Sinn Féin’s Ó Murchú Criticizes Covid Evaluation for Failing Dealgan House Families: “It Won’t Provide the Answers They Deserve”
Ardee News and Sport – Sinn Féin’s Ó Murchú Criticizes Covid Evaluation for Failing Dealgan House Families: “It Won’t Provide the Answers They Deserve”
Local Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú has voiced disappointment and frustration over the government’s recent decision to proceed with a Covid evaluation instead of a full public inquiry, asserting that it will not bring the answers that families affected by the Dealgan House tragedy have sought for over four years. In April and May 2020, twenty-two residents of the Dundalk nursing home died due to Covid-19, sparking calls from families and political leaders for a thorough investigation into the State’s handling of the crisis in nursing homes.
Ó Murchú, who has supported the Dealgan House families in their pursuit of truth, criticized the Cabinet’s decision, emphasizing that the evaluation’s limited scope falls short of the robust investigation needed. The evaluation, while examining the government’s pandemic response, will lack key powers, including the ability to compel document production and witness attendance, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
“For more than four years, I have walked alongside these families as they showed great courage and tenacity, often in the face of State obfuscation, to try themselves to get to the truth of how and why their loved ones died,” said Ó Murchú. “It is really disappointing to hear of an evaluation, when it should have been a proper inquiry. Where will the truth be found if witnesses, particularly those who are now private citizens, cannot be compelled to testify?”
At the Sinn Féin Ard Fhéis in September, Ó Murchú’s motion calling for an independent inquiry into the Dealgan House incident, as well as for strengthened adult safeguarding legislation, was passed with wide support. He expressed frustration that these efforts appear to have been overlooked by the government, adding that “the government has ignored the strong calls for an inquiry and have dragged their heels on the safeguarding and care partnership work.”
The government’s Covid evaluation, seen as a step towards reviewing Ireland’s pandemic response, falls short for families like those impacted by Dealgan House, who continue to seek closure and accountability. Ó Murchú’s call for a comprehensive inquiry reflects broader concerns that lessons from the pandemic could go unlearned without a transparent investigation with the authority to uncover crucial details.