Trí úsáid a bhaint as ábhar cartlainne, léargas iriseoireachta agus tuairiscí ó dhaoine a bhí ann, déanfar cur síos ar thubaiste Air India i 1985, tubaiste Hillsborough agus scannal na tailidimíde chomh maith le léargas a thabhairt ar an tionchar a bhí acu ar na daoine a tháinig slán uathu agus ar theaghlaigh na n-íospartach.
Marú Brian Stack a chuirfidh tús leis an tsraith nua, an t-aon oifigeach príosúin i bPoblacht na hÉireann a dúnmharaíodh le linn aimsir na dTrioblóidí agus a bhfuil a chás fós gan réiteach. Ag croí an scéil seo tá teaghlach atá ag iarraidh freagraí le nach mór daichead bliain: Labhróidh mac Brian, Austin Stack, go neamhbhalbh sa chlár faisnéise faoi iarrachtaí an teaghlaigh chun an té a mharaigh a n-athair a aimsiú agus an dlí a chur air.
Ar an 25 Márta, 1983, bhí Brian Stack, oifigeach príosúin sinsearach i bPort Laoise agus fear a raibh suim aige sa dornálaíocht amaitéarach, ag freastal ar na Craobhchomórtais Náisiúnta Dornálaíochta sa Staid Náisiúnta i mBaile Átha Cliath. Ag thart ar 10.45pm fad is a bhí sé ag imeacht as an Staid agus ag déanamh a bhealaigh chuig a charr, chaith beirt fhear sa mhuineál é agus d’éalaigh siad leo ar ghluaisrothar. Bhain damáiste ollmhór dá inchinn agus fágadh é gan lúth na ngéag. Ba é seo an chéad ionsaí riamh le harm ar bhall de na seirbhísí príosúin i stair an stáit. Chuir an IRA agus an INLA amach ráitis ag rá nárbh iadsan a bhí freagrach as an gcaitheamh agus in ainneoin fiosrúcháin, níor gabhadh ná níor cúisíodh aon duine riamh i gcaitheamh Brian Stack. Bhásaigh sé i Meán Fómhair 1984 ag fágáil a mhná agus triúr mac óga ina dhiaidh.
Bhí an chosúlacht ar an scéal go raibh an scéal ligthe i ndearmad go dtí an bhliain 2007 nuair a scríobh muintir Stack píosa don leabhar “Unsolved” le hiriseoir fiosrúcháin RTÉ Barry Cummins inar ardaíodh go leor ceisteanna agus inar tarraingíodh aird go poiblí arís ar an gcás.
An bhliain dár gcionn, rinne aonad athbhreithnithe fuarchásanna na nGardaí a bhí ag fiosrú an dúnmharaithe breis is 150 moladh i dtaobh bealaí nua fiosraithe. Fuair an teaghlach amach chomh maith go bhfuarthas méarloirg agus clogad ag suíomh na coire ach go ndeachaigh an fhianaise sin amú ar bhealach éigin. Ní raibh an oiread díocais riamh ar mhuintir Stack ina dhiaidh sin le freagraí a fháil agus ceart a fháil do dhúnmharú Brian Stack.
Sa bhliain 2013, 30 bliain i ndiaidh an dúnmharaithe, rinne mac Brian Stack, Austin, teagmháil le Gerry Adams féachaint le cúnamh a fháil chun an fhírinne a aimsiú. D’éascaigh Adams cruinniú idir muintir Stack agus ceannasaí de chuid an IRA i suíomh rúnda, áit ar thug an ceannasaí ráiteas clóscríofa dóibh inar admhaíodh gurbh iad an IRA a chaith Brian Stack.
Ba shaincheist mhór a bhí i ndúnmharú Stack freisin le linn fheachtas toghchánaíochta Shinn Féin in 2016 nuair a dúirt Gerry Adams go raibh ainmneacha daoine a raibh eolas acu faoi dhúnmharú Brian Stack faighte aige ó Austin Stack, ráiteas a shéan Austin Stack amach is amach. Níos déanaí sa bhliain 2016, i ndiaidh do Adams ráiteas suaithinseach a dhéanamh sa Dáil, bhain Alan Farrell Fhine Gael leas as pribhléid na Dála chun iarraidh ar bheirt Teachtaí Dála de chuid Shinn Féin ráiteas a dhéanamh faoi dhúmharú Brian Stack, gníomh a tharraing go leor cainte.
Cé nár cuireadh an dlí ar aon duine riamh, ghabh Coimisinéir an Gharda Síochána Drew Harris a leithscéal le muintir Stack faoi theipeadh na nGardaí i gcás dhúnmharú Brian Stack. Tá an teaghlach ag iarraidh go ngabhfadh an Stát a leithscéal go foirmiúil leo.
Caithfear súil siar sa chlár seo de Scannal ar an scéal tragóideach seo faoi fhear a maraíodh agus é i mbarr a mhaitheasa le linn tréimhse chorraitheach sa ré staire seo agus ar an tionchar atá ag a dhúnmharú fós ar na daoine a d’fhág sé ina dhiaidh. Labhróidh Austin Stack go neamhbhalbh faoin gcaoi a ndeachaigh an teaghlach i ngleic le bás a athair, an tionchar a bhí aige ar a saol agus na deicheanna de bhlianta a bhfuil siad i mbun feachtais ag iarraidh freagraí agus ceart a bhaint amach dó. Beidh an t-iar-oifigeach príosúin Philip Bray, a bhí ag obair le Brian Stack páirteach sa chlár freisin agus tráchtfaidh sé faoin saol a bhí acu ina n-oifigigh phríosúin i rith na tréimhse sin de na Trioblóidí chomh maith leis na hiriseoirí Harry McGee agus Gormfhlaith Ní Thuairisg.
‘Bhí orainne maireachtáil leis na bréaga, muide arbh éigean dúinn maireachtáil leis na tionchair a bhí aige ar an teaghalach seo Cinnte, bheadh sé iontach ag gach duine dá mbeadh muid ábalta coinneáil orainn, ach ní bheifear ábalta é sin a dhéánamh go bhfaighear amach an fhírinne.’ Austin Stack
Láithreoir / Tuairisceoir Garry Mac Donncha
Léiritheoir / Stiúrthóir Dermot O’Hanlon
Scannal: The Murder of Brian Stack, Dé Máirt an 20 Meán Fómhair, 7pm, RTÉ One
Acclaimed social history series Scannal returns to Irish screens this Autumn with a riveting series of documentaries looking back at events that changed lives, and how the impact of those events continues to reverberate to this day. Using archive, journalistic insight and first-hand accounts, we piece together and reflect on the impact the 1985 Air India disaster, the Hillsborough disaster and the Thalidomide scandal have had on survivors and families of victims.
The new series opens with the story of the killing of Brian Stack, the only prison officer in the Republic of Ireland to have been murdered during the Troubles, whose case remains unsolved to this day. At the heart of this story is a family seeking answers for almost 4 decades: Brian’s son Austin Stack speaks candidly in the documentary about the family’s quest to find out who was behind the killing and seek justice for their father.
On March 25th, 1983, Brian Stack, a senior prison officer in Portlaoise and an amateur boxing enthusiast, attended the National Boxing Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin. At approximately 10.45pm as he left the Stadium to make his way to his car, he was shot in the neck by 2 men who escaped on a motorbike. He suffered extensive brain damage and was paralysed. It was the first armed attack on a member of the prison services in the history of the state. The IRA and the INLA released statements saying that they had not carried out the shooting and despite an investigation, no-one was ever arrested or charged with the shooting of Brian Stack. He died in September 1984 leaving a wife and 3 young sons behind.
The story seemed consigned to history until 2007, when the Stack family contributed to a book by RTÉ investigative journalist Barry Cummins called ‘Unsolved’ which raised many questions and brought the case back into public consciousness once more.
The following year, the Garda cold-case review unit investigating the murder would make over 150 recommendations into new lines of enquiry. The family also discovered that fingerprints and a helmet had been found at the scene of the crime, but that somehow this evidence had gone missing. The Stacks became more determined than ever to get answers and justice for the murder of Brian Stack.
In 2013, 30 years after the murder, Brian Stack’s son Austin reached out to Gerry Adams in his quest for the truth. Adams facilitated a meeting between the Stack family and an IRA leader in a secret location where the IRA leader gave them a typed statement admitting that the IRA shot Brian Stack.
The Stack murder also became a major issue during the Sinn Féin election campaign of 2016 with Gerry Adams saying he received the names of people who had information about the murder from Austin Stack, a claim Austin Stack categorically denied. Later in 2016 after Adams made an extraordinary statement in the Dail, Alan Farrell of Fine Gael used Dail privilege to call for 2 Sinn Fein TDs to make a statement about the Stack murder which caused a massive furore.
Although no-one was ever brought to justice, in 2019 the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris apologized to the Stack family for the failings of the Gardai into the murder of Brian Stack. The family is still seeking a formal apology from the State.
This episode of Scannal looks back at the tragic story of a man taken in his prime during a tumultuous period in our recent history, and how his murder continues to impact on those he
left behind. Austin Stack talks candidly about how the family dealt with the death of his father, the effect it had on their lives and their decades-long campaign for answers, and justice. There are also contributions from former prison officer Philip Bray, who worked with Brian Stack and who talks about what life was like as a prison officer during this period of the Troubles, and journalists Harry McGee and Gormfhlaith Ní Thuairisg.
‘We have had to live with the untruths, we have had to live with the effects it has had on the family. Yes, it would be lovely for everyone to be able to move on, but for that to happen everybody has to tell the truth.’ Austin Stack.
Presenter / Reporter Garry Mac Donncha
Producer / Director Dermot O’Hanlon
Scannal: The Murder of Brian Stack, Tuesday 20th September, 7pm, RTÉ One