THE TAOISEACH HAS apologised on behalf of the state to the family of prison officer Brian Stack for failures in the investigation of his death.
Stack, a chief prison officer in Portlaoise, was shot in the neck by the IRA in March 1983 and died 18 months later.
In 2013 the Provisional IRA took responsibility for the killing, but no one was ever brought to justice despite three separate investigations into the incident.
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“Unforgivably, we still don’t have the full truth of, or any justice for what happened that day,” Micheál Martin said in the Dáil chamber.
Stack’s wife Shiela and sons Austin, Keiran and Oliver, were present in the gallery as the apology was made and, one by one, politicians gave speeches expressing their sympathy and sorrow.
In 2007, at a request from the Stack family, a review of the case was opened. It led to a finding of “serious failings and shortcomings” in the earlier garda investigation, Martin said.
Gardaí failed to keep a map made of the crime scene, a motorbike helmet found near the scene, and important materials, including various fingerprints, samples, and debris gathered during the investigation.
They also failed to document some potentially important aspects of the original investigation, such as whether an identification line-up process was conducted and whether prisoners at Portlaoise Prison were interviewed during the original investigation.
This is “plainly and utterly unacceptable”, said Martin.
“Brian Stack served the state with great distinction and honour, at a time when the endpoint of the troubles still appeared to be remote,” the Taoiseach said.
“Outside of work, Brian was at heart of his community, and a keen sportsman, referee, and organiser at Portlaoise GAA and Portlaoise Boxing Club.
“Brian’s commitment to public service was carried on by his son Austin, who also served the state as an assistant governor in the Irish prison service.”
Martin also paid tribute to his family’s dedication to finding answers and achieving justice.
Criticism of Republican actions
Criticism was also levelled at Sinn Féin by Labour leader Ivana Bacik.
Bacik said: “As we all know, there are people – there must be people – who know who Brian Stack’s killer or killers were or are.
“Indeed, it’s been alleged that former members of this House either knew who the killer was, or indeed possessed information that would have been material to an investigation into the killing.
“In this context, as we know, on 7 December 2016, former TD and leader of Sinn Féin Gerry Adams made a Dáil statement – a personal explanation by a member – on the murder of Brian Stack.
“It’s very rare for the Dáil to give a member time for a personal statement, and it’s the Labour Party’s view that Gerry Adams wasted that opportunity in failing to provide the Stack family with substantive answers in that statement.”
Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said the “hurt caused by republican actions must be acknowledged and that suffering cannot be disowned”.
He made the remark as he welcomed the apology on behalf of Sinn Féin and offered “sincere sympathies” to Stack’s family.
He said: “The shooting of Brian Stack was wrong; it should never have happened. His family suffered a terrible loss. The failures in the investigations compounded that suffering and left them seeking answers over many decades.”
In 2019 the family received an apology from then Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, but today saw the first official apology from the Oireachtas.
Tánaiste Simon Harris previously described the prison officer’s murder as one of the “most horrific atrocities” during the Troubles.
“In the 1980s in Ireland, there just wasn’t any backup, or there was no counselling, there were no supports for people like our family at the time. So getting this apology now at this time is really important to us”, he noted.
Taoiseach says family of murdered prison officer was ‘badly failed’ by garda investigation
THE TAOISEACH HAS apologised on behalf of the state to the family of prison officer Brian Stack for failures in the investigation of his death.
Stack, a chief prison officer in Portlaoise, was shot in the neck by the IRA in March 1983 and died 18 months later.
In 2013 the Provisional IRA took responsibility for the killing, but no one was ever brought to justice despite three separate investigations into the incident.
“Unforgivably, we still don’t have the full truth of, or any justice for what happened that day,” Micheál Martin said in the Dáil chamber.
Stack’s wife Shiela and sons Austin, Keiran and Oliver, were present in the gallery as the apology was made and, one by one, politicians gave speeches expressing their sympathy and sorrow.
In 2007, at a request from the Stack family, a review of the case was opened. It led to a finding of “serious failings and shortcomings” in the earlier garda investigation, Martin said.
Gardaí failed to keep a map made of the crime scene, a motorbike helmet found near the scene, and important materials, including various fingerprints, samples, and debris gathered during the investigation.
They also failed to document some potentially important aspects of the original investigation, such as whether an identification line-up process was conducted and whether prisoners at Portlaoise Prison were interviewed during the original investigation.
This is “plainly and utterly unacceptable”, said Martin.
“Brian Stack served the state with great distinction and honour, at a time when the endpoint of the troubles still appeared to be remote,” the Taoiseach said.
“Outside of work, Brian was at heart of his community, and a keen sportsman, referee, and organiser at Portlaoise GAA and Portlaoise Boxing Club.
“Brian’s commitment to public service was carried on by his son Austin, who also served the state as an assistant governor in the Irish prison service.”
Martin also paid tribute to his family’s dedication to finding answers and achieving justice.
Criticism of Republican actions
Criticism was also levelled at Sinn Féin by Labour leader Ivana Bacik.
Bacik said: “As we all know, there are people – there must be people – who know who Brian Stack’s killer or killers were or are.
“Indeed, it’s been alleged that former members of this House either knew who the killer was, or indeed possessed information that would have been material to an investigation into the killing.
“In this context, as we know, on 7 December 2016, former TD and leader of Sinn Féin Gerry Adams made a Dáil statement – a personal explanation by a member – on the murder of Brian Stack.
“It’s very rare for the Dáil to give a member time for a personal statement, and it’s the Labour Party’s view that Gerry Adams wasted that opportunity in failing to provide the Stack family with substantive answers in that statement.”
Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said the “hurt caused by republican actions must be acknowledged and that suffering cannot be disowned”.
He made the remark as he welcomed the apology on behalf of Sinn Féin and offered “sincere sympathies” to Stack’s family.
He said: “The shooting of Brian Stack was wrong; it should never have happened. His family suffered a terrible loss. The failures in the investigations compounded that suffering and left them seeking answers over many decades.”
In 2019 the family received an apology from then Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, but today saw the first official apology from the Oireachtas.
Tánaiste Simon Harris previously described the prison officer’s murder as one of the “most horrific atrocities” during the Troubles.
“In the 1980s in Ireland, there just wasn’t any backup, or there was no counselling, there were no supports for people like our family at the time. So getting this apology now at this time is really important to us”, he noted.
With additional reporting by PA
brian stack Garda Siochana IRA Ireland Micheál Martin October The Troubles Irish Politics