Lord Empey: IRA victims could hold Dublin government liable for formation and training of Provos

Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Empey said claims that Dublin accelerated the growth of the IRA could open the door for claims by victims.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Oct 2020, 15:15 BST
Lord EmpeyLord Empey
Lord Empey

Lord Empey, who highlighted how the Libyan state was held liable for supplying the IRA with weapons, said the Irish government could now face a similar fate.

“As more is emerging about the role of the Irish State in the formation, training and financing of the Provisional IRA in the late 1960s and early 1970s, there is a case emerging now where victims of the Provisional IRA may hold the current Republic of Ireland liable for the actions of a previous Irish government. “Claims from a former Irish Cabinet Minister that Dublin had ‘accelerated’ the growth of the IRA is compelling evidence that there was Irish State involvement.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Whatever the subsequent legal implications of all of this are, there is now no possible excuse for Dublin delaying a full inquiry into State involvement in the creation and facilitation of the Provisional IRA in its early years.

“I am contacting Simon Hoare MP, chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee in Parliament, to draw these matters to his attention.”