Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald has said that today’s apology by government to the family of Shane O’Farrell comes after 14 years of the family’s ‘relentless pursuit of truth and justice for their son and brother’ and a vindication of their ‘unwavering stand for Shane, and for the life that was so cruelly taken from him’.
In a statement issued to Northern Sound, Deputy McDonald said: “"For years, there have been credible allegations that Shane’s killer, Zigimantas Gridziuska, had been operating as a Garda informer. Yet there have never been any answers provided. Not one. Shane O’Farrell mattered. His life mattered. His future mattered. His death and how he died matters too.”
"The apology offered today by government to the family of Shane O’Farrell comes after 14 years of their courageous and relentless pursuit of truth and justice for their son and brother. This apology is a vindication of the O’Farrell family’s unwavering stand for Shane, and for the life that was so cruelly taken from him. It’s an acknowledgment of the litany of abuse by the state to which the family was subjected. It is to the shame of successive governments that it has taken 14 long years to get to this point.
"Shane’s parents, Lucia and Jim and his sisters Gemma, Pia, Amy, and Hannah fought a fight that no family should ever have to. A heartbroken, bereft family forced to battle for more than a decade against a state and a system that should have their backs.
"The truth is the wagons were circled, ranks were closed, and the state lined up against the O’Farrell's at every turn. In the words of Shane’s sister, Hannah the family were treated like “the enemy” for daring to ask questions. Every bit of progress, every new piece of information had to be dragged-out of the authorities, and would never have seen the light of day if it wasn’t for the tenacity of the O’Farrell family."
