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Brendan Hughes spent years as a former IRA leader, involved in plotting bank robberies and jail breaks. However, his story took a turn when he was sentenced to death by the IRA in 1975. Hughes, a native of County Tyrone, came to a realization about the gravity of his actions when faced with his own mortality. Reflecting on the possibility of being one of the Disappeared, he condemned the practice as a war crime that should have never taken place.
The former IRA leader acknowledged the misguided nature of the Northern Ireland conflict, calling it a “total waste” of life. Hughes confessed that the threat to people’s lives, including his own, made him reassess the impact of his actions. Despite not being directly involved in Disappeared cases, he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt and subsequent arrest by the Gardaí.
Hughes recounted a daring helicopter hijacking in 1973 in which three republican prisoners escaped from Mountjoy Prison, showcasing the lengths he went to in his IRA activities. However, he made it clear that he was not glorifying violence with his actions or by sharing his story. Stripped of his former ideals, Hughes expressed regret for the harm he had caused to ordinary, innocent people during the Troubles.
Now in his late 70s, Hughes expressed a desire to engage with a truth commission to provide answers to victims of the conflict. Denouncing the Legacy Act, he stressed the importance of reconciliation through truth and transparency. Although some victims groups and political parties have objected to the Legacy Act, the government is looking to reform and strengthen the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. If given the opportunity, Hughes is willing to participate in the process to seek reconciliation and closure for the dark chapter in Northern Ireland’s history
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