On Tuesday 28th March 2006 Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern T.D laid before the Oireachtas a report prepared by his Department into the courts-martial and executions of 26 Irish-Born Soldiers by the British Army during the First World War. The Minister called for pardons for these Irish soldiers executed during the First World War (‘Shot at Dawn’). He stated:

1. Our unwavering objective is to engage in finding an agreed resolution on this issue that would bring comfort to the families of those executed.

2. The Minister recalled that this year marked the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. He stressed that it was in the spirit of recognising the experience and sacrifice of all our countrymen who fell during the First World War, that the Government had lent its support to the campaign to secure pardons for those Irish men who were 'shot at dawn'.

3. It is our objective to recover their memory from the dishonour that was done to them some 90 years ago.

4. A Debate was subsequently held in the Seanad on the Irish Shot at Dawn. see Irish Seanad Debates-Shot at Dawn Campaign: Statements.

The formal outing on the 28th March 2006 of the Irish Government Report into the execution of 26 Irish Born British Soldiers during world war one for various alleged military offences is the fullfillment of the Irish Government's obligation to the Irish campaign and signals the conclusion of the Shot at Dawn Campaign Irl effort. In consequence of the unanimous cross community Irish support for pardons and as the granting of pardons for British and Commonwealth soldiers executed for various alleged military offences during world war one is a sovereign matter for Her Majesty's Government to resolve, the onus is therefore on the British Government to vindicate the good names of all who were executed. On behalf of our relatives, our solid campaigners and our resolute supporters throughout Ireland and further afield, we wish to indicate our gratitude to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Dermot Ahern T.D and his officials for their support  (Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léar).

An Irish Pardon for Executed Irish Born British Soldiers ?........... An Irish Solution to a British Problem ?

On the pretext that such a measure would be persuasive in encouraging a British Government to look more sympathetically at the pardons issue it was suggested particularly by some individuals in the UK associated with the British Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign, that the Irish Government should independently proceed and pardon all our Irish born executed British soldiers irrespective of any British determination on the matter, effectively calling for an Irish panacea to a British dilemma. Those that support such a course of action should note the following: Regardless of any British response to Irish representations, constitutional obstacles and political sensitivities would dictate that any pardon an Irish Government might consider would only effect those Irish born in the Republic of Ireland, would exclude those who were born in Northern Ireland, would not effect the soldiers courts martial file it being held by the Ministry of Defence outside Irish jurisdiction and would ultimately taking into account historical concerns be divisive. Such a pardon is not worth a penny candle. Through the successful efforts of the Shot at Dawn Campaign Irl the Irish people have now spoken at length, through debates in the Irish parliament, in the Irish senate, through individual politicians and local councils from north and south, the churches, trade unions and through ordinary citizens from Belfast to Cork, to indicate their support for pardons. This in itself is a cogent statement in principal by all the Irish people and is the much sought after moral high ground alluded to by others. We do not support the introduction of any moot or so called ad hoc Irish legislative instrument to resolve what is a British problem. Evidence has also surfaced to indicate that there is probably more Irish born executed than at first thought thereby casting doubt as to the exact figure. The Irish Government Report initiated primarily to support the efforts of the Shot at Dawn Campaign Irl corroborates the long held belief of enough reasonable doubt existing to say that those who were executed during world war one for various alleged military offences which ceased in 1929 to be punishable by death should all be pardoned. It would be manifestly unjust and a dishonour to their memory to do otherwise.

Note: Founded on the 27^th June 2002 The Shot at Dawn Campaign Irl co-ordinated by the Irish Seamen's Relatives Association (1939-46)  is an independent Irish based group who successfully campaigned to persuade the British Government to grant pardons to 26 Irish born British soldiers in particular and 275 other ranks in the British Army who were executed during world war one for various military offences which ceased in 1929 to be punishable by death:

• Since 2005, one individual from Northern Ireland located in the UK, has continually represented himself to the general media et al, as a relative of Private Bernard McGeehan, thereby adroitly attaching himself on the back of the British Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign and by default attaching himself via the back door with the independent Shot at Dawn Campaign Ireland effort, to the detriment of our Irish based support. Despite conveying our concerns, todate, this person has not proved to our satisfaction his relationship to any of the 26 Irish Shot at Dawn. Consequently, we must advise caution in dealing with this source.

• We wish to state that the Shot at Dawn Campaign Irl is not linked with any UK grouping styling itself as the Shot at Dawn Campaign, Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign, Shot at Dawn Wales or Wales Shot at Dawn.

• A book entitled Forgotten Soldiers: The Irishmen Shot at Dawn was launched in Belfast on Thursday the 25th October 2007. The Shot at Dawn Campaign Irl is not involved or linked in anyway with this publication.  An extract from Walker's book reproduced in the Belfast Telegraph states inter alia that Peter Mulvany had recently established the Irish branch of the Shot at Dawn group. The Shot at Dawn Campaign Irl co-ordinated by the Irish Seamen's Relatives Association (1939-46) is an independent Irish based group and not part or an adjunct of the British Campaign. To link the Irish SAD group with the UK end in this way is perverse and untrue.