IRA ASSASSINATION OF RUC CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT HARRY BREEN AND SUPERINTENDENT BOB BUCHANAN, 1989

Former IRA members met the Smithwick Tribunal

President of Sinn Fein Gerry Adams (left) and TD Martin Ferris speak to the media about the Smithwick Tribunal

IT has been confirmed that three former members of the Irish Republican Army had a face-to-face meeting with lawyers acting for the Smithwick Tribunal investigating the IRA assassination of two high-ranking RUC officers in 1989. The tribunal has been told the former IRA members gave detailed accounts and replied to questions from the inquiry team.
At the tribunal’s first public hearings in Dublin this month, tribunal lawyer Maura Laverty SC acknowledged the meeting was “a very significant development” and described it as “an unprecedented development”.
On Monday 20th March 1989, Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Bob Buchanan were ambushed and killed by the IRA on the Edenappa Road just north of the border, near Jonesboro, County Armagh.  They were returning from a meeting in Dundalk Garda station.
They were two of the RUC’s most experienced and senior commanders in South Armagh.
Chief Superintendant Breen was the highest-ranking member of the RUC to be killed by the IRA. He had 1,200 British Army and RUC personnel under his command and had a leading role in all major operations, including SAS actions such as the ambush at Loughgall in 1987 that wiped out an eight-strong IRA unit and killed a civilian.
The Smithwick Tribunal, whose sole member is Justice Peter Smithwick, was established by the Oireachtas to investigate allegations “that members of An Garda Síochána or other employees of the state colluded in the fatal shootings of RUC Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and RUC Superintendent Robert Buchanan”.
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams TD has confirmed reports that former members of the IRA have met tribunal representatives and he explained the background to this unprecedented event.
He revealed that the Smithwick Tribunal asked to meet with the Sinn Féin leadership in May 2006 and the tribunal representatives asked if Sinn Féin could facilitate an engagement with the IRA about the investigation.
Gerry Adams said:
“Subsequently, the Sinn Féin leadership established that there could be no engagement with the IRA because, as a consequence of the outworking of the IRA leadership statement of July 2005, the IRA had left the stage. But we were advised that there was the possibility of former Volunteers engaging on a voluntary basis with the tribunal.
“The Sinn Féin leadership worked to facilitate this. Having established the process between the tribunal and these former Volunteers, Sinn Féin played no further role in the process, though our understanding is that the people involved were in a position to answer all questions about the IRA action in which the two RUC officers were killed.
“Sinn Féin facilitated this process because of our commitment to assisting bereaved families if and when we can. This may not be possible in all cases.”
But the Sinn Féin leader added there needs to be an effective process for dealing with all “legacy issues”.
“In our view, the Irish and British governments should invite a reputable and independent international body to establish the creation of an Independent International Truth Commission as part of an effective truth recovery process.”