Kingsmills Massacre suspects: Republicans have kept 'all their vile secrets' from legacy inquest into IRA atrocity for almost ten years, says Danny Kennedy

The IRA gunned down ten Protestant workmen on their way home from work in what the Historical Enquiries Team said was “a purely sectarian" premeditated attack at Kingsmills in south Armagh.

Coroner Brian Sherrard yesterday noted the failure of republicans to assist the inquest since appeals for information began in 2014, saying there had been an “absence of any assistance from those purporting to represent the IRA or indeed the wider political republican movement concerning this matter”.

Neither Sinn Fein nor the IRA have ever accepted the IRA was responsible, despite the weapons used having extensive IRA histories.

After final submissions yesterday, Mr Kennedy told the News Letter there had been "very open failings on behalf of the Republican movement for the lack of information or respect or dignity that they've shown in this case”.

"While Republicans have sought a form of justice for their own side and for their own perceived victims and made much of that, they have contributed absolutely nothing to establishing the truth behind Kingsmills,” he said.

“They have kept their dirty secrets - their absolutely vile secrets - to themselves. And that is a reflection of the Republican movement, who and what they are and what they represent."

Sinn Fein declined to comment.

Mr Kennedy previously said unionists experienced “ethnic cleansing or genocide” in south Armagh.

Mr Kennedy said that the inquest had effectively been "a 10 year process", having begun preliminary hearings in 2014 when requests for a Garda witness began.

The largest adjournment, lawyers said yesterday, was due to delays in securing a Garda witness to give evidence about the attack.

The Republic was used by the gunmen as a base for planning the attack and as a safe haven afterwards, and most of the forensic evidence was captured there.

In March last year a Garda witness finally gave evidence - but behind closed doors in a secret Dublin court which the families, their lawyers and the media were barred from.

Barry O'Donnell is solicitor for Karen Armstrong, whose brother John McConville was killed, and Alan Black, who survived 18 bullet wounds. He said that only the Irish government can explain why it chose to enforce secret hearings - but that the outcome is clearly at odds with the principle of open justice.

"I would certainly agree with that. Inquests need to be open. Open justice has been the hallmark of how inquests are conducted and without that open justice, rumour speculation can exist."

He also said the secret Dublin hearing could set a concerning precedent for future engagement with NI.

"Because of the hurt that it caused to our families - I think the Irish Government needs to take cognisance of that.”

The secrecy has left his clients with a "great lack of confidence in the way that was conducted", he added.

A spokesman for the Irish Department of Justice said it facilitated “very considerable co-operation” by the Garda with a number of troubles-related inquiries in NI, which it will continue as part of a “strong commitment to addressing the legacy of violence”.

It committed to cooperate with the Coroner “to the greatest extent possible, within the law” which it specially drafted for the Kingsmills inquest, he said.

It has taken “unprecedented legal measures” to facilitate cooperation, including the Criminal Justice (International Cooperation) Act 2019 which allowed the Dublin hearing, and passed Data Protection legislation to share Garda records with NI, he said.

READ MORE

Kingsmills Massacre inquest final session: ‘A painful and frustrating process for victims’ families’ court hears

Jim Allister: The lady chief justice failed to get a grip on the Kingsmills inquest - which has shown that legacy only delivers for Irish republicans

The day that most of the Kingsmills Massacre families severed ties with their legacy inquest for good

Dublin law forbids sole survivor of Kingsmills Massacre from disclosing secret Garda evidence on IRA atrocity