McGuinness 'ashamed' of IRA bombing

Presidential candidate   Martin McGuinness has come under fresh attack from a Northern Ireland executive colleague and a lawyer at a Garda collusion inquiry.
Arlene Foster, Stormont's trade and industry minister, challenged the Sinn Fein chief to reveal what she claims he knows about the Enniskillen Poppy Day bomb atrocity.
The senior DUP figure said there had been speculation for decades that the Derry IRA was involved in the 1987 bombing which killed 11 people as they gathered at the town's cenotaph.
Mr McGuinness's remarks on RTE television that he was "ashamed" about republican involvement in the no-warning attack sparked demands from Ms Foster that he help the PSNI's Historical Enquiries Team (HET) with their investigation of the massacre.
"If Martin McGuinness really believes the murders that day were shameful then he should have no problem speaking to the HET and answer any questions which they have," she said.


Sinn Fein has questioned the timing of the demand.
Mitchel McLaughlin, the party's South Antrim MLA and victims spokesman, said: "I find the timing of Arlene Foster's public comments about Martin McGuinness in the context of the Enniskillen bombing a little hypocritical considering that Ms Foster has served in government with Martin McGuinness for the last five years and never once broached the subject with him."
Mr McGuinness, who has stepped aside as deputy Northern Ireland First Minister because of the presidential contest, has admitted being in the IRA in Derry but insisted he left the organisation in 1974.


All seven presidential candidates were taking part in the televised debate, during which Mr McGuiness also said: "I also know journalists if they had their opportunity, they would try to blame me for the 1916 rising and the War of Independence."


UUP leader Tom Elliott said Mr McGuinness's comments make it "perfectly clear to people in Northern Ireland that Sinn Féin will say or do anything as circumstances dictate".


"Martin McGuinness is asking the voters of the Republic of Ireland to believe that he felt "ashamed" when incidents like the Enniskillen bomb took place," said Mr Elliott.


"Maybe so, but is he ashamed enough to hand over the people responsible? Or is he trying to use the Enniskillen dead in a disgusting and shameful bid to further his electoral prospects in the Republic?"


DUP MLA for the area, Arlene Foster, has also challenged Mr McGuinness to talk to the Historical Enquiries Team about the no-warning bomb in Enniskillen.


"If Martin McGuinness really believes the murders that day were shameful, then he should have no problem speaking to the HET and answering any questions they have," she said.


"The speculation for decades has been that the Enniskillen bomb was the work of provos from Londonderry where Martin McGuinness was the second in command of the PIRA.


"Rather than proposing an international truth commission to deal with these matters, it would be much more helpful to the healing process if McGuinness was to tell the truth about this incident to the HET."


Mr McGuinness will go head to head with David Norris, Dana Rosemary Scallon, Gay Mitchell, Michael D Higgins, Mary Davis and Sean Gallagher when the Republic goes to the polls on 27 October