The preliminary hearing, taking place in the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh, will consider procedural issues relating to the conduct of future public hearings and the inquiry’s investigation. No witnesses will be called and no evidence will be presented.

Scottish judge Lord Turnbull was appointed last year as chairperson of the statutory inquiry into 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.

This inquiry follows 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 has pledged to co-operate with the UK inquiry, with the government confirming this month that it had accepted an invitation from Lord Turnbull to be represented at tomorrow’s hearing.

“This is a complex process that involves working with another jurisdiction but we do have recent precedent for doing this,” a government spokesperson said at the time.

“For example, the Omagh civil case and we also produced legislative means to assist inquests in Northern Ireland with Operation Denton and the independent review of activities into the Glennane gang.”

Although the 2021 High Court ruling expressed a desire for a simultaneous investigation south of the border, the Irish government has not so far indicated that it will launch its own inquiry.