Family of prison officer killed by IRA receives state apology
News Source
•Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:58:16 GMT
📰 What Happened
Ireland has apologised to the family of Brian Stack, a prison officer murdered by the IRA in 1983. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the state was sorry for failures in the investigations into the killing.
Stack was shot in the neck in Dublin after a boxing match. He was left paralysed and died 18 months later, aged 49. His wife and three sons sat in parliament for the apology.
🔍 The Backstory
Stack was chief prison officer at Portlaoise, a high-security jail. Three separate police investigations followed, but nobody was ever charged. A later review found 194 errors and omissions in the first inquiry.
The Stack family walked out when Sinn Féin politicians spoke. They want the party's leader, Mary Lou McDonald, to answer their questions. Sinn Féin says the IRA has admitted responsibility and apologised.
🎯 Why It Matters
The apology cannot bring Brian Stack back. But it shows how long families can wait for a state to admit it failed them.
Ireland has apologised to the family of Brian Stack, a prison officer murdered by the IRA in 1983. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the state was sorry for failures in the investigations into the killing.
Stack was shot in the neck in Dublin after a boxing match. He was left paralysed and died 18 months later, aged 49. His wife and three sons sat in parliament for the apology.
Stack was chief prison officer at Portlaoise, a high-security jail. Three separate police investigations followed, but nobody was ever charged. A later review found 194 errors and omissions in the first inquiry.
The Stack family walked out when Sinn Féin politicians spoke. They want the party's leader, Mary Lou McDonald, to answer their questions. Sinn Féin says the IRA has admitted responsibility and apologised.
The apology cannot bring Brian Stack back. But it shows how long families can wait for a state to admit it failed them.