Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Jun 1996

Vol. 467 No. 5

Killing of Dublin Journalist: Statements

The Taoiseach

We are shocked when we hear of the death of any young person. We are even more shocked when we hear that her death was a result of murder, in cold blood, in broad daylight, on a roadside in Dublin. What makes it even more shocking is to hear that the young person murdered was an investigative reporter who was known for her determination to go about her business in a courageous, innovative and committed way. On behalf of the Government and on my own behalf I extend my deepest sympathy to her husband Graham, to her son, Cathal, and to the parents, family, friends and journalistic colleagues of Veronica Guerin. I telephoned my sympathy to the Sunday Independent and to the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists.

We in this House knew Veronica Guerin best as a journalist, but some Members will recall her contribution to the Forum for a New Ireland in 1982 and 1983. That was an early indication from a talented young person of her interest in Irish public life. Deputies opposite will be especially aware of her work for the Fianna Fáil delegation. Deputies in other parties who attended the forum will recall her tact, friendship and diplomacy as the forum sought to reach agreement, which it did, on a very important report. That agreement was greatly facilitated by the work of the late Veronica Guerin.

Her work in recent times established her as a particular gifted and professional investigative journalist. She wrote about the unacceptable face of life, about murders, drug dealing and crime. She did so with care and compassion. In doing so she made an important contribution to public life. Without the work she did, much of the recent public debate on crime would not have been as well informed as it was.

Her contribution to journalism was recognised not just at home but also abroad. In December 1995, Veronica won the prestigious International Press Freedom Award, and when it was being conferred on her at a ceremony in New York, she was cited for her fearless courage and determination. Veronica Guerin was a gifted journalist. Arising out of the work she was doing, her life was previously threatened, and she was attacked on at least three occasions. In February last year she was shot in her home, no doubt to discourage her from a particular line of journalistic investigation. From her hospital bed she said, on that occasion, "I won't be intimidated", and she was not. She was not deterred. She continued her work undaunted and undiminished in her enthusiasm, despite this bloody intimidation.

The murder of a journalist in the course of her work is sinister in the extreme. Someone, somewhere, decided to take her life, and almost certainly did so to prevent information coming into the public arena. Journalism is a vital and well established element in our democracy. This country benefits from a strong, free media. The independence of the media is one of the hallmarks of a strong and vibrant democracy. Journalists must be independent not only of political influence, commercial influence, personal or sectoral influence; journalists must also now be independent of threats and terror from what-ever source. That a journalist should be callously murdered in the line of duty is an attack on democracy, because it is an attack on one of the pillars of our democracy. The full resources of the State will be brought to bear in bringing to justice those responsible for today's murder. Veronica Guerin deserves no less. Her family and friends, many of them in this House, deserve no less. Her journalistic colleagues deserve no less. The best tribute we can pay to her life and to her work is to redouble our efforts in the defence of democracy.

On a personal note, there is little that can be said on this occasion that can be of any immediate consolation to Veronica's husband, Graham, or to her small son, Cathal, who must now grow up to adulthood without his mother, but it may in time be some small consolation to them for it to be recalled to them the unparalleled shock seen on the faces of Deputies on all sides in this House when, some time this morning, the news of Veronica's killing spread through the House. Members felt this loss in a very personal way. Those expressions of utter speechlessness and utter inability to comprehend what had happened speak perhaps more eloquently than anything we can say now of the contribution that Veronica Guerin made during her all too short life, to the public life of this country. That knowledge may, in time, be of some small consolation to the people who suffer her loss so grievously now and for whom no words of consolation at this stage can serve.

Mr. B. Ahern

I join the Taoiseach in this expression of sympathy. I am profoundly shocked at the murder of Veronica Guerin. So is everybody in this House. I pay my respects on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party. Veronica was a good friend of mine. I knew her well since we both lived in Artane 20 years ago. She was an independent-minded and fearless investigative journalist. Her murder represents a direct attack on our democracy, perhaps more so than other murders, although all of them are an attack on democracy and, what is worse, on the fundamental right to freedom of speech.

I hope no effort will be spared by the Taoiseach and the Government, the Garda Síochána and those who will be involved in hunting down the killers of Veronica Guerin, in coming to grips with the ruthless criminal underworld which she so ably exposed and which she was, this summer, involved in further exposing. This event is an indictment of how crime has been allowed to grow rampant in our society for many years.

Veronica Guerin was secretary to the Fianna Fáil delegation to the New Ireland Forum. Her excellent work with that and other delegations will be remembered by many. I am glad she was proud of that work which is remembered here today on all sides of the House. She worked on the notorious fifth floor of Leinster House, the floor of the Fianna Fáil Party. When Deputy Seán Haughey started out in politics as secretary of Ógra Fianna Fáil in the early 1980s, Veronica was one of our more active chairpersons. She was passionately involved in the work in which she was recently engaged. At a conference on crime held in the Davenport Hotel, which I asked her to attend, she finished her excellent submission by saying she hoped the contribution she was making to exposing the underworld of the city and country would be of some benefit but that she wondered, directing this remark at me and other politicians. Finally she said she hoped it was not all in vain and a waste of time. I recall those words and remember them more so today.

I spoke to her about what exactly she meant when I walked with her from the funeral of Detective Garda McCabe at the Holy Rosary Church in Limerick two weeks ago — I will not detail that conversation but she knew that everybody was not pleased with the work in which she was involved. No doubt that led to today's tragedy.

I extend our deepest sympathy to her family, to her husband, Graham and her son, Cathal, to her mother Bernie, to her brothers, Jimmy and Martin and to her sisters Marie-Therese and Claire. They are all friends of mine. I hope that they can see today that what she did will be of some benefit. I would like to think that those mourning her today will remember that we have an obligation to do something about it in the future.

Ar Dhéis lámh Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

This House is shocked and horrified at the brutal-murder of Veronica Guerin this afternoon. I offer my sincere condolences to her husband, Graham, to her son, Cathal and to her family who have been so cruelly deprived of her love as a mother and spouse and as a sister to many family members. I express my sympathy to her colleagues in journalism, in the Independent Newspaper Group and also to journalists in all branches of the media. Her outrageous killing is clearly linked to a series of highly skilled and penetrating newspaper articles which she has written for the Sunday Independent. That she should have been shot down in this fashion is an attack on all of us and on the values on which democracy and democratic politics is bases. It is an outrageous attack on the freedom of the press and the invaluable work that journalists do.

In her work as a journalist, Veronica Guerin specialised in writing about crime and for many years in The Sunday Tribune and the Sunday Independent brought to public notice the shadowy activities of the criminal underworld. Her work brought her into contact with criminals and her encounters with them brought her into a high risk area. She knew that from experience. We recall that in 1994 we were stunned to learn that she had been attacked and wounded at her own home. That attack left her hospitalised and scarred but it did not deter her from the fine public spirited work in which she was engaged. She continued to write every week about the figures who control Dublin's drug and crime network, she brought these people to public notice and to our notice and she deserved our thanks for her efforts. A young woman, a dedicated journalist, she has paid the highest price for committed public service. The sense of shock and outrage felt by everybody inside and outside this House is palpable. No effort will be spared in our united determination to track down her killers and bring them before the law. I too knew Veronica Guerin for many years, particularly when she came to work in the New Ireland Forum and made a very substantial contribution to it. She was a committed professional back then and she grew in stature and commitment ever since. On behalf of the Labour Party and on my own behalf, I extend our heartfelt sympathy to her family and friends.

Miss Harney

On behalf of the Progressive Democrats Party and on my own behalf I extend to Veronica Guerin's husband, Graham, to her son, Cathal, and to her parents and brothers and sisters my heartfelt sympathy. I too have known Veronica Guerin for a considerable length of time.

The murderous attack on Veronica Guerin this afternoon strikes at the very heart of our democracy. The greatest liberty we have is the liberty of free expression and the greatest guarantee we have of that liberty is the guarantee of a free press. Veronica Guerin died because she fearlessly pursued the truth. She was no ordinary journalist, she was a woman apart. Each week in her reports she set new standards of reporting as she pieced together extraordinary information about the modus operandi of the criminal underworld. Today, that criminal underworld decided that in order that they could continue with their criminal activity she had to be murdered. In a matter of seconds that enormous talent was taken away. She had no chance because I understand there were two bullets to her head and three to her chest.

Veronica Guerin was not somebody that could pick up journalism and put it down again. For her it was a vocation. She was brave, courageous, a person of conviction. She genuinely wanted to see something done about crime. I know that from speaking to her on a number of occasions, twice earlier this year. This afternoon I went to the Library to read what she had written about in the past fortnight. She wrote about the vital forensic evidence that identifies the garda killers, she told us about the IRA south side division that approved the murder of Detective Garda McCabe in Adare and the attempted murder of Garda O'Sullivan. She gave us a unique insight into Mr. Felloni and into the IRA. I suppose for many, she was making their life unbearable. She was making it difficult for them to operate and because of that, she had to go. The murders of Detective Garda McCabe and Veronica Guerin strike at the very heart of our democracy. A free press and a Garda Síochána force that can operate freely and without fear must be the bedrock of any democratic society. The greatest tribute that we owe to both of those outstanding citizens is to ensure that we spare no effort to bring the killers to justice. If our laws are inadequate, we change the laws. As constitutional politicians we realise that we have a duty to ensure the fabric of our society is protected and that the Ireland that everybody cherished is restored.

The Taoiseach referred to awards made to Veronica Guerin. Last Year she won an award from the US based committee for the protection of journalism and earlier this year she won the Irish award for outstanding journalism. She was a great exponet of journalism. The Independent Group of Newspapers has lost a very fearless and talented journalist. She is the first Irish journalist to die in the history of the State. She may be the first but I hope she will be the last. It may be that, as a result of fearlessly pursuing the truth, she will have helped us, the Garda Síochána and others to bring to justice those vicious people in our society for whom life is of no regard and in the criminal underworld there is no regard for life. On many occasions we hear that a killing took place because of a falling out among thieves. This was a different killing, the murder of a woman who was going about her duty as a professionalist. It is one of the most serious murders ever in this country. We must spare no effort to protect from such attack our society, out liberty and our personal freedom which, if undermined or compromised, set at nought all other rights, even the right to life itself. The public showed their outrange at the murder of Detective Garda McCabe. I hope that in this case too there will be support for the Garda Síochána to enable them bring to justice the perpetrators of this most callous crime.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Ms McManus)

Veronica Guerin was a young wife and mother. Her death is a horrific tragedy for all those who were close to her. She is a grave and sad loss to our society. She was a courageous reporter in the best traditions of investigative journalism. Her pursuit and exposure of the criminal underworld and of drug dealers, in particular, earned her enormous respect. In the course of her work she also made enemies in the criminal underworld and among paramilitaries. In the larger community her loss will be felt by everyone who knew her or who knew her through her writing.

The murder of a journalist represents a fundamental attack on democracy. The press is one of the pillars of a free society. Those who planned and carried out the murder of Veronica Guerin are seeking to undermine the freedoms of all of us. We have witnessed the culture of violence which has seen paid hitmen casually murdering people in the streets of our capital city. We have been confronted with the existence of drug barons and the extent of the human misery they leave in their wake.

Much of our knowledge about this lethal culture we owe to Veronica Guerin. As a society, we owe her a debt for her courage, determination, sheer persistence and absolute refusal to compromise with the truth. Democratic Left, the Government and I believe everyone in this House is determined that those responsible not only for this murder but for all the other acts of violence on which Veronica Guerin reported will be pursued and brought to justice.

On my own behalf and that of Democratic Left I extend my deepest sympathy to Veronica Guerin's family, friends and colleagues. While we mourn her death, to honour her spirit we must be more determined than ever to ensure society is subject to the rule of law rather than the gun.

Members rose.