Welcome move to offer apology to Dónal de Róiste
Labour defence spokesperson Mark Wall has welcomed the move to offer an apology to Dónal de Róiste after 53 years. Senator Wall said questions remain as to the delay in providing justice to de Róiste and his family.
Senator Wall said:
“It is welcome news that an apology will be issued to Dónal de Róiste from the Defence Forces. It is a great shame that it has taken 53 years to close this chapter for de Róiste and his family. In seeking to tell the truth and do the right thing, de Róiste was unfairly treated, marginalised and ultimately wrongly dismissed from the Forces. There cannot be a repeat of an instance like this again.
“53 is too long for any person to be forced to fight for justice. Indeed, if it was not for the tireless campaigning by the de Róiste family, this day may never have come. It’s not good enough that it took a battle of this length to right the wrongs of the past.
“There are lessons to learn from the case. It is welcome to see a change of thinking within the Forces. We know that there is a body of work ongoing within the Forces to address many cultural issues that remain. Honest and frank conversations must be the starting point for this change.
“The truth always prevails, however no person should have had to fight for fairness in the way Dónal de Róiste did.”