Colombia Three to get civic reception

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday June 17, 2004 23:04 by Dunk

Colombia Three to get civic reception

Lord Mayor Royston Brady has announced that he will be hosting a civic reception in Dublin for the Colombia Three, on their return from captivity in Bogota. This will likely be his last civic function.

DUBLIN, IRELAND - Lord Mayor Royston Brady has announced that he will be hosting a civic reception in Dublin for the Colombia Three, on their return from captivity in Bogota. This will likely be his last civic function.

"The courage and dignity shown by James Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley during their incarceration has been nothing short of breathtaking," said Brady. "The least I can do is to show them how much Dublin appreciates what they've been through".

Colombia's Vice President, Francisco Santos, said yesterday his government had agreed that the men could return to Ireland for the ceremony, pending approval for this move from magistrates hearing the appeal.

A spokeswoman for the Bogota Three Support Group said: "We are delighted with Lord Mayor Brady's announcement. It is no less than these men deserve."

It is also understood that a party could be held in Dublin's Phoenix Park to welcome the trio home, with RTE's Joe Duffy acting as MC of the event. The OPW have declined to comment on the use of the park for this event.