THE RECORD AND THE REPUBLIC

Former Parachute Regiment officer Lt Col Simon Barry discusses the Republic’s role during the Troubles, cross-border security, legacy process and why veterans believe unresolved questions remain.

Who writes the history of Operation Banner?

And who decides which parts are remembered, forgotten or left unexplored?

In the latest episode of One More Mission, former Parachute Regiment officer Lt Col Simon Barry joins the discussion to examine one of the less discussed dimensions of the Troubles:

The role of the Republic of Ireland and how that role is understood within today’s legacy debate.

The discussion explores:

• The Republic’s place in the conflict and the tension between peace process memory and conflict-era realities

• Cross-border policing, extradition and operational friction

• The murders of RUC Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Bob Buchanan in 1989 after a meeting in Dundalk, and the questions later raised by the Smithwick findings on Garda collusion and cross-border security

• Recent intervention by Jon Burrows MLA in the Northern Ireland Assembly and wider questions around legacy investigations, institutional limits and the distinction between investigation and adjudication

• Process, precedent and why veterans continue to raise concerns about confidence in legacy mechanisms

• Whether an honest legacy can exist without examining all actors and all dimensions of the conflict

This conversation is not presented as the final word.

It is part of the wider record.

Justice for Veterans exists as an authority archive and catalyst preserving evidence, testimony, process and precedent around Operation Banner and its continuing relevance.

Because the question is not simply what happened.

It is how that history is understood now — and what lessons it leaves for future generations.

Listen now:

Find the full episode here:

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