In brief
The Irish government formally apologises to the family of Brian Stack, a senior prison officer shot in 1983, after repeated Garda investigations failed to bring the perpetrators to justice. Taoiseach Micheal Martin delivered the apology in the Dáil, citing significant failures such as lost evidence and improper handling of the original investigation. Stack’s son expressed that the apology means ‘an awful lot’ to the family, while political figures including Sinn Féin’s Helen McEntee and UK Secretary of State Chris Bryant welcomed the gesture. The IRA had admitted responsibility for Stack’s killing in 2013, and the apology comes amid ongoing efforts to address unresolved Troubles‑era crimes.
The Irish state has formally apologised to the family of Brian Stack, a senior prison officer who was shot and later died in 1983. The apology was delivered by taoiseach Micheal Martin in the Dáil chamber, after three Garda investigations failed to bring the killers to justice.
Stack, who was the chief prison officer at high‑security Portlaoise Prison, crossed a Dublin street after a boxing match when a gunman fired a single shot into the back of his neck. He survived a brief period of paralysis but died 18 months later at the age of 49.
Martin said the Provisional IRA still possesses all the facts on the case but that Ireland was guilty of serious failures in its handling of the investigation. He listed a series of missteps – from the loss of a crime‑scene map to the failure to secure a motorbike helmet and key fingerprints – and announced a full apology to the Stack family.
‘An awful lot’, says Stack’s son
Brian Stack’s son Austin said the apology means ‘an awful lot’ to us, describing it as a great sense of comfort for his mother and himself. He added that a serious‑crime review team had uncovered 194 errors and omissions in the original Garda investigation, yet the report remained sealed from the family.
Political response
In the House of Commons, secretary of state Chris Bryant welcomed the apology, calling it entirely right and proper. Sinn Fein’s Helen McEntee also spoke, accepting responsibility for the IRA’s role and apologising for the pain caused.
Former garda commissioner Drew Harris had earlier issued a form of apology in 2019, and in 2023 a file on the case was returned to the police for further inquiry. Stack remains the only prison officer killed in the aftermath of the Troubles.
