Republic this year alone. This is alarming
and even more so when the National Press is ignoring the matter. Perhaps we should read something into the obvious lack of coverage and also lack of comment from the Department of Justice or Defence.
Mick Collins,
There are more Garda Stations to be closed next year and there is a green paper on Defence due for budget time there is another 12.5 billion euro to be taken out of this economy by the end of 2015, our troika masters have spoken and so it shall be.
Jesus, they call out BDU so often they have to replace the tires on the robot every year.
I believe it is ex-IRA members who are selling there wares and expertise on to criminal gangs now that the WAR! Is over….a leopard never changes it’s spots!!
They (guards) know who planted it,they know who it was intended for (local traveller fued). There’s a (want to be) traveller crime family intimidating the local wealthier families for land and cash and the guards can’t do anything about it. This is the third device that they’ve been called out too in rathkeale. The first one exploded when it was thrown into a house and the second failed to detonate.
Makes me wonder what kind of person is doing this. Is there an agenda? Making bombs for the craic because they can? Like hackers and their bragging rights. Just looking for attention. Hard to know. All these bombs being found yet none have gone off. Very strange.
Yes they have gone off…with one removing the hand of a young boy in Wicklow! A Nation Once Again,,me arse!
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