Judge’s request for a public investigation into the Omagh explosion on both sides of the border has been referred to as “disrespectful” by the Irish government.
Some families who lost loved ones in the 1998 massacre are represented by attorney John McBurney.
After a minister said there is no new evidence to warrant a public inquiry in the Republic of Ireland, he urged on Dublin to reconsider.
The Real IRA attack resulted in the deaths of 29 individuals, including a mother who was expecting twins.
The UK government should launch a new investigation to see whether the attack might have been avoided in 2021, according to High Court judge Mr. Justice Horner.
He additionally exhorted the Irish government to follow suit.
An independent statutory inquiry will be conducted, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris stated earlier this year.
Finalising its terms of reference is currently underway.
The incident has already been the subject of several investigations in Ireland, according to Peter Burke, the Irish Minister for European Affairs and Defence, who made this statement on Wednesday.
He said: “That is our position at the moment.” He continued by saying that the Nally Report had not uncovered any noteworthy new information that called for the opening of an investigation.
Mr. Burke stated that Dublin would fully assist the UK investigation.
According to Mr. McBurney, who represents a few family members in the Families Moving On victims’ support organisation, “On behalf of my clients, I wish to communicate the sense of astonishment and sadness felt upon hearing the hint by minister Burke during a BBC interview.
“The Nally Report lacked the required authority to completely investigate all issues, therefore many questions still need to be answered.
“A full investigation in both jurisdictions was required in order to fully deal with the matter, as Lord Justice Horner made quite clear in a very detailed judgement,” the judge wrote.
Earlier this week, a memorial service was conducted in Omagh to honour the bombing victims who perished 25 years ago.
“It is crucial that the Irish government urgently considers how disrespectful and unsatisfactory it is to ignore the obvious need, in conjunction with a statutory inquiry in Northern Ireland, to properly investigate by public inquiry all outstanding matters, as explained in the judgement of Lord Justice Horner,” Mr. McBurney continued.
“There is now a request for reconsideration of the unfavourable attitude stated by minister Burke, as well as a promise that a joint inquiry will be opened in the Republic of Ireland.
“It is difficult to see how any other arrangement can properly probe all aspects,” the statement reads.
The Irish government needs to step forward.
Kevin Skelton, whose wife Philomena perished in the Omagh blast, questioned the Irish government’s willingness to cooperate with any investigation and claimed that it “only reveals what it wants to.”
“There were people convicted in a civil court,” he continued. “The bomb was made in the south of Ireland, the people who brought it in were from the south of Ireland.”
It is time to act morally correct, and the Irish government needs to stand up.
25 years after the catastrophe, Mr. Skelton claimed that “the bomb is still going off every day” for him.
“Now that it’s been brought to an end, people can move on and have whatever life we have left to live in relative peace,” he continued.
I personally can’t handle much more, and I’m sure there are families out there that feel the same, therefore I don’t want to have to worry about what is on the TV when you turn it on.
Following a series of studies and investigations in the Republic which “warranted the establishment of a public inquiry in Ireland,” the Irish Department of Justice informed BBC News NI that “no new evidence emerged.”
The Irish government is concerned that by the end of the UK probe, there won’t be any unresolved issues pertaining to the Omagh bombing that can only be addressed at this time, they added.
The Irish government will cooperate fully with the UK probe in this matter.