Gerry Adams to meet slain prison officer’s family

‘I want to listen to your family and wish to be of whatever assistance is within my power to help you all find closure,’ says Sinn Féin leader

SINN FÉIN PRESIDENT Gerry Adams TD has confirmed that he will be meeting the family of Chief Prison Officer Brian Stack on Thursday evening at 5:30pm in Leinster House.

Brian Stack was the Chief Prison Officer in Portlaoise in the early 1980s. He was shot as he left a boxing tournament at the National Stadium in Dublin on 25 March 1983. He died of his injuries more than a year later.

Teachta Adams said:

“In my Ard Fheis remarks in April I stated my willingness to meet with victims’ families in this state if they believe this will be helpful.

“Over many years I have met other families in this same situation. Some were victims of the IRA. Others were killed as a result of collusion between British state forces and loyalist death squads, or by the British Army and RUC, the UDR and other armed groups. The grief and trauma suffered by all of these families is the same.

“The family of Prison Officer Brian Stack asked me to meet them and this will take place on Thursday evening.”

In their request for a meeting, the family state that they are:

“Looking for answers and closure and in no way are we seeking any form of revenge. From our perspective, an admission of responsibility accompanied by details of the reasoning for the act by those concerned would provide that.”

Gerry Adams said he is happy to meet with the Stack family and says he told them:

“I am content for you to raise these and any other issues which are important to your family. However, it would be remiss of me to raise your expectations that I or the Sinn Féin leadership can resolve these particular matters for you. I want to listen to your family and wish to be of whatever assistance is within my power to help you all find closure.”