State apology due for family of prison officer shot dead by IRA

Taoiseach to acknowledge failings in investigations into 1983 killing of Brian Stack

By LineZotpaper

Published21 October 2026

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The family of Brian Stack, a senior Irish prison officer murdered by the IRA in 1983, will receive a state apology on Wednesday when Taoiseach Micheál Martin speaks in the Dáil. The apology concerns failings in the three garda investigations into the killing, in which no one was ever brought to justice.

Brian Stack, chief prison officer at the high-security Portlaoise Prison, was shot in the back of the neck as he crossed a Dublin street after leaving a boxing match in 1983. He was left paralysed and died 18 months later, aged 49.

Three separate garda investigations into his death produced no convictions. His son, Austin Stack, told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme that the apology "means an awful lot to us". "It's a great sense of comfort, to particularly my mother and to myself and my two brothers, because the state is officially owning up to the errors and the missions that happened," he said.

Austin Stack said the serious crime review team found 194 errors and omissions in the first investigation. He said the family had asked successive ministers for justice for sight of that report but had been told it was an internal document and could not be shared.

Before the Dáil sitting, the family will hold a private meeting at government buildings with the Taoiseach and Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan.

The IRA admitted killing Stack in 2013 after a long campaign by his family, who also met Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams and a former IRA commander. Adams expressed his "regret" to the family at the time. In 2019, then garda commissioner Drew Harris apologised for the handling of the murder investigation. In 2023, gardaí told the family the case file, which had been with the Director of Public Prosecutions, was being returned to police for further investigation.

Stack was the only prison officer in the state killed by violence related to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The apology marks the first time the Irish state will formally acknowledge failings in the investigation of a killing linked to the Troubles.
It follows decades of campaigning by the Stack family and may set a precedent for other families seeking accountability for historical cases.
The family still wants access to the serious crime review team's report, and it is unclear whether Wednesday's apology will change that.

Background

Brian Stack was a senior figure in the Irish prison service during the Troubles, a period of conflict in Northern Ireland that also affected the Republic. Portlaoise Prison held paramilitary prisoners from that conflict. The IRA admitted responsibility for his killing in 2013, and his family has since pressed successive governments and garda leadership to account for failures in the original investigations.

Key Perspectives

The Stack family: The apology is vindication of Brian Stack's reputation and an official admission of errors, but they remain frustrated that the internal report on the flawed investigation has never been shown to them. The state: The Taoiseach and Minister for Justice are offering an apology on behalf of the state, acknowledging failings while not detailing what those failings were in the Dáil statement. Critics and sceptics: The family's repeated requests for the serious crime review team report have been refused on grounds that it is an internal document, raising questions about how much transparency the apology will actually deliver.

What to Watch

Whether the Taoiseach's apology includes any commitment to release the serious crime review team's findings.
The outcome of the 2023 referral of the case file back to gardaí for further investigation.
Any reaction from political parties in the Dáil, including Sinn Féin, given Gerry Adams' earlier expression of regret.

Sources

Family of prison officer shot dead by IRA to get state apology · BBC Northern Ireland

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe family of Brian Stack is due to receive a state apology on Wednesday for failings in investigations into his killing.BBC Northern Ireland: “The family of a senior Irish prison officer murdered by the IRA is to receive a state apology on Wednesday for failings in investigations into his killing.”
SupportedTaoiseach Micheál Martin will acknowledge the investigation failings during a Dáil sitting.BBC Northern Ireland: “On Wednesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin will offer an apology on behalf of the state during a sitting of the Dáil (Irish parliament).”
SupportedThe IRA murdered Brian Stack after he was shot in Dublin in 1983.BBC Northern Ireland: “The family of a senior Irish prison officer murdered by the IRA is to receive a state apology on Wednesday for failings in investigations into his killing. Brian Stack, a father of three, was crossing a street in Dublin, after leaving a boxing match in 1983, when he was shot in the back of the neck.”
SupportedStack was left paralysed and died 18 months later, aged 49.BBC Northern Ireland: “Stack, who was the chief prison officer at the high-security Portlaoise Prison, was left paralysed and died 18 months later, aged 49.”
SupportedThree separate garda investigations into Stack’s death produced no convictions.BBC Northern Ireland: “There were three separate garda (Irish police) investigations into Stack's death, but no-one was brought to justice for his killing.”
SupportedAustin Stack said the apology “means an awful lot to us”.BBC Northern Ireland: “Brian Stack's son, Austin Stack, said the apology "means an awful lot to us".”
SupportedAustin Stack said the state was “officially owning up to the errors and the missions that happened”.BBC Northern Ireland: “"It's a great sense of comfort, to particularly my mother and to myself and my two brothers, because the state is officially owning up to the errors and the missions that happened," he said.”
SupportedAustin Stack said the serious crime review team found 194 errors and omissions in the first investigation.BBC Northern Ireland: “He went on to say that the serious crime review team looked into the first investigation and "they found 194 errors and omissions".”
Partly supportedThe family was told the report was an internal document and could not be shared.BBC Northern Ireland: “And every time we've requested it, we've been told that it's an internally valid document and that we cannot see it.”
SupportedThe IRA admitted killing Stack in 2013 after the family’s campaign.BBC Northern Ireland: “The IRA admitted killing Stack in 2013 after his family mounted a long campaign to secure the admission, and met Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and a former IRA commander.”
SupportedIn 2023, gardaí told the family the case file was being sent back to police for further investigation.BBC Northern Ireland: “In 2023, gardaí told the family that the file on the case - which was with the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) - was being sent back to police for further investigation.”
SupportedStack was the only prison officer in the state killed by violence related to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.BBC Northern Ireland: “Stack was the only prisoner officer in the state killed by violence related to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.”