Senator of the College of Justice Lord Turnbull yesterday presided over the inquiry’s first public hearing at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh, which dealt with preliminary legal issues.

The statutory inquiry is examining the preventability of the 1998 bombing, which was orchestrated by the Real IRA and led to the deaths of 29 people and two unborn children as well as injuries to 220 people.

It was ordered following a 2021 ruling by Northern Ireland’s High Court which found there was a “plausible case… that the authorities knew the identities of many of those committed to and involved in this violent insurrection against the Northern Ireland state and arguably could have done more to disrupt their activities”.

The Irish government announced earlier this month that it would formally co-operate with the inquiry and had been invited to participate in the preliminary hearing.

Despite suggestions from some quarters – including Northern Ireland’s High Court – that the Irish government should launch its own parallel inquiry, this appears to be increasingly unlikely.

Ruairí de Búrca, director-general of the Department of Foreign Affairs, told the hearing that the Irish government wanted to “ensure that there is nothing left unanswered in our jurisdiction at the end of the [UK] inquiry”.

“Notwithstanding the particular complexities in assisting any Inquiry established under the law of another sovereign jurisdiction, including the appropriateness of a sovereign state joining as a core participant, the government of Ireland is determined, together with the inquiry team, to establish a bespoke mechanism to guide our engagement and assist the inquiry,” he said.

He added: “This will be grounded in law to support concrete action. The government is committed to put in place additional new legislation, if that is what is required, to support our assistance to the Inquiry.

“These important details are being worked through with the inquiry team, to ensure that our engagement proceeds on the strongest possible footing.”