Relatives of victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings have said they were on the verge of walking out of an Oireachtas committee considering the Barron report into the atrocities after what they claimed was an "incredible breach of faith".
The Justice for the Forgotten group expressed outrage that two independent British lawyers called in to address the Oireachtas sub-committee were not given all relevant documents to consider before making their submissions.
The sub-committee of the Oireachtas Committee on Justice is expected to decide in the next week whether there should be a public tribunal of inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.
The sub-committee was addressed today by Antonio Bueno QC and Michael Collins SC who claimed that under the Human Rights Act, Britain may have a moral obligation to carry out an investigation into the bombings with a focus on possible collusion.
However the lawyers had not been presented with oral statements and submissions made by the families of victims.
Solicitor Greg O'Neill, representing the families, said they had participated in the process in good faith and expected to be treated in the same way.
"What has happened is a fundamental breach of faith as far as we are concerned," he said.
"We were on the brink of leaving and will only be persuaded to stay if the process is conducted with basic standards of fairness.
"If the families of Omagh were treated like this there would be an international outcry. This wouldn't be allowed to happen.
"If it was not so important it would be a farce."
The subcommittee, which was due to end its deliberations today, will now reconvene on Monday after the two lawyers have been provided with all relatives' written statements and oral submissions.
Their report is due to be published next week when they will recommend whether
or not a public inquiry should be established.
The Dublin bombs on May 17, 1974, killed 26 people in three streets, including a pregnant woman. The Monaghan bomb on the same day killed seven people.