Donegal Dail Deputy Niall Blaney has launched a stinging attack on Sinn Fein Councillor Padraig MacLochlainn, suggesting the Buncrana politician has done little more than add lip service to the campaign for an enquiry into the death of former Sinn Fein councillor Eddie Fullerton.
Deputy Blaney said the Fullerton campaign has died since the tragic death of Eddie's son Albert Fullerton. And even though Cllr. MacLochlainn had taken over Eddie Fullerton's council seat from Cllr. Jim Ferry, he has done nothing more than give the c
ampaign 'the odd mention here and there.'
The North East Deputy also said Eddie Fullerton's picture still hangs in many Fianna Fail houses across Donegal and said that was something Cllr. MacLochlainn would never aspire to.
The Fianna Fail TD also accused Cllr. MacLochlainn of political opportunism in the fall-out over comments the Fianna Fail TD made at a recent meeting of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
Cllr. MacLochlainn said he was alarmed that Deputy Blaney had suggested too much time had been spent examining what has happened in the past during the Northern Troubles, where very few answers are to be obtained. He said Blaney had 'missed the point' and pointed to the campaigns of local families, including the Fullertons, who were still looking for answers.
However, Deputy Blaney has hit back with a scathing response, accusing Cllr. MacLochlainn of political opportunism.
"Padraig MacLochlainn hasn't done much more than add lip service to the Fullerton campaign. If he knew that much about the relationship between the Blaney family and Eddie Fullerton, he wouldn't be making those comments," he said.
"Since Eddie's son Albert died, the campaign has died. If he was so worried about Eddie Fullerton, he would do much more about the campaign than give it an odd mention here and there. I don't see him doing anything actively to progress that call for an inquiry since Eddie's son Albert died.
"I would love to see an enquiry into the death of Eddie Fullerton and I have advocated that in Dail Eireann. But in the overall context of things, there is a much wider picture than just a couple of families. There are hundreds of cases and hundreds of families."
Deputy Blaney said his father (former Deputy Harry Blaney) and Eddie Fullerton often travelled the country together to conferences and enjoyed each other's company. "They were very much personal friends," he said. "Eddie Fullerton's picture would still be hanging in a lot of Fianna Fail households. I don't think that's something that Padraig MacLochlainn will ever aspire to. It shows the high regard Eddie Fullerton is held in."
Deputy Blaney said he stood by his views expressed at the Joint Committee meeting. "There is a train of thought that a lot of this soul searching has come up with very little for a lot of individuals, not all individuals.
"I made the comment that rather than dwelling on the past forever, we shouldn't dwell there too long. Whatever they come forward with in this report, deal with it fairly quickly and let's start putting our emphasis into our present day youth in Northern Ireland who still have sectarian trends and habits. Sectarianism is still very ripe in Northern Ireland.
"The last thing you want to do is create a belief there among a lot of people that there could be answers when maybe there are none to be got. A lot of politicians can dwell on the past but the problem is a lot of them can't look to the future at all."
