Brendan Smith presses for justice on Troubles' legacy
Brendan Smith spoke to the Taoiseach about unresolved legacy issues from the Troubles, urging detailed action to achieve progress and justice for bereaved families. He called for a comprehensive approach, warned the issue must not be sidelined, and highlighted local victims including Belturbet and the Dublin Monaghan bombings.
Key intervention in the chamber
He began by noting his party leader, Deputy Martin, had already addressed the topics and said he had just come from a Foreign Affairs Committee meeting. At that meeting he heard a presentation from Glen Cree, which he described as providing a safe space for people from different traditions to negotiate and have dialogue.
Reference to Glen Cree and dialogue
He emphasised Glen Cree's role in creating a space for discussion and moving away from the era of the troubles. He framed that dialogue as important to progressing how legacy issues are handled and to fostering forward-looking engagement between traditions.
Personal constituency impact
He recounted the impact on his own constituency, citing loss of life in a bombing in Belturbet and the Dublin Monaghan bombings that also affected his area. He highlighted bereaved families and survivors who continue to seek answers and justice decades on.
Demand for comprehensive legacy measures
He urged that legacy issues be given detailed consideration and not be sidelined, arguing they are an essential ingredient of an encompassing peace process. He noted many victims and their relatives want to see justice and some measure of truth before they die, and that truth, while it may not provide full closure, is important in removing pain and anxiety.
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Thank you very much. My party leader, Deputy Martin, has covered very extensively and comprehensively the issues that we want to see addressed in the current round of talks. Taoiseach, I have just come from a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee where we had a presentation from Glen Cree and as we all know, Glen Cree has provided a safe space for people from different traditions to negotiate, to have dialogue and to talk about moving forward and getting away from the era of the troubles. Taoiseach, I believe that it's very important that the legacy issues are given very detailed consideration and hopefully progress achieved in dealing with them. We all know, I represent a constituency that unfortunately suffered death and destruction as a result of the troubles north of the border. Predominantly, we had the loss of life in a bombing in Belturbet, the Dublin Monaghan bombings impacted my own constituency as well. And the families who have been bereaved, the families who have suffered, who lost loved ones, some of the victims who have survived, they'll say to me, Brendan, we are all getting older. My brother, my sister, we lost a sibling, we lost a parent, we lost a son or a daughter and we're no nearer getting justice. And many people will say to me, we want to see some justice before I go to my own eternal reward. We have to achieve progress in dealing with the legacy issue Taoiseach and I believe that it's a very important ingredient in ensuring that we have a peace process that's encompassing, that deals with those issues of the past and removes that pain and anxiety to some extent. And I know for people who have lost lives, there will never be closure by just getting the truth. But it's an important issue to have dealt with and it needs to be dealt with comprehensively and not sidelined. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
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