Omagh bombing inquiry chair vows to work ‘rigorously and fearlessly’

The chair of the public inquiry into the 1998 Omagh bombing by the Real IRA, the single worst atrocity in Northern Ireland’s Troubles, has said on its first day that its task would be undertaken “rigorously and fearlessly”.

Twenty-nine people including a woman expecting twins were killed in the dissident republican attack and more than 200 were injured.

The inquiry, which is being chaired by Alan Turnbull, will investigate whether “UK state authorities” could “reasonably” have acted to prevent the mass killing.

The car bombing on a main street in the County Tyrone town on 15 August 1998 came just months after people on both sides of the border voted overwhelmingly to support the Good Friday agreement that was seen as symbolically bringing the period of the Troubles to an end.

The attack punctured that sense of political euphoria and shocked people around the world. The victims were from both sides of the border, England and Spain.

The inquiry, which is being held in Omagh, was set up by the UK government after a 2021 court ruling that found it a plausible argument that the state could have acted to avert the attack.

In his opening remarks, Lord Turnbull said the bombing “has been enduring and continues to have a most powerful impact”.

The families of the victims have long campaigned for such a public investigation. Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was one of those killed, described the inquiry as extremely important.

“Today is hugely significant. It’s hopefully the beginning of the end. As a bereaved parent I have done all that I can and the families are just totally exhausted,” he said before proceedings began.

The attack was planned on the southern side of the border. It was from there that the car with its bomb on board travelled to Omagh.

Many victims have criticised both the British and Irish authorities for their perceived failures, including intelligence shortcomings in preventing the atrocity. Some suspect that an informer was being protected.

The Irish government, which as an independent sovereign state is not bound by the UK inquiry’s terms of reference, has promised to cooperate with Turnbull’s team “to the fullest extent possible within the [Irish] law”.

In opening statements, the inquiry heard there has been “positive” engagement with the authorities in Dublin, but the “challenge” would be to see whether the engagement would lead to participation in the oral hearings.

Related: Omagh still united in grief but fractured by search for justice

Paul Greaney KC, counsel to the inquiry, told the hearing that both the Irish government and An Garda Siochána (Ireland’s police force) had been offered the opportunity to apply for core participant status at the hearings.

He said the government in Dublin had described that approach as “novel” and said it would take time to consider it.

“The intention of the inquiry, may we make plain, is to ensure – with emphasis on that word – that those discussions [with the Irish authorities] now move into a practical phase in which clear written agreements are put in place to make certain that the inquiry has full access to any potentially relevant materials held by the state authorities in the Republic of Ireland and that it has the ability to obtain statements and call witnesses to attend the inquiry to give evidence in person,” he added.

A representative of Ireland’s department of foreign affairs delivered a statement to the inquiry “to signal in the clearest terms” Dublin’s commitment to “facilitating and supporting” the investigation.

Ruairí de Búrca said: “The government is committed to putting in place additional new legislation, if that is what is required, to support our assistance to the inquiry. These important details are being worked through with the inquiry team to ensure our engagement proceeds on the strongest possible footing.”

Turnbull told the opening session that “the defining character of the inquiry must be its independence”. He said it “would not be amenable to the influence of any government or any state agency”.

He added that it might be necessary to hold some closed sessions where there could be issues of national security.

Those attending the session stood for a minute’s silence to remember the victims after the names of those who were killed were read out.

The opening session dealt mainly with procedural issues. No witnesses were called and evidence is not expected to be heard until next January, when the bereaved and injured are due to make personal statements about the effects of the bombing on their lives.

Those who want to can also give “pen portraits” of those who were killed.