Campaigners believe 1974 report is ready

Campaigners believe a long-awaited report into the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings will be received by the Government tomorrow…

Campaigners believe a long-awaited report into the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings will be received by the Government tomorrow.

The Attorney General is expected to vet the findings by Patrick MacEntee before handing it over to the Cabinet in coming weeks.

The report was due to be published in February but the senior barrister sought an eighth time extension.

The Justice for the Forgotten group, which campaigns on behalf of the victims of the atrocities, hopes the findings will be published before the Dáil rises for its Easter break on April 5th.

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Spokesperson Margaret Urwin said: "The Attorney General may have to redact names so there are no legal concerns. I hope it is published before the Easter recess and that we can have a collusion debate in the Dáil and the Seanad before the General Election.

The Cabinet is not holding its weekly meeting tomorrow because the Taoiseach and his ministers are travelling abroad to St Patrick's Day events.

The Commission of Investigation into the bombings established in April 2005 under new legislation to fast-track inquiries.

Mr MacEntee and his team travelled outside the jurisdiction to interview certain individuals.

A total of 33 people died and 300 were injured when four car bombs exploded in Dublin and Monaghan on May 17th, 1974. No organisation claimed responsibility but loyalist paramilitaries were blamed.