Alliance Party leader meets Taoiseach

The Alliance Party leader, Mr David Ford, and other party figures discussed the latest developments in the Northern Ireland peace…

The Alliance Party leader, Mr David Ford, and other party figures discussed the latest developments in the Northern Ireland peace process with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, yesterday.

The Taoiseach also met Mr Gerry Conlon, one of the Guildford Four who were wrongfully imprisoned in the 1970s following IRA bombings in Birmingham.

Mr Conlon was accompanied by the leader of the SDLP, Mr Mark Durkan.

Mr Conlon was also joined by the film director, Mr Jim Sheridan, who brought the case of the Guildford Four to the world with his film, In The Name Of The Father.

The British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, should apologise for jailing his father, Mr Giuseppe Conlon, who died in prison as a result of a long-term bronchial illness in 1980, he said.

Speaking before the meeting, Mr Conlon appealed for a public apology from Mr Blair while Mr Conlon's elderly mother is still alive. "Thirty-one years is a long time to suffer, and my mother is getting on in years," he said.

"Who knows how long she has left? She's heartbroken. We're all heartbroken. We need this to stop," said Mr Conlon, who was joined by other Conlon family members.

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Mark Hennessy

Mark Hennessy

Mark Hennessy is Ireland and Britain Editor with The Irish Times