Statement on behalf of the Keenan Family by Madden & Finucane Solicitors

Madden & Finucane Solicitors represent Ciaran MacAirt, who lost his grandmother in the bombing of McGurks Bar, and the Keenan and the McGurk families, who also lost loved ones in the bombing of McGurk’s Bar, on the 4th December 1971.

Yesterday, 4th July 2018, the Attorney General confirmed to all families of the atrocity that he was not prepared to grant a fresh inquest into the bombing.

Gerard Keenan, whose parents Sarah and Edward Keenan were both killed in the bombing, stated:

“This is yet another devastating blow to family members who have campaigned for truth and justice for two generations. At no stage up to the present day have our families been able to rely on a just, fair and transparent police investigation. We have had to discover and retrieve new evidence regarding the McGurk’s Bar Massacre ourselves.

“While it is well known about the lies and black propaganda that was spread by the state, about our loved ones, after the bombing, we still don’t know who created that propaganda. There are still too many unanswered questions about what happened before the attack, and to what extent the state was involved in the bombing itself. An inquest would have been an ideal forum to address these fears and suspicions.

“We will be asking our legal representatives to consider the decision taken by the Attorney General and we will seek clarification on certain matters from him in the coming days.”