State apology to be delivered to family of late chief prison officer Brian Stack

The family of the late Brian Stack, the chief prison officer at Portlaoise Prison who was shot by the IRA 43 years ago and later died in hospital, will receive a formal State apology in relation to the mishandling of three separate Garda investigations into his murder.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin will deliver the apology on Wednesday in the Dáil. It follows an apology by then Garda commissioner Drew Harris in July 2019. The Stack family has been pressing for a State apology.

Brian Stack (48) was shot in the neck on March 25th, 1983, while returning to his car in the South Circular Road area of Dublin. He died in hospital on September 29th, 1984.

Portlaoise Prison at the time was the highest security jail holding many IRA members convicted under the Offences Against the State Act. As chief prison officer, Stack was known for his efficacy in maintaining security and preventing escapes.

The IRA denied responsibility but in 2013 issued a statement to Stack’s three sons, Austin, Kieran and Oliver, saying its members were responsible but that the murder had not been sanctioned by the leadership.

“In Portlaoise a brutal prison regime saw prisoners and their families suffer greatly. This is the context in which IRA volunteers shot your father,” the statement said.

The family has long been critical of what it said were missed opportunities and delays in investigating who was behind the murder.

In a letter to Austin Stack, dated September 2026, Martin said: “I wish to inform you that following Government approval, over the coming weeks I intend in my role as Taoiseach to offer the Stack family a full and unreserved apology on behalf of the State for the failings in the murder investigations of your late father.”

The family will have a private meeting with Martin and Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan before the apology on Wednesday. The family will arrive at Government Buildings at 11.30am, said Austin Stack in a statement.

The Department of the Taoiseach has been contacted for comment.