Latest Reports Page 1

29 May 2004: See The Dundalk Democrat report, Ludlow inquest before the end of July for the latest on the fresh inquest for Seamus Ludlow.

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22 May 2004: The 30th anniversary of the murderous Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974, in which 34 people, including an unborn child, were killed by loyalist car bombs, was recalled in an Editorial (A Quiet Anniversary) in the local weekly newspaper, The Dundalk Democrat:

The anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings passed this week with very little of the publicity which surrounded the atrocities 30 years ago. There was a wreath laying ceremony at the simple and beautiful memorial on Talbot Street. An taoiseach Bertie Ahern was there with other dignitaries, but the most important in attendance were the survivors and relatives of those who lost their lives in what is still the biggest act of terrorism and loss of life in Ireland during the Troubles.

The three car bombs went off within minutes of each other shortly before 5.30pm on May 17 1974. Men, women and children were killed or dreadfully mutilated in the bombings, which carried no warnings.

Less than an hour later, in Monaghan town, more lives were lost when another bomb exploded. It is hard for younger people to imagine the scene of devastation and the sense of shock which reverberated around Ireland that day. . .

There are those in Dundalk who too know all about unanswered questions. Maura McKeever, who lost her father, Jack Rooney, and Margaret Watters, whose father, Hugh Watters, was also murdered in the Dundalk bombing of 1975 know what it's like not to know.

The Ludlow and Sharkey families are still waiting for answers about Seamus Ludlow, whose murder remains one of the Troubles most murky episodes.

A full public inquiry is the only solution. It has to be asked what the government is afraid of. What are they hiding and what do they know about the shady goings-on that led to these murders and their aftermath?

Huge expense is being lavished on tribunals of inquiry into dodgy planning and political backhanders. Although these are important matters, it looks like the government has got its priorities wrong.

No-one died because of what Liam Lawlor or George Redmond did or didn't do. But in the very same city where those inquiries are taking place, dozens of people lost their lives 30 years ago and no-one really knows how or why.

The families of those who died in Dublin, Monaghan and Dundalk have been promised much over the last three decades, but have got little. When the Dublin and Monaghan inquests are over, it's doubtful whether the families will know any more than they did this week 30 years ago.

Use the link above to read the Editorial in full.

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20 May 2004: Writing about the much delayed fresh inquest into the death of Seamus Ludlow, in today's The Irish News (Coroner plans inquest despite Garda hold-up), Valerie Robinson, the paper's Southern Correspondent, revealed:

An inquest into the death of Seamus Ludlow looks set to take place within the next two months - despite the failure of gardai to release key documents and evidence, a coroner has said.

Louth County Coroner Ronan Maguire last night said he was determined to hold the inquest into the killing in 1976 of the Catholic forestry worker. . . , before the end of July.

He said that "one way or the other" the inquest would take place, despite the fact that gardai have yet to hand over details of ballistics evidence and an internal Garda report compiled by Chief Superintendent Ted Murphy in 1998 into the original murder investigation.

Mr Maguire, who was ordered to hold a new inquest by Attorney General Rory Brady in July 2002, said he also hoped to meet the solicitor of the Ludlow family "quite shortly".

"I'm still waiting for information from gardai. I still haven't received information on ballistics, although I have been told it will be through shortly," he said.

Ludlow family member Jimmy Sharkey commented that the family was concerned that the coroner would be forced to adjourn the inquest pending further information from the gardai, if the force continued to refuse to cooperate fully with Mr Maguire. He accused the Garda and the Irish government of attempting to hide the truth about the killing of his late Uncle Seamus:

"The fact that there have been so many delays would suggest to us that the government has something to hide.

"We've asked repeatedly to see the internal Garda report and we've been ignored," Mr Sharkey said.

Use the link above to read the full Irish News report.

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2 May 2004: This day marks the 28th anniversary of Seamus Ludlow's foul murder: 28 years without justice and truth. It is now more than six years since four loyalist former Red Hand Commando and British Army UDR suspects were arrested by the RUC for questioning about their alleged role in this crime. They have enjoyed a further six years of freedom while the family of Seamus Ludlow continue to seek the truth behind the cover-up which still keeps them free.

The Ludlow family still waits for a second inquest that has been delayed since its formal announcement in July 2002. No formal date has been announced, though it is expected to take place before the end of 2004.

The Ludlow family also looks forward to the release of the private Barron Inquiry Report - again sometime before the end of 2004. It is hoped that the Barron Inquiry may lead to the public inquiry the Ludlow family still demands.

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31 March 2004: The Joint Oireachtas Committee has recommended that a full public inquiry into the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings atrocities should be held in Britain. The Committee had held hearings over the last three months following a four-year private inquiry by retired judge Henry Barron into the bombings. Judge Barron is currently conducting similar inquiries into the Dundalk bombing and the murder of Seamus Ludlow.

The Committee, backing an inquiry in the UK, said that witnesses and those responsible for the attacks which killed 33 people as well as an unborn baby on 17 May 1974, were likely to be outside the Irish jurisdiction. The Committee added that if the British government failed to set up an inquiry, the Irish Government should take an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

The Committee also called for the setting up in Dublin of two separate inquiries relating to the attacks - but, significantly not for a public inquiry in the Irish state. One inquiry should look at the original garda investigation and at why certain leads were never followed up, while another inquiry should investigate how relevant files went missing from the Department of Justice.

Margaret Urwin, spokesperson for Justice for the Forgotten, representing most of the bombings' survivors and bereaved relatives of victims, gave "very tentative welcome" to the Committee's report. She said:

"The Committee called for answers on why key Garda files disappeared, why the original Garda investigation stopped so quickly, why an armed British army officer acting suspiciously that evening in Dublin was allowed to leave on a ferry and known suspects never pursued.

"And they have called for an international judge to be appointed. . . to be able to examine these issues across jurisdictions, just like Judge Cory with inquiries into other cases.

"Their findings now put huge pressure on Bertie Ahern to ensure Tony Blair agrees to these measures being implemented."

She added, that members of Justice for the Forgotten were "extremely disappointed" that the Committee had stopped short of ordering a full public inquiry but welcomed its acknowledgement that further investigations were needed.

See The Irish Daily Star, 1 April 2004: Call for bombings inquiry in U.K. Dail committee reports findings.

Barron Report

Final Report on the Report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings, laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas on 31 March 2004. Full text available at http://www.irlgov.ie/oireachtas/Committees-29th-Dáil/jcjedwr-debates/BarronReportFinal.pdf

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28 February 2004: See The Dundalk Democrat articles: Murder on their mind for a further report on the Ludlow family's meeting with Mr Justice Henry Barron; and Gardai have the Ludlow bullets for comment on the new inquest that is expected to commence shortly. The County Louth Coroner, Ronan Maguire, is quoted as saying that the bullets used in the murder of Seamus Ludlow are in the hands of the Gardai. This information conflicts with previous reports that two of the bullets are missing.

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23 February 2003: Representatives of the Ludlow family had a productive two-hours meeting in Dundalk with Mr Justice Henry Barron to discuss his private inquiry into the murder of Seamus Ludlow.

It was an very interesting meeting in which the Ludlow family members asked many questions and helped clarify a few issues for the Mr Justice Barron.

They called on him to inquire further into the whereabouts of the three bullets that were fired into Seamus Ludlow - it appears that only one can be accounted for and two are missing. It has been suggested that the missing bullets were sent north to the Northern Ireland Forensic Science Laboratory. Mr Justice Barron was also asked to inquire into the present whereabouts of Seamus Ludlow's clothing which may still provide useful DNA evidence.

Mr Justice Barron revealed that his private inquiry report will not be completed and published until later in the year. He still has many queries to get answers for. It had been hoped that his report would be completed early in 2004, but there have been delays in receiving information and more needs to be done. The Ludlow family is content to wait until Mr Justice Barron has done as thorough an investigation as is possible within his remit.

The Ludlow family looks forward to eventually seeing Justice Barron's inquiry report, but that will not be the end of the fight. There are important answers which can only be found through the medium of a public inquiry.

However, it is hoped that Justice Barron's inquiry report will help point the way to a public inquiry.

Justice Barron's narrow remit does not give him the power to compel witnesses to meet him nor answer his questions, nor can he demand the production of documents. He can not question gardai or other important witnesses under oath and the Ludlow family can not check on the honesty or otherwise of what they tell him. Witnesses can simply refuse to meet him or answer his questions - and some have done exactly that! Mr Justice Barron can not simply walk into the Department of Justice or Garda Headquarters and see what is there for himself. Nor can he do anything about the ongoing British indifference to his inquiries.

A public inquiry - perhaps led by Mr Justice Barron himself - would have the power of subpoena over witnesses and documents. Witnesses would be questioned under oath and in public. Their perjury would be seen by all. Liars would be exposed.

At the end of the meeting Mr Justice Barron accompanied Ludlow family members as they visited the memorial to Seamus Ludlow in the lane off the Bog Road where the foul murder was committed in 1976.

See also the following reports of this important meeting with Mr Justice Barron:

RTE Television News, online, 23 February 2004: Barron meets relatives of man killed by UDA

The Irish News, 24 February 2004: Relatives of 1976 murder victim meet Justice Barron

The Irish Daily Star (Northern Edition), 24 February 2004: Loyalist murder report hope

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29 January 2004: See The Irish Daily Star (Northern Edition) report Family and former British army man hit out Barron "Failed to Serve Truth" Former spy slams report for an interview with ex-British officer Fred Holroyd.

See also: The Irish Daily Star (Northern Edition): Family wants truth about murder for a Ludlow family comment on the Barron inquiry.

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10 December 2003: The long awaited publication of the private Barron Inquiry Report into the 17 May 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which caused the deaths of 33 men, women and children - plus an unborn child - and left some 240 people injured, failed to answer all the questions still being asked about this the worst single atrocity of the Troubles.

The Ludlow family, with another Barron Inquiry report into Seamus Ludlow's murder expected early in 2004, shares the Dublin and Monaghan families' disappointment in the failure of this Barron Report to bring final closure to the bereaved and injured. This failure now makes ever more pressing the families' demands for a public judicial inquiry where witnesses can be compelled to attend and give evidence under oath.

The outcome, after four years of investigation by Mr Justice Barron, and by his predecessor the late Mr Justice Liam Hamilton, does not promote confidence in the private inquiry's forthcoming reports on the Dundalk bombing and the murder of Seamus Ludlow. These inquiries will also be hampered by missing files in the Department of Justice in Dublin and by British government indifference to requests for cooperation.

Mr Justice Barron's Report has disappointed many of the surviving victims and their relatives in that he failed to find evidence of high level collusion between the loyalist UVF murder gang and the British authorities in the Six Counties.

Angela O'Neill, who lost her father in the attacks, said the report contained nothing that they did not already know.

"I do believe that the British State needs to be held accountable for the loss of those 33 lives... and the Irish State needs to be held accountable for their negligence in that," she said.

A solicitor representing relatives of some of the victims called for a public inquiry with powers to subpoena witnesses and documents.

"The problem is that this inquiry has been working behind closed doors for some time and simply hasn't delivered," said Des Doherty

"It's the fault of the process more than anything else - there's no other mechanism available."

He added: "How documents can go missing or cannot be found simply beggars belief."

While he did not exclude the possibility that individual RUC, UDR and British army/intelligence personnel may have been involved in a personal capacity in this outrage, Mr Justice Barron stopped short of contending that such collusion went higher. His failure to locate files in the Department of Justice - either lost or deliberately destroyed to prevent further revelations - and Britain's refusal to cooperate made such suspicions impossible to prove one way or another.

Somewhat implausibly, the Barron Report says the loyalists involved in the Dublin bombing were "capable of doing so without help" from any security forces in the North, "though this does not rule out the involvement of individual RUC, UDR or British army members".

Many, particularly in Dublin, believe the bombings were a warning shot from British intelligence for the Irish
government not to interfere in the affairs of the Six Counties. At least three of the bombing team, all now dead, have been identified as paid British informers.

Jane Winter, the director of British Irish Rights Watch (BIRW), London, who has made detailed submissions to the Barron Inquiry, said: "Forensic evidence suggested that the bombs in Dublin were very much more sophisticated than any bombs loyalists had used before or since. All went off within one and a half minutes of each other - a technical achievement never matched before or since. The implication is that they had outside help in making these bombs."

She said if collusion were found, there would be grave consequences for Britain internationally. "Here we are gaily telling the world how to run its own human rights affairs and holding ourselves up as an example of a developed democracy which doesn't do wicked things. But if Britain did collude with loyalists to bomb another country, that is an act of war."

Mr Justice Barron concluded that the then Fine Gael/Labour coalition government led by Mr Liam Cosgrave showed "little interest" in pursuing the perpetrators of the 1974 Dublin/Monaghan bombings.

The coalition government, according to the inquiry, failed to pursue the British after the prime minister, Mr Harold Wilson, told the then Taoiseach Mr Cosgrave in November 1974 they had identified the bombers and interned them.

"Following the meetings, there is no evidence that the information was passed, either to the minister for justice, or any of his officials, or indeed the Garda commissioner." This "absence of apparent interest", said Mr Justice Barron, "strongly suggested that the government made no efforts to assist the investigation into the bombings at a political level".

Mr Justice Barron said: "It can be said that the Government of the day showed little interest in the bombings."

The Barron Inquiry Report is also heavily critical of the Garda investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan bombing attacks, which Mr Justice Henry Barron said "remain the most devastating attack on the civilian population of this State to have taken place since the Troubles began".

The investigation, which was wound down without explanation in early 1975 - some reports say it was mothballed after only 12 weeks - "failed to make full use of the information it obtained", according to the 288-page Barron inquiry report.

Criticising the Garda, Mr Justice Barron said: "The Garda investigation failed to make full use of the information it obtained. Certain lines of inquiry that could have been pursued further in this jurisdiction were not pursued." Detectives failed to interview suspects in Northern Ireland with the RUC's co-operation, and to collect vital forensic evidence from the bombing scenes, the report says.

However, the private inquiry found no evidence to back charges that the Garda investigation into the bombings was wound down because of cabinet interference.

The allegation was sharply rejected by the former Taoiseach, Mr Cosgrave and the former minister for justice Mr Paddy Cooney during their meetings with Mr Justice Barron.

The British army, the report said, foiled "a multiple cross-Border bombing attack in March, 1974 - two months before the attacks on Dublin and Monaghan, after it infiltrated loyalist paramilitaries.

"It does not seem believable that an attack on the scale of the Dublin bombings would be allowed to go ahead simply in order to protect an informant," said Mr Justice Barron.

Mr Justice Barron criticised the lack of co-operation by the British government, which refused to make original documents available to the inquiry.

Following a trawl of 68,000 files, the then Northern Ireland secretary of state Dr John Reid provided a 16-page document - out of the millions of relevant documents it held - to the inquiry in February 2002, nearly 18 months after information was sought. With some justification, the British Government was widely criticised over its “contempt” for the Barron Inquiry

The Ludlow family is aware that the British authorities are also failing to provide the still ongoing Barron Inquiry with documents it requested regarding the May 1976 murder of Seamus Ludlow.

Calling for a full public inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, Greg O'Neill, the solicitor representing the Justice for the Forgotten group, said the British government must choose "whether or not it wants to be eternally suspected of being involved in supporting terrorism".

In another disturbing aspect of state obstruction that will likely impact upon Mr Justice Barron's inquiry into the Seamus Ludlow murder and the Dundalk bombing of December 1975, a file of photographs of suspects collected by the Garda, which were shown to potential witnesses in the weeks after the bombings, "have been missing since 1993 at least".

It has been revealed that many relevant files held by the Department of Justice are missing - leading to a suspicion that they may have been shredded, thus hampering the Barron Inquiry effort at reaching the truth behind collusion in these cases.

Speaking in Leinster House (Irish parliament), the Tanaiste Mary Harney thanked Mr Justice Barron on behalf of the Irish Government for his work on the report, and said she had no doubt its findings would be debated in the House in the New Year.

The Oireachtas committee met in private this afternoon to consider the report and it is expected to discuss its contents with its author, Justice Henry Barron.

A report into the bombings and allegations that British security services colluded with the loyalist paramilitary UVF was ordered more than three years ago by the Irish Government. No one has ever been charged in connection with the offences.

Representatives of Justice for the Forgotten, which represents about 150 survivors of the attacks and victims', met the Taoiseach in private at Government Buildings today. The group is expected to call for a full public inquiry.

The Barron report was welcomed by Justice for the Forgotten. Mr Greg O'Neill, solicitor for Justice for the Forgotten, said it was "an immensely important stage in the struggle of families for truth and justice".

However, three families, denouncing the Barron Report as a shambles, walked out of an earlier press conference held by the Joint Oireachtas Committee to announce the findings. Others dismissed the Report as a "re-hash of what is already in the public domain" and renewed calls for a public inquiry.

Bernadette McNally, the chairperson of Justice for the Forgotten, said the onus was now on the Irish government to seek the full truth of the bombings.

“It’s the responsibility of the Irish government to open every door, to force it open whatever way they can, take the responsibility for this off (Barron) and do the work they should have done 30 years ago.”

“The combination of incompetence and downright carelessness on the part of those charged with protecting the citizens of Ireland is absolutely damnable,” said Mr O’Neill.

“The time for private inquiries is over. It is no longer our burden. Damnable facts have been established, and it is now your responsibility.

“This campaign is calling on the Irish government ... to take up the responsibilities and to discharge them to the families, to the dead, to the survivors and to the people of Ireland.

“There are people who are available in this state who need to be put in the witness box and cross-examined. The time for private inquiries into these matters is over.”

The Barron Report can be downloaded in pdf format from http://www.irlgov.ie/oireachtas/Committees-29th-Dáil/jcjedwr-debates/InterimDubMon.pdf

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8 November 2003: The Dundalk Democrat published three articles in which Jimmy Sharkey, a member of the Ludlow family, reacted to the recent handing of the completed private Barron Inquiry report on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, as well as the proposed fresh inquest into the death of his uncle Seamus Ludlow, which is now expected to take place in January 2004.

Please use the following links to read the three articles: Dundalk bombing and Ludlow murder ignored;

Family feel inquiry will make little difference;

Inquest could be next January

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2 November 3003: In a Sunday Independent article, Net is closing in on Dublin car bombers, Joe Tiernan writes about the completion of the private Barron Inquiry report on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of May 1974.

Referring to the many unsolved loyalist crimes south of the border, he comments:

"48 people were killed south of the border, yet not a single individual has been convicted of any of these murders".

Ludlow family member Jimmy Sharkey was one of the interviewees featured in this article.

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29 October 2003: At last, after considerable delay, the much awaited private Barron Inquiry report on the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, now completed, has been handed over to the Irish Government.

The private Barron inquiry, previously the Hamilton Inquiry, was established to investigate allegations that the British security services colluded with the loyalist paramilitaries who detonated three murderous car bombs in Dublin and one in Monaghan on May 17, 1974.

A total of 33 men, women and children died in the four car bomb blasts in Dublin and in Monaghan Town, the largest loss of life on any one day of the Troubles

Relatives of the people who died today urged the Irish government to publish without delay the findings of the Barron Inquiry.

Mr Justice Henry Barron is also conducting separate private inquiries into the earlier Dublin bombings of 1972 and 1973 (three deaths), the bombing of Dundalk in December 1975 (two deaths) and the sectarian murder of Seamus Ludlow in May 1976. Collusion has been alleged in all of these cases too, and no prosecutions have ever resulted. These further inquiries have yet to be completed, but it is hoped that they will be concluded as quickly as possible.

The victims' families have called on Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to release the long-awaited Barron report on the 1974 Dublin/Monaghan bombings over the next two weeks.

Margaret Urwin, spokeswoman for victims' group Justice for the Forgotten, said:

"We want it to be published without delay. We have been given no firm date at all for its publication.

"Hopefully the details will be released within a couple of weeks. We have been expecting the report for so long and are relieved that it is coming to the Government at last.

"Once the government has it, it's a big step forward.

"Now we are calling on the government to publish the findings as quickly as possible. We don't want it to be held unduly by the government."

The Barron Inquiry was due to present its report a year ago, but its investigation into the atrocity was delayed due to a lack of co-operation from the British authorities.

Despite the fact that the report has now been completed, it is not expected to be made public for several weeks.

The Irish Government is expected to examine the report in detail before deciding if its findings warrant the establishment of a public inquiry

Meanwhile, relatives of those killed and injured in the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings have made clear that they want an independent inquiry.

But they have insisted that they are seeking the truth about the attacks rather than revenge against those involved

Fresh inquests recently reopened into the deaths of the 26 people who died when three car bombs exploded in central Dublin and the seven who died when another bomb exploded in the border town of Monaghan.

Both inquests were adjourned until all evidence has been gathered

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12 October 2003: In an Ireland on Sunday article headlined Top names linked to Dublin-Monaghan atrocity Bombs report names gardai 'collaborators', Frank Connolly, the newspaper's Senior Reporter, claimed that the private Barron Inquiry report into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974 will be released the next week.

The report says nothing about the release of Mr Justice Barron's inquiry reports into the murderous Dundalk bombing of December 1975, in which two men, Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters, lost their lives, and the sectarian killing of Seamus Ludlow in May 1976. There are indications that the Barron Inquiry report into the murder of Seamus Ludlow will not be completed until sometime in 2004.

Ireland on Sunday reports:

Senior Irish politicians and gardai will be implicated in covering up British security-force collusion over the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings in a damning report to be handed to the Government this week.

The long-awaited, and sensational Barron report, documenting British military involvement in the bombings which killed 33 people, is likely to cause a political storm when it is finally published.

'The content of the report raises deep issues concerning people who are still alive including gardai, politicians, and senior members of the British security forces,' an informed legal source told Ireland on Sunday.

The report, prepared by Mr Justice Henry Barron, is also expected to highlight a series of failures in the Garda investigation into those responsible for the attacks on May 17, 1974 - the worst single death toll in the Troubles - which included an unborn child. . .

Use the headline link above to read the complete Ireland on Sunday article.

See also: The Sunday Independent, 2 November 3003: Net is closing in on Dublin car bombers

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7 October 2003: According to a report in today's Irish News headlined Coroner still awaiting copy of murder report, the County Louth coroner Ronan Maguire, who is due to hold a new inquest into the 1976 death of Seamus Ludlow,

has still not received a copy of an internal Garda report into the murder investigation.

Co Louth coroner Ronan Maguire yesterday (Monday) confirmed that he had requested a copy of the 1998 report compiled by Chief Superintendent Ted Murphy.

This report indicates the reluctance of the Garda to cooperate fully with the Louth Coroner's investigation, a resistance to truth that mirrors the behaviour of the RUC/PSNI and the British military in the Six Counties who have also been resisting demands by coroners for full disclosure of relevant documents in a number of cases of state killing.

For the full report, use this link.

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4 September 2003 - The Ludlow family has been saddened to hear of the unexpected and sudden death of a close friend and relative.

The family has been informed of the tragic death of Brendan Larkin (47) who passed away at his home in Dundalk, around 4.00am, 4th September. Brendan was a son of the late Barney Larkin, Dundalk, who was a step brother of the late Seamus Ludlow. Brendan leaves behind a wife Ann, children and grandchildren, brothers and sisters.

Brendan was an active and prominent member of the Ludlow family campaign for truth and justice for Seamus Ludlow. We valued his contributions to our struggle. He had represented the Larkin family circle at all of our family meetings with the authorities on both sides of the Irish border and his tragic loss will be felt by all of us who had the honour of sharing this life and this struggle with him. We will miss him deeply.

May He Rest in Peace.

See The Argus Brendan held strong Republican ideals

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16 August 2003: In the first press report for quite some time, the local Dundalk Democrat newspaper, in a brief report headed Date for Ludlow inquest, suggested that a fresh inquest into the death of murder victim Seamus Ludlow, which had been announced more than a year ago, would begin in October 2003.

County Coroner, Ronan Maguire, is continuing to go through the files on the murder but with the Baron Report due for publication in September, it is thought that the inquest may not proceed until the following month

27 June 2003: Three members of the Ludlow family, accompanied by Maura McKeever, whose late father was one of the victims of the Dundalk Bombing, 19 December 1975, travelled to Dublin where they attended the public meeting regarding collusion that had been organized by Justice for the Forgotten.

18 June 2003: In a kind message to the Ludlow family, Margaret Urwin, of Justice for the Forgotten, Dublin, thanked the Ludlow family for their support, and announced:

The above was in reply to the Ludlow family's recent message of congratulations to Justice for the Forgotten following an announcement by the Dublin City Coroner of a fresh inquest into the deaths of the 26 victims of the three Dublin bombings of 17 May 1974, and also the death of one of the Monaghan victims who died of injuries in a Dublin hospital.

Good Day,

Justice for the Forgotten represents a large number of the bereaved and survivors of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974 as well as the Dublin bombings of 1 December 1972 and 20 January 1973.

We have recently put our new website on line and would be grateful if you could add the site to the list of links on your page: http://www.seamusludlow.com/links.htm

Our web site address: http://www.dublinmonaghanbombings.org/

We would be happy to maintain a link to the the Seamus Ludlow Campaign on our website as well.

Best regards,

Patrick O'Connor (on behalf of Margaret Urwin)

Justice for the Forgotten Limited
64-66 Lower Gardiner Street
Dublin 1

Tel No: 00353-1-8554300
Fax No: 00353-1-8193258
e-mail: 1974bombings@esatlink.com

8 March 2003 - Mr Bernard Moffatt of the Celtic League made the following comments in a press release about the recent reports that the Ludlow family would have access to the gardai's original murder investigation files:

The Ludlow family are reported as having greeted the news that the files will be released with "caution". Indeed they should be cautious because it has become quite clear from the machinations down through the years to obstruct explanation and the bringing to justice the killers of Seamus Ludlow that a cover-up at the highest level has been undertaken.

Quite clearly their caution is warranted because in the present climate of peace and reconciliation there are vested interests within both the Irish and British administrations which do not wish to have too much scrutiny focused on the activities of the loyalist 'commandos', armed and supported by British Intelligence, which waged a dirty war of killings and bombings in the south of Ireland in the 1970s.

The relatives of Seamus Ludlow are for the first time to be given access to the garda file on his murder 27 years after he was gunned down by loyalists. . .

The Dublin Government announce that a new £2m fund for relatives of victims of the Troubles has been set up .

The fund is one of the Irish Government's obligations under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Among those expected to benefit are relatives of the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings and the Dundalk bombing 19 December 1975 and the other victims of Loyalist murder gangs in the 26 Counties.

Meanwhile, there has been another call for a public inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan Loyalist car bombings in 1974, and another murderous explosion in Dundalk in December 1975.

The Justice For The Forgotten group, representing most of the survivors and the family's of the murdered victims of Dublin/Monaghan, says it is furious with the British Government over it's failure to co-operate in a meaningful way with the Barron Inquiry.

The Barron Commission is investigating the Dublin and Monaghan car bombs in 1974 and a December 1975 explosion in Dundalk. Mr Justice Barron is also investigating the murder of Seamus Ludlow.

4 January 2003 - This photograph from the recent launch of Joe Tiernan's new book appeared in the Dundalk Democrat.

Joe Tiernan signs his book, "The Dublin and Monaghan Bombings and the Murder Triangle", for Maura McKeever, daughter of Jack Rooney, who was killed in the Dundalk bomb in Crowe Street, and Jimmy Sharkey, nephew of murdered Mountpleasant man, Seamus Ludlow.

21 December 2002 : The Dundalk Democrat reports the publication of investigative journalist Joe Tiernan's controversial new book The Dublin-Monaghan Bombings and the Murder Triangle.

The book, which has been 16 years in the writing, examines the circumstances surrounding the Dundalk, Dublin, Monaghan and Castleblaney bombings as well as the murder of Seamus Ludlow and the Reavey brothers, and many other loyalist atrocities on both sides of the border during the 1970s.

The author identifies many of those who took part in these murderous acts, for which no one has ever been brought to justice.

14 November 2002 - Members of the Ludlow family, accompanied by the family lawyer, travelled to Dublin for a further meeting with Mr Justice Henry Barron, the Irish Judge appointed by the Dublin government to conduct a private inquiry into the murder of Seamus Ludlow and the serious allegations being made by the Ludlow family. The Ludlow family had requested the meeting so that they could hear of the inquiry's progress and to enable the family to assist the respected judge by answering any questions that may arise.

In the course of a very useful meeting the Ludlow family learned that Mr Justice Barron has received practically no cooperation from the British authorities in the North of Ireland. It had been hoped that relevant RUC and British Army security files would be made available, but, disgracefully, this is not the case.

21 September 2002 - In an article in The Dundalk Democrat, under the headline: Barron investigations lead to public inquiry into Dundalk bombing it is reported that the current Barron Inquiry into the Dundalk and Dublin/Monaghan bombings is expected to recommend a full public inquiry into it and other atrocities. The report notes:

Use the link above to find the Democrat's full report in our press coverage section.

Use this link to read the article that appeared in the September 2002 edition of Magill Magazine that was the basis for the Democrat's report.

21 September 2002 - In a statement Mr Bernard Moffatt, Secretary General, Celtic League, comments on a disappointing reply he received from the Taoiseach's office regarding his recent letter regarding the Seamus Ludlow case.

In Mr Moffatt's view of the failure of the Irish government to move to a public inquiry into the murder of Seamus Ludlow it is "almost as if casting a light on the darker side of these British Special Operations in Ireland was now an embarrassment to be set aside".

Mr Moffatt concludes: "The reply is extremely disappointing. Experience tells us that selective examination of matters of this nature, however eminent the Justice involved, lack the 'cauterising' ability of a full public enquiry to unearth the truth."

Use the following link to read the full text of Mr Moffatt's statement in another Ludlow family web site.

23 August 2002 - The Argus (Dundalk) featured an article headlined Coroner wants the law changed to compel witnesses to attend inquests in which it is noted that the Coroners Act (1962) does not command the compulsory attendance of witnesses at inquests in Ireland. It remains to be seen whether this has implications for the proposed fresh inquest into the death of Seamus Ludlow.

Use the link above to read the Argus report in our press coverage section in another Ludlow family website.

28 July 2002 - Mr Bernard Moffatt, Secretary General of the Celtic League organization, a valued supporter of the Ludlow family's demands for truth and justice, reports on the Celtic League's Annual General Meeting, which was held over the weekend. The AGM discussed recent developments in the Ludlow campaign and a statement was issued.

20 July 2002 - Local LMFM Radio again reported on the recently announced fresh inquest for the murdered Seamus Ludlow:

20 July 2002 - Ludlow family member Jimmy Sharkey comments on the proposed fresh inquest in this week's edition of the Dundalk Democrat:

Although it is not known yet when the inquest will open, Jimmy said his family did not mind a few months wait, after twenty-six years, to ensure that it will be fully prepared.

"Two of the three bullets used in Seamus' murder were sent to Northern Ireland for forensic examination and up until last March hadn't been traced. One bullet may still be in the South, though its not certain. These bullets are going to have to be traced.

"Also, the authorities never returned Seamus' clothes and so they should still be in storage somewhere".

In the meantime, the family are continuing to be involved with the Inquiry being carried out by Justice Henry Barron. But they insist that both the inquest and inquiry will be dealt with as two different issues.

As Jimmy explained: "it's twenty-six years since Seamus was murdered. Anything that comes along now can only help us. We see the inquest as yet another step, but we don't want a half-hearted effort. we want a fully-prepared inquest with all the information presented, including forensics and ballistics".

18 July 2002 - In an early morning radio interview on local LMFM, in which he spoke about the expected fresh inquest into the death of his uncle Seamus Ludlow, Jimmy Sharkey also spoke of the Ludlow family's demand for a public inquiry.

The Ludlow family feel that a new inquest could help rectify many faults that were apparent in the original, as well as take advantage of the new information that has come to light in recent times. See above: 3 July 2002 for further details.