South Armagh man Willie Frazer spoke out after Cork County councillor Kieran McCarthy, a former Irish army soldier, gave an interview to the News Letter this week in which he admitted “cooperating” with the IRA while serving in the forces.

The 58-year-old former Sinn Fein representative told how he went on to join the IRA, and claimed many of his army colleagues had taken a similar path.

The Irish Defence Forces press office declined to make any comment about Cllr McCarthy’s claims, but Lisnaskea-based victims’ group South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) said his comments did a disservice to the majority of IDF personnel “who served with honour and valour”.

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William Frazer

Reacting to Cllr McCarthy’s claims, Mr Frazer, who represents the Family Research & Policy Unit, called for an investigation into alleged collusion between Irish state forces and the Provisional IRA.

“This confirms what our research has been telling us for many years. We have consistently called on the Irish government to not only acknowledge collusion but hold a full and transparent investigation into how Irish Defence Forces members may have colluded with PIRA units,” he said.