Vol. 404 No. 4
106 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has sought an explanation through the Anglo-Irish Secretariat of the shooting of two people in Cullyhanna, County Armagh, on Sunday, 30 December 1990; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Fergal Caraher was shot dead and his brother Michael seriously wounded by members of a British army patrol in Cullyhanna on 30 December. The circumstances surrounding this incident are deeply disquieting and I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere condolences to the Caraher family on the death of their son.
This incident was raised immediately in the Anglo-Irish Secretariat in Belfast and a full report sought from the British authorities. In seeking this report, we drew the attention of the British authorities to the serious discrepancies between the British army's version of the circumstances surrounding the shooting and that of local eyewitnesses. Among the other aspects of this incident of particular concern to us is the decision by the British military authorities to return the soldiers involved to active duty within days of the incident.
It is now imperative that this incident be comprehensively investigated and the outcome of this investigation made available publicly at the earliest possible date. I will be making this point strongly at the forthcoming meeting of the Anglo-Irish Conference, as well as raising other aspects of the incident which are causing widespread concern.
