November 17, 2003 Dundalk Bombing and Ludlow Murder Ignored
From The Dundalk Democrat , 8 November 2003, by Anne Campbell

The families of Seamus Ludlow and the two men murdered in the Dundalk bombing have said they are disappointed that the draft Barron report failed to mention the County Louth atrocities.

The Barron Inquiry, which was commissioned by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 1999, investigated the circumstances surrounding the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, as well as the 1975 Dundalk bombing and the murder of Mountpleasant man, Seamus Ludlow.

But the draft report only referred to the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, in which 33 people died. The Taoiseach said he hoped a report into other cases under Justice Barron’s remit would be completed by the New Year.

Margaret Watters, whose father Hugh, was one of two men killed when a car bomb exploded in Crowe Street on December 19 1975, said she was “saddened” by the way the families found out about the case’s exclusion from the report.

“I was very shocked to hear about the exclusion of the Dundalk bombing in Barron’s report to the government”, she said.

“I’m saddened by the fact that neither myself, or Maura McKeever, whose father, Jack Rooney, also died had no prior warning that the case was not going to be mentioned.

“The first I heard about it was on radio and all the sadness and frustration came flooding back to me. After the initial shock had subsided and I thought about it, I wasn’t that surprised that the Dundalk bombing has always been pushed into the background.

“No matter what else, Hugh was my father and I am annoyed that we are being treated like this. It’s over three years since we met Justice Barron and it seems we are no further on.

“No one has contacted us about when a report into the Dundalk bombing may be handed to the government. The anniversary of the bombing is only six weeks away and this adds to the stress and sadness which we always feel at this time of year”.

Seamus Ludlow’s nephew, Jimmy Sharkey, said he too was told nothing of the exclusion of his uncle’s murder in the report.

“I have heard it through the support group, Justice for the Forgotten, who represent the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in the main”, he said.

“I have heard nothing through official channels about it, but to be honest, I’m not surprised as I didn’t hold out much hope that this investigation would get to the truth”.

The matter will be raised in the Dail by Sinn Fein TDs Caomhghin O Caolain and Arthur Morgan.

Mr Morgan said: “We are very concerned about the omissions from the report and we will be trying to get answers from the Taoiseach as to why these cases have been left out.

“The families in particular, as well as a lot of others, have been waiting for a long time for answers and some sort of resolution. They have a right to be concerned about what is happening with these cases”.

The Taoiseach’s office said that a decision would be made over the next few days to publicise the findings of the report.