Irish state apologizes to family of prison officer killed by IRA

The Irish government has formally apologized to the family of Brian Stack, a senior prison officer shot by the IRA in 1983, for serious failings in the investigations into his murder. Taoiseach Micheál Martin offered the apology on behalf of the state during a sitting of the Dáil on Wednesday, with Stack’s wife Sheila and sons Austin, Kieran and Oliver present in the chamber. Stack, a father of three and chief prison officer at high-security Portlaoise Prison, was shot in the back of the neck while crossing a street in Dublin after leaving a boxing match. He was left paralysed and died 18 months later, aged 49. Three separate garda investigations were carried out, but no-one was ever brought to justice.

Failings in the investigation

Martin detailed a catalogue of errors and omissions uncovered by a Garda Serious Crime Review Team review in 2007. That review made over 200 recommendations and found “serious failings” and “shortcomings in the management” of the earlier investigation. Among the failures listed were the loss of a map made of the crime scene, failure to keep a motorbike helmet found near the scene and linked to the crime, and failure to preserve material exhibits including fingerprints, samples and debris. There was also a failure to document whether Brian’s colleagues at Portlaoise Prison were interviewed, whether prisoners there were interviewed, and a failure to interview the Stack family and Brian’s wider group of friends. Martin said it was “plainly and utterly unacceptable” that material of potential evidential value could no longer be located by An Garda Síochána.

Family reaction and Sinn Féin response

Austin Stack told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster that the apology “means an awful lot to us.” He said it was a great sense of comfort, particularly to his mother and brothers, because the state is officially owning up to the errors and omissions that happened. He said a serious crime review team found 194 errors and omissions in the first investigation, and that the family had repeatedly asked to see that report but were told it was an internally valid document they could not access.

The Stack brothers left the Dáil chamber when Sinn Féin TDs spoke during the state apology. Outside Leinster House, Austin Stack called on Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald to address their concerns around their father’s murder. He said the IRA were responsible for the murder, and that McDonald has consistently said the IRA campaign was justified. He also said McDonald did not dignify and respect the family by coming into the chamber, and that’s why they withdrew when Sinn Féin representatives were speaking.

McDonald, who was in Belfast for a scheduled police interview, welcomed the state apology. She said she could only imagine the trauma the family has been through for a long time. A Sinn Féin spokesperson said the party acknowledges the hurt caused by republican actions and that Brian Stack’s killing was wrong and should never have happened. The party supports the family’s right to answers and the Garda investigation.

The IRA admitted killing Stack in 2013 after a long campaign by the family. Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams and a former IRA commander met the family at that time, and Adams expressed regret. A 2013 statement from a former IRA leader acknowledged that IRA volunteers were responsible, that the shooting was not authorised by IRA leadership, and expressed sorrow for the pain and hurt suffered by the family.