The family of Brian Stack, a senior Irish prison officer murdered by the IRA, received a state apology on Wednesday for failings in the investigations into his killing. Stack was shot in the back of the neck while crossing a street in Dublin after leaving a boxing match in 1983. He was the chief prison officer at the high-security Portlaoise Prison and died 18 months later at the age of 49.
Context of the Apology
There were three separate investigations by the Garda (Irish police) into Stack's death, but no one was brought to justice. During a sitting of the Dáil (Irish parliament), Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin offered an apology on behalf of the state. Stack's wife Sheila and their sons Austin, Kieran, and Oliver were present in the Dáil chamber for the apology.
Martin stated that the Provisional IRA is "still in possession of all the facts" regarding this case. Austin Stack expressed the family's feelings about the apology, saying it "means an awful lot to us" and provides a sense of comfort, particularly to his mother.
“"It's a great sense of comfort, to particularly my mother and to myself and my two brothers, because the state is officially owning up to the errors and the omissions that happened," Austin Stack said.
Findings of the Investigations
Austin Stack mentioned that the serious crime review team found 194 errors and omissions in the first investigation. He noted that the family has repeatedly requested to see the report but has been told it is an internally valid document that they cannot access.
“"My dad was doing a very difficult job at a very difficult time in our history," Austin Stack added. "He was awarded the Irish Prison Service's highest bravery award for that work that he was doing. And this is further vindication of him and his good name."
