Sir, - We write to answer Timothy Ryan's queries (June 24th). While the Taoiseach, Government Ministers and TDs attended the funerals of some of the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, that was the sole gesture forthcoming from them. Very few TDs have attended the annual commemorative Masses down through the years or the special 25th anniversary ceremonies held this year. When we wrote to members of the Oireachtas seeking their support for a tribunal of inquiry into the bombings, 60 per cent of TDs and 45 per cent of Senators didn't bother to reply.
There was no national day of mourning to honour the victims as there had been, rightfully, after the Bloody Sunday atrocity; a decision was even taken, though quickly reversed, not to fly the national flag at half-mast (in the event, the flag was flown at half-mast in Dublin and Monaghan town on Wednesday, May 22nd); there was no offer by the Government to pay for the funeral expenses - undertakers offered to bear these expenses in some cases. Also, there was no Government initiative to set up a fund for the dependants of those murdered. Consequently, not one penny was contributed, from any source (apart from minimal compensation), to those dependants.
The attitude of official Ireland, then and since, to the victims of the greatest mass murder case in the history of this island since the second World War prompted the title of our campaign, Justice for the Forgotten. We, the families of the deceased and the wounded, are still seeking the simple truth about who murdered our loved ones and why.
Our campaign is gathering momentum and funding is now urgently needed, not as a fund for dependants, but to help us in our efforts to obtain the truth.
If any of your readers feel they can help by running a fund-raiser or making a donation, no matter how small, it would be greatly appreciated by the families.
Remittances can be sent to the Treasurer, Justice for the Forgotten, at PO Box 6790, Dublin 15, or through AIB Bank, Sutton, Dublin 13; sort code: 93-23-61; account no: 15098004. - Yours, etc., Michelle O' Brien And Tim Grace,
Joint Chairpersons, Justice for the Forgotten, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15.