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Clearing up in Talbot Street where the explosion took place on May 17, 1974. Alamy Stock Photo

Analysis Dublin and Monaghan were bombed 50 years ago - now is the time to uncover the truth

John O’Brien looks at the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and the years of disappointment around uncovering the truth.

LAST UPDATE | 17 May 2024

THE DUBLIN AND Monaghan Car Bombings were the single biggest atrocity of the Troubles committed in one day.

In all 34 innocents were murdered between Dublin and Monaghan explosions. The attacks came on a bright sunny May evening in Dublin and the lives of many were changed forever.

The power sharing executive in Belfast was abandoned after a few days and the pace of peace and reconciliation was put back for decades.

Life was normal for the citizens of Dublin and Monaghan. Families were going about their business, getting ready for the weekend, and generally looking forward to family time. Things were very different in Northern Ireland where there was a virtual lockdown in the province. The Loyalists were protesting strongly and visibly to the power sharing Executive which had been introduced because of the British/Irish Sunningdale agreement. The British Army and the RUC were hard pressed to maintain public order.

The bombings

One such Dublin family who were making their way through the streets was the O’Brien family. These were John O’Brien, the Dad, Anna O’Brien, his wife and their daughters Jacqueline, 16 months and the baby of the family, Anne Marie, four months. The family had been to the Rotunda Hospital where Anne Marie was undergoing treatment to correct a hip displacement.

This treatment was going very well and they had just one more visit to complete the following week. A very kindly nurse had struck up a happy relationship with them and she remembers them very well and poignantly. The family left the hospital in good cheer and promised to be back the following week. As they made their way to Parnell Street at about 5.30 pm, they passed the Parnell monument, and in doing so they passed by Garda Michael McKenna who was directing traffic at that point. A very short time later Garda McKenna witnessed the car bomb explode in Parnell Street. His recollection is clear and vivid today.

He saw Antonio Magliocco fall as he was hit by fragments. He was killed in the blast and so were the entire O’Brien family.

There was to be no happy return for them to the Rotunda Hospital. Ten people were murdered in Parnell Street and in quick succession 15 were murdered in Talbot Street in another car bomb blast. Two unfortunate women were murdered in another car bomb in South Leinster Street a short time later. The killings were not over because close to 7 pm another car bomb exploded outside Greacen’s bar in the North Road in Monaghan.

These were savage and barbaric crimes executed with the explicit intention of murdering and maiming and no warnings were given. They also achieved a cynical political purpose because the power sharing Executive in Belfast collapsed.

It is reasonable to expect that these crimes would be investigated with maximum efficiency and led by the Dublin and London governments. Incredibly, this did not happen. I pose eight significant points or questions that comprehensively examine the bombings. Based on my research I have offered a view in respect of each one. These points are critical to understanding the overall scope of the actions of the key actors. They are in no way a measurement of the grief and pain caused.

The key questions

  • Did the Dublin government learn of the identity of the bombers from the British Government? Yes, they did.
  • Did the Dublin government act promptly on the information supplied by the British? No, they did not.
  • Did the London government act promptly on the information supplied to the Irish Government? No, they did not.
  • Was there collusion between British State actors and Loyalists – UVF? On the balance of probability, there was collusion.
  • Did the Loyalists have the capacity to carry out the Attacks unaided? No, they did not.
  • Was the response of the Garda Síochána deficient at the time or laterally? Not at the time in 1974.
  • What role has a British Police Officer in “investigating” the bombings in this jurisdiction with the consent of The Garda Commissioner? This question is primarily for the British Police officer to answer but I would suggest none.
  • Is there a role for the Garda Commissioner who is a person of exceptional knowledge about Legacy Crimes committed in Northern Ireland?  This question is for the Garda commissioner to answer.

The three Dublin cars were stolen or acquired in Belfast and the Monaghan car was stolen in Portadown. All these attacks were designed to kill or maim, and no warnings were given. The Dublin attacks were unique in that all car bombs exploded within a couple of minutes. This bombing pattern was not previously encountered nor was it subsequently repeated by any terrorist organisation.

This synchronicity was typical of a military style operation which indicated that the technical features of the bombs were unique, having regard to the components used, particularly the timing devices. The Dublin explosives used were unique because, in the opinion of Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Wylde (British), the bombers used recrystallised ammonium nitrate (ANFO). This was a homemade High Explosive perfected by the Provisional IRA. The colonel also confirmed that vast quantities were recovered by the British Military and this explosive was not formally logged or recorded. Another British officer, Lieutenant Colonel George Styles said that it was common for the British Army to “set off bangs” using captured PIRA explosives. What if this strategy was used by unscrupulous military elements in conjunction with their loyalist allies in the UVF?

The Monaghan attack was a typical Loyalist cross border attack. It involved a car stolen relatively close to the border on the Northern side and the target equidistant on the Southern side. Also, the bomb used was a typical crude loyalist bomb with the explosive contained in a milk churn or similar metal container. This configuration was used because their explosives had to be hard contained to make an explosion. This was not the case in the Dublin bombs.

The Great Deception

I have discussed all these factors in detail in my book, The Great Deception, Dublin and Monaghan Bombings 1974.

It is incontrovertible that Dublin and London failed to pursue the criminals involved even though the British claimed to have known the identity of the bombers and had interned them. They also informed the Dublin government of this fact and this similarly produced no call for action.

This information remained hidden from the public gaze until unearthed by Judge Barron early in the 2000s. He reported in clear and unambiguous terms.

A meeting was held in London on 11 September 1974, at which the British side comprised the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, The British Ambassador to Dublin, the Permanent Secretary to the Northern Ireland Office, and other senior civil servants.

Screenshot 2024-05-09 at 12.46.51 The Great Deception by John O'Brien.

The Irish side comprised the Taoiseach, the Minister for Local Government, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Irish Ambassador to London, and senior civil servants of the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs. During this meeting, minutes prepared in the Department of Foreign Affairs quote the Prime Minister as saying the following:

“In recent months some very nasty men had been lifted on the Unionist side. On the Friday and Saturday of the UWC strike, 25 interim custody orders had been signed and the perpetrators of the Dublin bomb outrages had been picked up and were now detained, but it was impossible to get the evidence to try them in ordinary courts”.

A similar statement is recorded in minutes prepared by the Department of Foreign Affairs relating to a meeting in Dublin on 21 November 19744. “He (the Prime Minister) emphasised again that the people who had bombed Dublin were now interned and that this was the only way which they could be dealt with because the sort of evidence against them would not stand up in court. They were certain they had the right people, but they could not bring them to trial.” Judge Barron went on to state.

Notwithstanding the information supplied in the course of these meetings, there appears to have been no follow through by any of those who became aware of it. Nothing was apparently raised at the meeting. Names were not sought, nor the evidence that justified the internment, nor the allegation that they had been responsible for the Dublin bombing. Following the meetings, there is no evidence that the information was passed, either to the Minister for Justice or any of his officials or indeed to the Garda Commissioner or any other Garda officer.

Certainly, Patrick Cooney, the then Minister for Justice was never made aware of it, nor is there any record of such information being passed to An Garda Síochána. This absence of apparent interest in those interned, and in whatever evidence there was which indicated that some of them were involved in the Dublin bombings, strongly suggests that the Irish Government made no efforts to assist the investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings at a political level.

This denunciation requires no further amplification by me. There is little doubt that military elements were using Brigadier Frank Kittson’s doctrine of using counter-gangs to do their dirty work. However lest one thinks that all condemnation is one way traffic it is well to remember that the Provisional IRA exploded three bombs in pubs in Birmingham on 21 November 1974 murdering 21 innocents. This was the same day that Harold Wilson repeated to Liam Cosgrave that they had interned the Dublin and Monaghan bombers.

Searching for the truth

Investigation teams were assembled in Dublin and Monaghan and within a very short time, the names of prominent Loyalist suspects were established. In the circumstances prevailing at that time, it was not possible to get the necessary cooperation in Northern Ireland to gather evidence or eventually allow for extradition to the Republic. This was a definite cul-de-sac in terms of the investigation. The information obtained by the Taoiseach was not passed to the Gardaí. This was a remarkable omission.

The Provisional IRA continued to be a major threat in the Republic as well as the North. In May 1974 the Special Criminal Court was hearing the case against a Provo gang who had murdered Senator Billy Fox in 1973. This meant that many Gardaí from Monaghan who otherwise would have been directly involved in the bombing investigation were otherwise occupied in Dublin’s Special Criminal Court. In August of 1974, 19 Provos blasted out of Portlaoise Prison. The British ambassador was murdered in 1976 and Garda Michael Clerkin was murdered in a booby trap explosion near Portarlington. Several Provos escaped from the Special Criminal Court using explosives.

For whatever reason the Dublin government simply ignored the bombings. Nothing happened until 1993 when Yorkshire Television broadcast the documentary the “Hidden Hand” which was a significant exposé of the bombings. The Garda Síochána remarkably cooperated in full with this documentary and appointed Detective Superintendent Tom Connolly as liaison to the documentary makers.

In 1996 an organisation Justice for the Forgotten (JFF), was formed and this became a lobby group for the families. It was not until 1999 that Dublin decided to hold any “form” of an inquiry into the killings.

members-of-justice-for-the-forgotten-protesting-outside-dublin-castle-during-a-meeting-of-the-british-irish-council-with-british-prime-minister-tony-blair-the-group-is-demanding-that-britain-s 2001: Members of Justice for the Forgotten protesting outside Dublin Castle, during a meeting of the British-Irish Council, with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Dublin absolutely refused to hold a sworn public inquiry, and this was a major obstacle to truth recovery. Judge Barron did make the discovery already mentioned in relation to the information supplied by the British.

Collusion

In 2006, the Dáil Justice Committee made findings regarding collusion. They observed that there was collusion on the British side which had overall applicability not least to the Dublin/Monaghan bombings.

“The rise of the loyalist paramilitary groups led to collaboration between them and elements of the security forces on the basis that both had a common goal – the defeat of the PIRA. Such collusion was greatest between locally enlisted members of the RUC and UDR; so much so that no firm line of definition between some members of those forces and the loyalist paramilitaries could be discerned.”

The ultimate bizarre aspect of this saga is the comparatively recent intervention in the Republic by a former senior British Police officer Jon Boutcher (current Chief Constable PSNI) and his team. He was the former Head of Operation Kenova inquiring into the activities of Freddie Scappaticci aka Stakeknife, the British Agent and PIRA hitman. Mr. Boutcher has repeatedly said that he has no jurisdiction in the South. Surprisingly, he and his team have been reportedly visiting families of the victims in the Republic and carrying out other inquiries.

It is blindingly obvious that the sole responsibility for investigating the Dublin and Monaghan car bombings rests with the current Garda Commissioner and no other jurisdiction unless of course, the British authorities wish to disclose information, which up to now has remained secure in their archives.

Truly this was a savage time in our history and at the very least the families of the dead deserve a heartfelt apology from both governments.

John O’Brien (jaobrien.ie)  is a former Detective Chief Superintendent, in An Garda Síochána. He is formerly head of the International Liaison Protection section in Garda HQ, National Head of Interpol and Europol. He was Divisional Chief Superintendent in the Louth/Meath and Laois/Offaly Divisions. A former Superintendent, Detective Inspector, Uniform Inspector and Sergeant. He is the holder of an MSc in Public Order Studies. He is the author of four books, A Question of Honour, Politics and Policing (2020) and Securing the Irish State (2022). The Troubles Come South 2023 and this his latest book, The Great Deception – Dublin and Monaghan Bombings 1974

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    bmul
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    Apr 5th 2017, 7:42 PM

    Legalise control and tax

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    Mute Ian Moloney
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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:28 PM

    @bmul: you can’t work and therefore can’t pay tax if you’re on cannabis.

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    bmul
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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:36 PM

    @Ian Moloney: bullshit plenty working now who smoke

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    Mute Karen Wellington
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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:39 PM

    @Ian Moloney: why can’t they work? And how would that stop them paying tax? The unemployed are still expected to pay VAT and people are taxed when collecting job seekers or injury/illness benefit.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:55 PM

    @bmul: I hope they’re not driving my bus.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:58 PM

    @Karen Wellington: collecting benefits isn’t really work.

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    bmul
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:04 PM

    @Ian Moloney: I don’t smoke tried it once years ago didn’t like it but that’s my choice others should have the choice if they do

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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:26 PM

    @Ian Moloney: I didn’t say it was, I’m just trying to correct you by explaining, in what I thought were simple terms, that unemployed people pay taxes too. I also pointed out that using medicinal cannabis wouldn’t preclude user from working. I would also hope bus drivers aren’t taking opioids while working.

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    Mute Mark Gearey
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:30 PM

    @Ian Moloney: I can’t work if I’m not ‘on that demon cannabis’

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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:33 PM

    @bmul: you’re really bs ING me if your telling me you’d personally employ someone who is stoned.

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    bmul
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:47 PM

    @Ian Moloney: I have employed people who smoked and those that drank but not stoned or drunk when working that’s a sacking

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    Apr 5th 2017, 11:09 PM

    @bmul: cannabis remains in the blood for over a week. I hope you provided generous annual leave allowances.

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    Mute john doe
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    Apr 5th 2017, 11:30 PM

    Ian just because alcohol is lefal dies it mean everyonegoes to work drunk? No.

    I know literally hundreds of people who work hard, are productive healthy members of society and in a lot of cases high achievers. Your preconceptions are misfounded and illinformed.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 11:47 PM

    @john doe: I hope you are not at work typing .

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    Apr 6th 2017, 12:22 AM

    Ian I just have fat fingers and a small keypad, how about you answer the valid points i made and save us from your limp wit

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    Apr 6th 2017, 7:59 AM

    @john doe: the article is about cannabis not lefal alcohol.

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    Apr 6th 2017, 11:15 AM

    Ian the point I made is very relevant to the discussion. I framed it using the alcohol analogy because I felt it might help you to understand as you clearly have no idea what you are talking about regarding cannabis.
    But you are very good at your spelling. Well done, gold star for you today.

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    Mute John Fergus
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    Apr 5th 2017, 7:50 PM

    Personally I can’t stomach the fake outbursts and cheap pr stunts staged by many far lefties but on this issue they have a point. The puritan like attitude of FG/FF/LAB etc on this issue is equally sickening.
    This isn’t a left right issue its a common sense one. Right now you can get cannabis in any village in Ireland but god only knows the quality of how it is produced and processed. If politicians were concerned about public health they would legalize and regulate this herb.

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    Mute Cillín Ó hEadhra
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    Apr 5th 2017, 7:54 PM

    @John Fergus: If the world was run solely by the left it would spin out of control.

    If it were up to the right it would stop spinning altogether.

    There is an option in between. Common fcuking sense.

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    bmul
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    Apr 5th 2017, 7:55 PM

    @John Fergus: but that would be the sensible thing to do and the church going from folk would get upset

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    Apr 5th 2017, 8:06 PM

    @Cillín Ó hEadhra: agreed …….but it seems common sense is not so common anymore.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 8:28 PM

    @John Fergus: Here you don’t be coming on Journal pointing out things like that!

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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:35 PM

    @John Fergus: the plant grows itself. Sunlight and water should be sufficient.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:00 PM

    @John Fergus: you were right on the first phrase……

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    Apr 6th 2017, 1:19 AM

    @Ian Moloney: And I’ll gladly help it along, just don’t ruin my life and career because I’m not a drinker.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 7:57 PM

    Right about opioids. A family member has been put on oxycontin, the lowest dose at the moment to control pain from cancer. All of a sudden, symptoms which were never there before are appearing since starting the drug. I looked it up and common side effects are

    constipation,
    nausea,
    stomach pain,
    loss of appetite,
    vomiting,
    sleepiness,
    tiredness,
    drowsiness,
    dizziness,
    lightheadedness,
    weakness,
    itching,
    headache,
    dry mouth,
    sweating

    Would they ever hurry up and legalise medicinal cannabis.

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    Mute Malachi
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    Apr 5th 2017, 8:04 PM

    Are you aware that nearly every drug has a list of horrible *potential* side effects?

    A potential side effect of paracetamol is liver failure and death, would you call it unsafe?

    Oxycodone is a useful analgesic when used properly, its main flaw being potential for addiction.

    Cannabis (specifically THC) hasn’t been demonstrated by any scientific standard to be an effective analgesic, and certainly nowhere near the level needed for cancer pain.

    Please, stay in the realm of facts if you want to defend the use of cannabis which certainly has medical uses.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 8:18 PM

    @Malachi: I can tell you now that as soon as this drug was started, they were not potential side effects, she actuallyexperienced them. Nausea, vomiting, weakness, tiredness, loss of appetite appeared which were not there two days previous. The nurse handed us a prescription for two different constipation medicines. I ask her why. She said oxycontin causes constipation and she was right.

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    jane
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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:01 PM

    @watersedge: tell your family member to get tablets from the doctor that help to protect the stomach while she’s taking those God awful things. I can’t remember the name of the tablets I took but they were Proten or something like that. They definitely helped and she just has to eat before taking them, it makes all the difference.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:34 PM

    @jane: Thanks. Pantoprazole is probably what you mean and she is on them plus trying her best to eat before taking them but still no joy. Too much of a coincidence that she is getting all these symptoms since starting the oxycontin even though the dose is the lowest. They are good for pain but I think they jumped in too quick prescribing them long term as it was an infection which caused the pain and it is cleared up now.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:42 PM

    I sound like I am contradicting myself. They put her on them at the start as they thought is was a small lesion from the cancer pressing on a nerve but found out it was an infection. I’m not happy they have just decided to keep her on them now anyway in case she gets a pain in the future instead of waiting until she actually needs them and so she is stuck with all these side effects.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:06 PM

    @Malachi: it is very effective for pain relief.

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    jane
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:27 PM

    @watersedge: they really are awful. I would agree with you about not leaving her on them, she’ll start to get a resistance to them and then she’ll have to increase the dosage if she does have pain.

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    Apr 6th 2017, 12:08 AM

    Malachi. The point is that the side effects of cannabis are not nearly as bad, as you rightly point out if not used correctly even paracetomal can kill. Wheras cannabis cannot.

    So if it provides some sick people releif of any kind and is less harmful than most over the counter drugs, just let them have it, in a regulated monitored fashion..
    so what if they also get a bit of a buzz from it, that is why most people are opposed to it, the buzz, nothing to do with safety really.

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    Apr 6th 2017, 7:41 PM

    @john doe: “The point is that the side effects of cannabis are not nearly as bad, [...] paracetomal can kill. Wheras cannabis cannot.”

    Cannabis use has side effects too, like any drug. It’s not going to kill you by overdose, but neither will smoking cigarettes – it’s long-term effects we’re dealing with here.

    “if it provides some sick people releif of any kind and is less harmful than most over the counter drugs”

    It does provide *some* sick people effective relief for their specific conditions – which is what the HPRA approved its use for in their report. What is the objection? We have no idea whether long term cannabis use is “less harmful” than ‘most OTC drugs’. Indeed, most OTC drugs have a great safety record when used properly.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 8:08 PM

    Interested to know how many of the advisors hold shares in big pharma companies.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:02 PM

    @Séa Graham: CTN’s out again.. So tell us how many shares have they? Asking a loaded question is a standard technique of the deluded CTN.

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    Mute The Unknown Souldier
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    Apr 5th 2017, 8:05 PM

    “A legally protected, secure supply of a quality-controlled cannabis-based product, that is effective, and safer than many authorised products, especially for pain relief”. So that would be a synthetic substitute developed by the same companies who gave us Fentanyl then? The government should not be allowed to police the body politic of an adult individual of sound mind so they can monetize people like commodities for private exploitation. The pharmaceutical companies already play fast and loose with people’s lives and the government should protect us from exploitation, not direct us towards it. “We will support a health-led approach rather than a criminal justice approach to drug use.”, which is why the majority of drug busts in the headlines over the past few months have been cannabis seizures? No cannabis, no users, no problem. The drug war is a lie for corporate profit, people who are sick or have sick children should take whatever measures they can to treat the symptoms of that illness, as has proven to be the case with cannabis in many instances. The government aren’t going to help, they’re just going to spin more rhetoric and hyperbole, while doing nothing to relieve people’s immediate suffering.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 7:49 PM

    @tommy il give you fifteen mins in my pain,one dose of incontenice and that tune wouldn’t be long changing

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    Apr 5th 2017, 7:46 PM

    Minister for Death Simon Harris

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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:05 PM

    I knew an ex-cop who prided themselves on their law-abiding character always and even with Stage 4 refused to avail of offered CBD and THC oil until the very last, having finally been assured by three doctors and several former colleagues that it was Ok. It brought the poor sufferer some immediate surcease in terms of enhanced appetite, sleep, and bowel movement, while remaining compos mentis, all of which the various “ethical” poisons, the morphine derivatives and analogues destroy.

    I knew another, a chemist, who absolutely despised the morphine based drugs and synthetics, and managed their pain through THC and paracetamol almost to the last. Again, compos mentis until the final eight hours.

    Cancer is cruel enough. We shouldn’t make it crueller yet thru kowtowing to Big Pharma.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 8:13 PM

    Mr. Kenny, what authority do you have to say that the HPRA report/decision was biased?

    The HPRA evaluated the current haul of scientific evidence on the medical use of cannabis and based their report on that.

    What does ‘practical experience’ have to do with clinical trials and meta-analyses? It seems you don’t understand how the regulatory body for medicines is supposed to function.

    Indeed, if practitioners did have experience with the drug’s use, they’d be more likely to be biased either way based on limited data rather than conclusive evidence.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:27 PM

    @Malachi: There are hundreds if peer reviewed studies on Cannabis as an effective analgesic.If you bothered to look.Somehow though , methinks you did’nt.

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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:45 PM

    @Diarmuid Doran: paracetamol is an effective analgesic. Your post is meaningless unless you quantify its strength, specificity etc.

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    Mute Diarmuid Doran
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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:54 PM

    @Ian Moloney: My apologies Ian but could you direct me to the section where I could find pointers on writing meaningful posts ? I so much want to meet your aporoval.

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    Mute Pharmy
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:00 PM

    @Diarmuid Doran: which is why the expert panel look at meta analyses of ALL studies, examining the quality of the studies, balancing the efficacy and the safety to produce a risk benefit analysis that properly reflects the appropriate use of any given drug. The HPRA know what they’re doing.

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    Mute Diarmuid Doran
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:06 PM

    @Pharmy: I’m sure they do.I’m sure none of them have been tainted by previous employer history.Pharmy , on foot of your knowledge , Ill completely change my viewpoint.Tell me , have you had that ” Pharmy ” account for long ?
    Pull the other one chap , its wooden.

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    Mute Pharmy
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:13 PM

    @Diarmuid Doran: Those who can’t argue with the message attack the messenger, it is the last refuge of the closed minded and the ignorant.

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    Mute Mark Gearey
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:44 PM

    @Malachi: Is it necessary to prove it works. Lots of drugs don’t work for everybody. If it’s not working take em off it and try something else. It’s pretty non toxic, so what’s wrong with the California model. Anyone can get a medical cannabis card. I don’t hear about all the chaos and lawsuits against the state. Which you might expect if this was a dangerous insufficiently tested drug. Let people grow it and try it doe themselves with medical support if needed. Anyone that wants it now can already get it. And keep up the rigorous testing at the same time.

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    Mute Ian Moloney
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:50 PM

    @Diarmuid Doran: Try reading the hundreds of peer reviewed articles you mentioned.

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    Mute Joe Smith
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    Apr 6th 2017, 12:04 AM

    @Pharmy: and what about the swine flu vaccine that they licensed without testing?

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    Mute Malachi
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    Apr 6th 2017, 1:03 AM

    @Mark

    Is it necessary to prove it works?

    Yes. The government (taxpayer) will be paying for the medical card prescriptions – I don’t want to pay for things that don’t work.

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    Mute Mistawez
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    Apr 6th 2017, 1:27 AM

    @Pharmy: Even studying the plant has been severely restricted for years, which points to an obvious connection with money.

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    Mute Joe Smith
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    Apr 6th 2017, 2:41 AM

    @Malachi: yet the HPRA are going to allow a new epilepsy drug to be licenced in ireland, can’t think of the name of it at the moment, which has serious side effects for children using it, including heart problems and personality changes.

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    Mute Diarmuid Doran
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    Apr 6th 2017, 8:10 AM

    @Pharmy: Dont give me the Ad Hominem crap pharmy.Im way too long in the tooth for your mischief believe me.My namecis there if you wish to speak to me with your real name.Ive nothing to hide , have you ?

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    Mute Mark Gearey
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    Apr 6th 2017, 9:07 AM

    @Malachi: I dont think it has to be done that way. See above for why not. What’s wrong with the California model? Do existing drugs work all the time from everybody. Some of our money is already being ‘ wasted ‘ on prescriptions that later have to be changed.

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    Mute Malachi
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    Apr 6th 2017, 12:28 PM

    Yes but there should be ample scientific evidence a drug is more effective than placebo for a drug to be approved and paid for by the taxpayer.

    I’d much rather we had prescription drugs on the market that are sometimes ineffective (but are proven to work through scientific scrutiny) than drugs like cannabis that do not have any such evidence base supporting their use (except for select conditions).

    I am in favour of the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use – but its use as an approved medical product is quite a different matter.

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    Mute Malachi
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    Apr 6th 2017, 7:48 PM

    @Diarmuid Doran: What is your standard of evidence? The HPRA reviewed all of the literature on cannabis analgesia and concluded that the evidence did not support its use for that purpose.

    Indeed the report acknowledged that some evidence indicates that cannabis can be effective for analgesia, but if you’d read it, you’d have seen their reasoning for not approving cannabis for that purpose;

    “The data generally suggested an improvement in pain associated with cannabis products. When these clinical trials are combined, the overall estimate of benefit is moderate and there is no effect on patient’s self reported quality of life. The symptoms of pain are subjective, and the majority of clinical trials that have been conducted have been shown to be subject to a moderate risk of bias (where repeated errors in data collection have led to incorrect estimates). These biases mean that the treatment effects that have been reported in clinical trials of cannabis for chronic pain should be viewed with caution, and that the evidence-base in terms of benefit remains uncertain. In addition, cannabis products were associated with a greater risk of side effects, including serious side effects, when compared to other pain medicines. No studies have evaluated the
    long term safety of treatment with cannabis products. Current evidence suggests that larger more definitive clinical trials are needed. This approach is consistent with the views of pain specialists and medical professional bodies who have cited concern about the use of cannabis and cannabinoids in the management of chronic pain, in the absence of proven benefit to risk data.”

    http://health.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/HPRA-Report-FINAL.pdf

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    Mute Diarmuid Doran
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    Apr 6th 2017, 9:02 PM

    @Malachi: You’re annoying me.My standard of evidence if you really want to know Malachi is excruciating pain from Stage 4 Colon , Liver , Lung & Lymph cancer , terminal by the way. Does that satisfy you , you know all prik?

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    Mute Paul Parker
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    Apr 5th 2017, 8:37 PM

    From the ‘food’ that we are being sold to the ‘medicine’ we are being prescribed we are being killed off by these corporations….cancer comes from the food we are eating….that is fact….

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:04 PM

    @Paul Parker: This must be CTN night out. This insane comment is CTN squared.

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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:31 PM

    Much cancer is idiopathic. Fact.

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    Mute Cathal Flood
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:03 PM

    It’s not about Harris or Kenny or any of those puppets in the dail, it’s your huge multinational drug companies based in Ireland , employing 1000′s that tell the government of the day what they would like in law, no debating, end of !!!
    Same reason Ireland has nearly highest price in Europe for all pharmaceuticals, follow the money !

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    Mute Mark Gearey
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    Apr 5th 2017, 11:09 PM

    @Cathal Flood: Correctamundo. But that just sounds too crazy, lefty, hippy, conspiracy theory ish for some people. And the mere thought of losing market share to a plant kicks the lobby into top gear. St. Johns wort comes to mind. Surprised I can still buy Echinacea over the counter.

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    Mute Nollaig Elliot
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:23 PM

    It’s a natural ingredient from our planet ffs. If alcohol can be legal!

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    Mute Nasir Naz
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    Apr 6th 2017, 7:16 AM

    Free the weed its a natural medicine from the ground

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    Mute Pharmy
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:07 PM

    Those who promoted this bill are either wilfully or negligently ignorant of the science and practice of medicine. There are easier ways to promote the availability of cannabinoids for medicinal use within existing legislation. The real agenda here is recreational use.

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    Mute Ian Moloney
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:45 PM

    @Pharmy: but the co_ author is a Doctor?

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    Mute Mark Gearey
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    Apr 5th 2017, 10:56 PM

    @Pharmy: The real story here is alcohol is far more problematic and is totes legal. Legalise cannabis, let people see if it works for them. If not no harm done. And yes people will have legal access to a much safer recreational drug too. What’s wrong with that. What is the benefit of prohibiting it? I could kill myself with Panadol a million times easier than do serious harm with cannabis. Unless I accidentally choke on my brownie or something.

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    Mute Joe Smith
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    Apr 5th 2017, 11:30 PM

    @Pharmy: not for Vera Twomey’s daughter. It’s medicinal cannabis she needs and she cannot get it through existing legislation.

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    Mute Joe Smith
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    Apr 5th 2017, 11:48 PM

    @Pharmy: and btw, I very much doubt the child would be smoking it. It would probably be dispensed in an oil form or capsule form like any other medicine.

    Someone has a vested interest in keeping it out and are dong a very good job of trying to blur the line between medicinal cannabis and recreational cannabis and confusing the issue. And before anybody decides to point out they are the same thing, I know they come from the same plant, it’s the purpose they are used for that differentiates them

    Medicinal cannabis is needed to help control certain conditions…..it won’t ever cure them unfortunately. People who need medicinal cannabis don’t have a choice.

    Recreational cannabis i don’t really give two hoots about. That is each individual personal decision to use or not.

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    Mute Pharmy
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    Apr 6th 2017, 12:34 AM

    @Pharmy: the Misuse of Drugs Act contains four Schedules or lists of active agents (drugs). Each Schedule has different levels of restriction on the prescription, sale, possession & use of the drugs listed. Over the years drugs have been listed, delisted & rescheduled. A Bill went through the Dail last year coming into effect this month which rescheduled a number of drugs. Why wasn’t cannabis or specific cannabinoids included, there is sufficient evidence to merit it. The TDs who put forward the ‘Medicinal Cannabis Bill’ should have been aware of this. Once rescheduled cannabinoids could be licensed like any other medicine.

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    Mute Pharmy
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    Apr 6th 2017, 12:35 AM

    @Pharmy: Medicines licensed in other countries could be recognised & sold here. Medicines licensed via the European system could automatically be sold here. Licensing is important because it ensures that every tablet / drop / spray contains what it is claims to contain. If this cannot be guaranteed then over or under dosing results. Doctors need to know how much they are prescribing for a patient in order to balance desired effects with side effects in a way that is suitable for that patient. This is especially true for children.

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    Mute Pharmy
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    Apr 6th 2017, 12:35 AM

    @Pharmy: To summarise: a Bill that would allow for the licensing of medicinal cannabinoids (at no additional cost to the tax payer) was passing through the Dail at the same time as TDs proposed a Bill with (purportedly) the same purpose, but with the addition of new & expensive monitoring systems. The new bill is in fact more similar to the licensing of recreational drugs (alcohol & tobacco) … and they both turned out so well.
    Anyone pushing a Bill through the Dail should know this, which suggests wilful / negligent ignorance as previously stated. Negligent ignorance implies incompetence. Wilful ignorance implies another agenda. Take your pick.

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    Mute Diarmuid Doran
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    Apr 6th 2017, 8:17 AM

    @Pharmy: Negligent ignorance , a bit like’ burying your head in the sand’ .

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    Mute Mark Gearey
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    Apr 6th 2017, 9:12 AM

    @Pharmy: Do you think alcohol and tobacco should be prohibited?

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Apr 5th 2017, 8:29 PM
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    Mute Hugh Carroll
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    Apr 7th 2017, 11:50 AM
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    Mute Evelyn Fagan
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    Apr 5th 2017, 9:27 PM

    @jane: was it protium?

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    Mute ttoqq
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    Apr 6th 2017, 4:50 PM

    I was hoping for an unbiased, objective review. In this country I guess hope is my mistake.

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    Mute Kumar Komar
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    Apr 6th 2017, 10:02 AM

    Welcome to the great KUMAR spell temple where you can get solution to all your problems
    Do you want to be rich, famous, wants prosperity in your business, want your ex back to you, want people to love you, success in your examination, win bets, want to see vision, you need promotion in Work, you need healing to all types of diseases and lot more just contact the great kumar and now by messaging me and your problems will be solved. CONTACT US ON ( kumarkomartemple@yahoo.com ) WhatsApp No:+2347085067098

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    Mute ttoqq
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    Apr 6th 2017, 5:02 PM

    Decriminalise this drug now, then all the elitist fannys will have to concede that it has enormous potential for a positive impact when legalised. Look, it is going to happen. You are withholding the inevitable Simon Harris. Your damage is not beyond repair, be on the right side of history.

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    Mute Ginger Victi
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    Apr 6th 2017, 12:48 PM

    Voices of opposition are regurgitating the big pharma line. You could probably work out who gets big pharma perks just by listening to their babble around dangers of driving, the reactions with other meds, language being used is not their own, especially when they stutter and urmmm their way through a statement they obviously didn’t write themselves. The professor from Galway did a superb job as did the doctor. If they use cannabis products for the illnesses stated in the Barnes Report, big pharma will not be happy. Ireland has kissed the ass of big pharma, and been allowed free reign. People are not so naive, this is 21st century, and we have a voice.

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    Mute Tommy_Bannon
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    Apr 6th 2017, 6:36 PM

    The censorship is unbelievable here.
    Someone disagrees with you – censor them.

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    Mute Gill James
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    Apr 6th 2017, 1:36 AM

    Medical cannabis is available on prescription now in Canada – along with many other countries. An ageing and increasingly frail Leonard Cohen made use of it successfully to help him with severe pain during his last months. He was able to continue living in his home and recording songs until he passed on. If it’s good enough for Leonard it’s good enough for me.

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