International Co-operation (Omagh Bombing Inquiry) Bill 2026: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-13
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Niall Blaney (FF), Agricultural Panel

The Minister is very welcome. I thank him for bringing the Bill to the House today. He has very much listened to our concerns. As Northern Ireland spokesperson for the Fianna Fáil Party, I am aware that people closely involved with the inquiry and the bombing in Omagh hold real concerns about the openness of the Irish Government to date in disclosing information and receiving evidence. This is the smartest approach because anybody would be nervous going across the Border to Omagh to give evidence. The Bill even addresses for the first time some of the concerns raised by Senator Clonan. He raised other issues today that need further consideration.
The Bill, which honours the Government's commitment, is very welcome. As the Minister outlined:
The formal decision taken by the Government on 9 July 2024 to assist the inquiry, and to authorise officials to engage with the inquiry to explore mechanisms for working together, was taken in recognition of the importance of the inquiry for families and survivors and their quest for truth and justice. The programme for Government also clearly reiterates our commitment, stating that we will play our full part in legacy processes, including facilitating and supporting the Omagh inquiry.
Those words are very important. I am pleased that a memorandum of understanding was agreed last April. The Minister set out the interesting fact that 29,000 pages have already been disclosed. That is quite a volume of work. That is very welcome.
The Real IRA needs an awful lot more investigation. I also believe the relationship between Sinn Féin and some of the actors in the Real IRA who are being investigated also needs to be looked at. Its relationship with some of those actors needs consideration in relation to this inquiry. Another part of all of this is the relationship between Sinn Féin and the IRA over many decades, probably since the 1970s. Moreover, should we look-----

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-13/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:56+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-13