Member's statement: Omagh Bomb: Parallel Inquiry

Member's statement by Mr Tom Buchanan on 10 February 2025.

MLA

Mr Tom Buchanan

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

10 February 2025

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Omagh Bomb: Parallel Inquiry

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4790248

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Today marks the commencement of the third week of the Omagh bomb inquiry, a human atrocity that tore the heart out of Omagh, claiming 31 lives, including two unborn children, and injuring over 220 people, leaving many families bereft of their loved ones, a grief and pain that they carry with them to this very day. Over the past two weeks, all those following the inquiry will, no doubt, have been greatly touched by the pain and continuing grief of those families, who have provided testimonials of their children, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives who tragically lost their lives in that terrible atrocity carried out by the Real IRA. For many of the families, this is the first time in the past 27 years that they have spoken publicly about the type of person that their loved one was and the great loss that they sustained on that bleak August afternoon. The tears and grief bear testimony to the pain of personal loss that they have carried over the past 27 years and their pursuit of truth and justice. Lives, families and homes were changed forever. Today, this question is still being asked: "For what?". What was the motive for such a vicious act of violent terrorism and cold-blooded murder? Over the years, the families have fought a courageous battle for truth and justice on what was one of the deadliest atrocities of the Troubles. However, the blatant refusal of the Dublin Government to provide a structure for a parallel inquiry south of the border is totally appalling. The victims deserve truth, accountability and justice on both sides of the border. The Dublin Government cannot ignore the fact that the Omagh bomb was planned, prepared and transported to Omagh from the Republic of Ireland, yet it appears that they still want to provide a safe haven for those murderers. While the Taoiseach, Mr Martin, and his sidekick, Simon Harris, seek to justify their decision by stating that the Irish Government will ensure full cooperation with the inquiry, the fact remains that the UK inquiry has no authority to call witnesses from the Republic or compel them to give evidence. That creates a genuine concern amongst the families of victims that key evidence from the Republic may never be examined. Today, in the House, I call upon the Taoiseach and Mr Harris, for the sake of the Omagh families, to have done with their hypocrisy and speaking from both sides of their mouth and to do the honourable thing by bringing forward a structure for a parallel inquiry in the South, rather than continuing to harbour and cover up for the perpetrators of that evil act.

450 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:55 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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