TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has been presented with a bound copy of the Saville report by the families and representatives of the Bloody Sunday victims in appreciation of the support they received from successive Irish governments.
At a meeting in Government Buildings in Dublin last night, he congratulated the families “on the success of their long and difficult campaign” to clear the names of those who were killed and wounded on the day.
In a statement issued afterwards, Mr Cowen said: “Yesterday’s scenes at the Guildhall and the dignity shown by the families on that momentous day will long remain in our memories.
“I believe that the findings of the report, the reaction of the people of Derry, and the brave and honest words of prime minister Cameron in Westminster, can significantly advance the cause of healing and reconciliation.
“We owe it to all of the victims of the Troubles and to our children to continue the great collective endeavour to build a better future for all of the people throughout this island,” Mr Cowen said.
On the way into the meeting, Kate Nash said: “We’re going to say thank you for all the support we’ve had from his Government and from its predecessors and how much we appreciate all their help, sometimes ‘frontline’ and sometimes ‘sidelines’, but they were there.”
The last few days had been “very emotional” but she added: “We are delighted, we are very happy people today.” She was accompanied by her sister Linda: their 19-year-old brother William Nash was shot dead on Bloody Sunday.
On the issue of possible prosecutions of soldiers involved in the shootings, Ms Nash said: “Although we’re delighted with the outcome, [the report’s view on] prosecutions wasn’t terribly clear, although they said everybody was innocent and we would perhaps like his [Mr Cowen’s] help to push that forward.” She believed the group in general wanted to see prosecutions of those who carried out the shootings: “They committed a crime.” Anyone who gave false testimony should be prosecuted for that too.
Asked if a campaign would be mounted to secure prosecutions, she said: “We’re just so excited by getting this far that we haven’t actually discussed that effort yet.”
Leo Young, whose 17-year-old brother John was shot dead on Bloody Sunday and has been found innocent of any wrongdoing by the report, praised Mr Cowen’s “very helpful” work to clear the names of the victims.
Michael McKinney, whose 27-year-old brother William was also among the dead, said he would be thanking the Taoiseach on behalf of the Bloody Sunday families and the wounded, “for all the work that the Irish Government have done”.
Praising the work of Irish officials on the issue, he said: “It was really something else.” Asked if this chapter of their lives had now closed, or whether they would continue campaigning until prosecutions took place, Mr McKinney said: “I think a big part of it all is near-enough closed, we’re not just there yet.”
For him it was down to a question of responsibility: “Somebody has to be held to account for what happened on Bloody Sunday. In 1972, it suited the British government at that time, along with their employees the British Paras, to say that their troops engaged in a gun-battle with the IRA.
“They started to lie. We were left chasing a lie for 38 years. Okay, David Cameron yesterday apologised for what their government did and he also apologised for what the country did, that’s very important to us.
“But we do have [the question of] accountability: there’s no argument on it, if somebody is responsible for taking a life, somebody has to go through the courts,” Mr McKinney said.