The government of Ireland formally agreed to allow relevant material, including reports and intelligence, to be shared with the Omagh Bombing Inquiry in order to support the Inquiry’s findings and investigations. The conditions are set out in a Memorandum of Understanding Between Omagh Bombing Inquiry and Government of Ireland relating to the Disclosure of Materials (MoU), published on Tuesday.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn, expressed support for the MoU, saying, “This is a very positive step that will help enable the independent Inquiry to do its job an provide answers for families.”

The Omagh Bombing Inquiry is a statutory independent public inquiry that was established by the UK government in 2024 under the Inquiries Act 2005.  It aims to investigate “whether the Omagh bombing could have been prevented by United Kingdom state authorities.”

The MoU provides a clear framework as to how the Irish government can assist the Inquiry and outlines the rules surrounding information disclosure. It outlined that requests for disclosure of “any Irish State Material from the Minister” must be requested by the Inquiry Chairman through a written request. The Chairman is subject to a restriction order, ensuring that all disclosed material is “held in strict confidence by the Inquiry”.

The Omagh incident occurred in August 1998, when a car bomb detonated, killing 29 and leaving hundreds injured in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The Real Irish Republican Army (Real IRA) took responsibility for the attack.

In 2018, a legal challenge was brought against the UK government for its reluctance to commission a public inquiry. In 2024, the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 received Royal Assent. The bill limited future investigations, prosecutions, inquests, and civil claims related to Troubles-era incidents and was met with criticism. Parliament announced in December 2024 that the bill will be replaced and that the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee is launching an inquiry into “government policy on the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland.”