THE FAMILIES of 11 men drowned off the coast of Donegal have been snubbed again after Transport Minister Pat Carey said he will not release secret records on the tragedies.
The relatives of the men who were killed when the Evelyn Marie and the Carraig Una sank after hitting the same reef within a year of each other have always questioned what happened.
But now they have been snubbed again after new Transport Minister Carey said he has no plans to open the files into the 1975 and 1976 tragedies off the coast of Raithlin O’Berine island.
Sinn Fein Deputy Pearse Doherty has revealed he asked Minister Carey to open the files but was told it was not going to happen.
Now Deputy Doherty says he wants all Donegal political parties to come together to ensure the release of the records no matter who gets into Government next.
He said it is not acceptable that these records have been kept hidden for so long and that the families deserve closure and to be treated with respect.
“The tragedy of the sinking of the Evelyn Marie and the Carraig Úna lives on today with the families of the 11 men lost at sea still seeking answers.
“The families of the men lost on the Evelyn Marie in 1975 and the Carraig Úna in 1976 have been denied information on their lost loved ones for many years and are still to this day seeking answers.
“In a response to my Parliamentary Question the Minister for Transport has indicated that there is no intention on his part to make these files public.
“It is not acceptable that these records have been kept hidden for so long. The families deserve closure and to be treated with respect,” he said.
A recent RTE radio documentary made by Helena Gallagher, daughter of fisherman Hughie Gallagher who was lost on the Evelyn Marie, brought the tragedy back into the mind of many people again.
But despite the documentary, nothing has yet been done to allow the families to see the files on the tragedies.
Deputy Doherty asked why successive Governments have hidden the files away for so long?
“Questions need to be answered. The families of the men who were lost have a right to know what happened to their loved ones.
“What do these findings reveal? Why have they been hidden for so long? What does the department have to hide?
“I am calling on all political parties to make their position on this issue clear. The findings of the preliminary inquiry must be made public. The families must receive answers. They must be allowed closure after so many years,” he said.
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