The Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, has said that attending Remembrance events in Enniskillen brings home the “absolute futility and immorality” of acts such as the Enniskillen Bomb. 

Mr. Martin was speaking to the media following the Act of Remembrance which he attended in Enniskillen on Remembrance Sunday at the weekend. 

He said: “I’m always reminded when I come here of the families of those who lost their lives, the victims of that terrible bombing, and the 60 people who were injured, and that brings home to me every time I’m here the absolute futility and immorality of acts like that.”

The Taoiseach and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris laid wreaths at a Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Enniskillen, 35 years on from the IRA bombing of the event.

Mr. Martin continued a recent tradition begun by former Taoiseach Enda Kenny in 2012 by attending and placing a laurel wreath at the base of the war memorial.

This was after Mr. Heaton-Harris had laid a poppy wreath on behalf of the UK government.

Speaking to the Press Association after the event, Mr. Martin said: “This is the tenth anniversary of the Irish government first coming here to be at this ceremony, and it’s the 35th anniversary of the Enniskillen bombing – a terrible atrocity which resulted in a shocking and needless loss of life.”

Of the ten-year tradition of Irish taoisigh laying wreaths in Enniskillen, Mr. Martin added: “It reflects the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement, which is about mutual understanding.

“It’s about reconciliation, understanding the loss of different communities of life and the terrible violence that was perpetrated on people which could never be justified, and can never be justified, and also I think, in terms of our future, that we learn to understand better, different traditions, different backgrounds on this island.

“We seek mutual understanding between those two traditions, and that really is the importance and the need to continue to meet, to continue to engage, and I’ve always found that to be the most effective way to build true, sustainable peace, understanding and reconciliation on this island.”

Secretary of State, Mr. Heaton-Harris, said he found attending the Remembrance event in Enniskillen “emotional”.

“Firstly, it’s Remembrance Sunday, and it’s important just to remember those that are fallen, so we can actually walk around in a free society happily as we do,” he said.

“Secondly, in Enniskillen, it’s the 35th anniversary of some really unbelievably tragic events, and it was lovely actually down at the service, where the community has come together in such a big number.

“I’ve never been here for a Remembrance service before, but obviously the past couple of years have been Covid-affected, so the numbers have not been as big, and I found it quite emotional, to be quite frank, to remember back to news that actually had a massive imprint on my younger life."