International Co-operation (Omagh Bombing Inquiry) Bill 2026: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-19
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Niall Collins (FF), Limerick County

In reply to Senator Clonan, who has been somewhat careful in his language, it has been implied here that the Irish authorities knew a lot more about the bomb in advance of its detonation on 15 August, and that members of An Garda Síochána may have had knowledge of the bomb until its passage. The position is that would be an unsubstantiated allegation. If it is true, the allegation is of the utmost seriousness and the Senator should refer any information he has to An Garda Síochána for full investigation, or to the Omagh bombing Inquiry established by the UK Government to investigate whether the bombing could have been prevented.
It is certainly true that An Garda Síochána continued relentlessly to invest substantial resources in preventing and detecting dissident activity in this jurisdiction following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, working in close co-operation with the RUC and, subsequently, the PSNI. It is an unfortunate reality that this continues today, and that the recent attacks on police stations in Lurgan and Dunmurry remind us that the threat from paramilitary groups persists, and that they are willing to act with total disregard for the harm they may inflict on communities. That is as much as I have to add.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:57+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-19