Irish government asks UK for Omagh bomb inquiry terms of reference

The Irish government has asked the UK government for “the earliest possible sight” of the terms of reference for its Omagh bomb inquiry to clarify what its involvement will be.

Tanaiste and foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin and justice minister Helen McEntee met with family members of some of those who lost their lives in the dissident republican blast which hit the Co Tyrone town on August 15 1998.

The bomb killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured hundreds of others.

In 2021, a Belfast High Court judge recommended that the UK government carry out an investigation into alleged security failings in the lead up to the attack, and that a similar investigation should be established by the Irish government.

The UK’s Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris announced in February that there would be an independent inquiry into the fatal explosion, and Lord Turnbull has been appointed as the chair.

Omagh bomb campaigners Stanley McCombe, who lost his wife Ann; Michael Gallagher, who lost his son Aiden; and his daughter Cat Gallagher-Wilkinson met with the senior Irish government figures in Iveagh House in Dublin for over an hour on Wednesday.

Prior to the meeting, Mr Gallagher said there was a “strong cross-border element” to the bombing, and that if an inquiry was not held in the Republic, he said it would be “like reading half a book”.

“Eighty per cent of the evidential opportunities lie within the Republic. I think the Irish government realise that they have a serious part to play in all of this. We’re looking forward to hearing what they have to say this afternoon,” he said.

John Fox, a solicitor for the Omagh families, said after the meeting that it had been “very positive”.

“It was reconfirmed by the Irish government that they are committed to co-operating with any forthcoming inquiry,” he said.

“They are going to take away from the meeting today to look at the mechanisms in which that co-operation can be placed, and once the terms of reference are known, they can then implement that mechanism and co-operate fully with us as the families to make sure that we get to truth and justice.”

Fine Gael senator Emer Currie told the PA news agency that it was a “crucial” meeting for the families, which was about “opening the lines of communication” on what next steps the Irish government intended to take.

Ms Currie, the daughter of founding member of the SDLP Austin Currie, said that it was also about “reassuring the families about how seriously the Irish government was taking this”.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Martin said that when there was clarity on the UK inquiry, cabinet would consider the response Ireland would make.

He said it was important to hear from the families about how the Irish government could assist them.

“We are currently waiting on the publication of the terms of reference for the statutory inquiry into the Omagh bombing, announced earlier this year by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland,” he said.

“Last week, in London, I asked Chris Heaton-Harris for the earliest possible sight of those terms of reference now that a chair of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry has been announced.

“When we have clarity on the nature of the UK inquiry, I will then consider, along with the minister for justice and my cabinet colleagues, the next steps in this jurisdiction.

“The needs of the victims of that unspeakable attack will be at the heart of any action that the government takes.

“As we approach the 25th anniversary of the attack, we will not be found wanting.

“The Omagh bombing was a savage attack, carried out with disregard for the people of this island. It also showed total disregard for the overwhelming support for the Good Friday Agreement which was shown in referendums just months before the bombing.”

Ms McEntee spoke in the Dail on Tuesday night about the Omagh bomb attack, ahead of its 25th anniversary this August.

As has been done in relation to a number of historical inquiries, this state will co-operate fully as may be required

“It was a brutal atrocity and an act of mass murder,” she said.

“The terrorists who carried it out had simply no sense of humanity. It is they who carry responsibility for this cruel act and we must never forget that.

“Earlier this year, the UK announced its intention to establish an inquiry into the preventability of the Omagh bombing.

“We await further detail regarding the terms of reference of the inquiry.

“As has been done in relation to a number of historical inquiries, this state will co-operate fully as may be required.”