Patrick Finucane Inquiry Hearings Attendance Guide
Patrick Finucane Inquiry Hearings Attendance Guide
Introduction
The Patrick Finucane Inquiry’s evidential and procedural public hearings will take place in Bradford Court Hearing Centre in Belfast. This document provides general guidance for all those wishing to attend.
Location
The public hearings will be held in Bradford Court Hearing Centre, 1 Bradford Court, Upper Galwally, Belfast, BT8 6RB. A link to the venue location can be found here.
How to attend the Inquiry’s hearings
Subject to limits on the number of people who can be accommodated, the hearings are open to anyone aged 14 or over who wishes to attend. However, attendees (including Core Participant clients and members of the public) should register in advance by completing the registration form which will be available on the ‘Hearings’ section of the website. This will be available from Tuesday 26 May 2026.
The Inquiry strongly advises that attendees book using this form to ensure they are guaranteed a space on the day they wish to attend. Any queries on this process can be directed to operations@finucane.independent-inquiry.uk.
Members of the media wishing to attend a hearing should register their interest here. An operational note will be issued to media in advance of the hearings.
Core Participants’ Recognised Legal Representatives will be asked to confirm their attendance in advance by emailing solicitors@finucane.independent-inquiry.uk and do not need to register using this form.
Children and young people attending hearings
Anyone aged under 14 will not be permitted to attend the hearing room to observe. This is because the content of the hearings may be distressing and traumatic, which may be unsuitable for children or young people. Those aged 14-17 may attend the hearing centre to follow proceedings in the public viewing annex / family room but must always be accompanied by an adult who agrees to be responsible for their wellbeing and behaviour.
Seat reservation
There are seats available for reservation in the public gallery in the hearing room as well as seats in the public viewing annex. The public viewing annex will stream the proceedings on a delay and attendees may use their electronic devices and eat and drink tea, coffee or soft drinks in this area. Attendees may not use electronic devices in the hearing room public gallery.
Additional seats in the public viewing annex may be available on a first come first served basis, in person, on the day of the hearing. This cannot be guaranteed. Please note that those who attend without registering in advance may be turned away if the Hearing Centre is at capacity.
Reservations must be made for an individual and should only be made for dates that the named individual can attend. If you need to update any information that you have provided, please contact operations@finucane.independent-inquiry.uk. Please note seats may not be transferred to another individual.
Cancellations
If you cannot attend and have reserved a seat, please cancel as soon as possible by emailing operations@finucane.independent-inquiry.uk to allow others an opportunity to attend.
Press attendance at the hearings
A separate media annex will be available for accredited members of the media should they wish to avail of it – the hearing will be relayed on a monitor in the media annex. This will be managed by the Inquiry Communications team.
Members of the media are not allowed to use recording equipment or conduct interviews inside of the Bradford Court Hearing Centre. However, for those attending the hearings it is important to be aware that you may appear in the background of news footage or media coverage when entering or exiting the front entrance.
Media are asked to respect the wishes of those attending who do not wish to appear on camera or be approached by journalists.
Getting to the Bradford Court Hearing Centre
The Inquiry has limited car parking space and permission to park within the perimeter will only be granted to Core Participants and their Recognised Legal Representatives by prior arrangement. There will be no public parking unless you have registered in advance to declare a mobility / accessibility issue and can show a Blue Badge. Access will not be granted before 9.30am unless prior arrangements have been made.
All vehicles requiring access to the car park must be recorded on the registration form, including vehicle registration details, make and model to ensure that security can verify eligibility to enter the perimeter. Any unregistered vehicles will be turned away and invited to park elsewhere in the surrounding area.
Additional paid for parking is available at the Forestside Shopping Centre or Drumkeen Retail Park. Please ensure you familiarise yourself with the local parking restrictions.
Public transport
The Bradford Court Hearing Centre is accessible by bus: alight at the Forestside bus stop. Bradford Court is then approximately a five minute walk away. The 6a, 6d, 7a and 7b all travel from the city centre and stop at Forestside. Detailed information is available on the Translink website.
Taxis
Taxis will not be permitted to drop off in Bradford Court unless the passenger has made the Inquiry aware of an accessibility requirement. Taxis should drop off in a suitable location nearby. If you wish to be dropped off by a taxi because of an accessibility need, you are required to notify the Inquiry in advance at operations@finucane.independent-inquiry.uk. Failure to do so will mean the vehicle may be denied entry to the perimeter.
Accessibility
All those attending the Bradford Court Hearing Centre will enter through the ground floor, front entrance.
The hearing room is wheelchair accessible and all rooms used by the Inquiry have lift or ramp access.
What to expect on arrival
The Inquiry entrance will be clearly sign-posted and stewards and Inquiry staff will be on hand to assist attendees. You may be required to queue on entry so please allow adequate time to arrive in advance of the hearing commencing.
Before entering the hearing centre, you will go through a brief security check including a wand check and a bag search. This may also include a request to empty your pockets and/or undergo a hand search. Please let the security team know if you have any concerns about this. Further information on prohibited items and the security process is provided below.
Once you have passed through security, you will be directed to the registration desk and asked to provide your name, photo ID and in what capacity you are attending the hearing. You will then be given a coloured pass, which you must wear visibly on your person, and directed to the relevant area.
The Inquiry hearing room is located on the first floor but all other facilities are located on the ground floor, including the refreshment area and toilets. If you have any questions, Inquiry staff will be on hand to assist.
Facilities
The Inquiry Hearing Centre has female and male toilets as well as accessible gender-neutral facilities on the ground floor for attendees.
The Inquiry will provide free teas and coffees but will not provide substantial refreshments. Still water will also be available.
There are a variety of supermarkets and cafes within walking distance of the Hearing Centre and there is a soft-seating area within the public viewing annex where attendees can eat.
Bradford Court Hearing Room
The hearing room is located on the first floor. It will have identified space for the use of Inquiry Chair, Assessors, Counsel to the Inquiry, Solicitor to the Inquiry, Core Participants and their Recognised Legal Representatives, and members of the public and press to hear the proceedings.
Attendees registered to attend the public gallery will be allocated a place within the hearing room by ushers. Attendees are permitted to enter and exit the hearing room at any time during the hearing, but we ask that you do so quietly and respectfully to cause minimal disruption to proceedings.
Only water can be consumed in the hearing room: no other food or drink is permitted. Alcohol is not permitted anywhere in the hearing centre.
Devices with recording or filming technology including mobile phones are not permitted to be used in the hearing room. If there is a need to access your devices, you can do so by leaving the hearing room quietly while the hearing is running. Please ensure devices are turned off or switched to silent during proceedings.
Please note that filming and recording of the Inquiry will be taking place throughout the duration of the hearing and broadcast live to Core Participants and via YouTube (with a short delay). Anyone within the hearing room may be captured on camera in the background or while cameras are panning the room. If you do not wish to be filmed, please make your way to the public viewing annex where the hearing is also broadcasted with a short delay.
When sitting in the hearing room, please be considerate and respectful of those around you. If you behave in a manner that causes upset to other attendees or disrupts proceedings, you may be asked to leave.
The hearing room will be supported by ushers and members of the Inquiry team who will be on hand to assist.
Core Participant Space
The Inquiry has a number of spaces available for Core Participants to use:
- Family room – this area is available exclusively to identified members of the Finucane family.
- Core Participant consultation rooms – consultation rooms are available to Core Participants and legal representatives. These will be assigned to teams by Inquiry staff.
- Refreshment and breakout area – available for all attendees including members of the public who are booked in either viewing gallery, with soft-seating.
- Emotional support room – WAVE Trauma Centre has a dedicated room within the Hearing Centre to provide emotional support to all attendees. Inquiry staff can advise on how to secure support from WAVE on the day.
Support services
We understand that attending hearings can be challenging, and trigger difficult and upsetting memories, emotions and sensory responses. The Inquiry is working with WAVE Trauma Centre to provide support to all those affected by the proceedings.
Counsellors will be available to provide private 1:1 support to any attendees and there is a dedicated support room at the hearing centre for use by the counsellors when privacy and discretion is required. Please be mindful that when speaking to counsellors outside the support room, complete privacy cannot be guaranteed.
If you are unsure of how to access this support during the hearing, please ask a member of Inquiry staff.
WAVE is also available to provide support to anyone watching proceedings online and can be contacted on 02890 779922. Further information is available on the Inquiry website.
Security process and prohibited items
All visitors attending the Hearing Centre must go through security each time they enter the building. Please allow extra time to go through security as you may have to queue upon entry. You will go through an airport style security check, including a wand search and bag search. This may also include a request to empty your pockets and/or undergo a hand search. If you’re wearing a head covering for religious or cultural reasons, you will be informed how this may be searched by the security staff. A private room will be available for those with religious head coverings to be searched by a security officer of the same gender.
Prohibited items – such as guns, firearms, knives or other weapons are not allowed into the building at any point. You will be reported to police if you try to take a weapon into the Hearing Centre. You also cannot take in items that security staff deem to meet one or more of the descriptions on the list below. This includes:
- Sharp objects of any description, including but not limited to needles, scissors, blades, tools, glass and razors;
- Ropes, chains, zip ties, masking tapes or other items capable of use for restraint;
- Blunt objects or tools including but not limited to hammers, bats, mallets, racquets or cudgels;
- Flammable liquids or substances, for example lighter fluid, flares or sparklers;
- Full-length umbrellas;
- Devices or substances capable of being used to ‘lock-on’, including but not limited to bicycle locks and superglue;
- Items capable of creating significant noise, including but not limited to speakers, microphones, bullhorns and airhorns;
- Items capable of being used to damage or deface property, including but not limited to paint and chalk;
- Clothing, leaflets, signs or other publicly visible displays that are offensive, obscene, support proscribed organisations or otherwise may cause fear, harassment, alarm or distress;
- Any other item that the Inquiry Security Officers or other representatives reasonably believe could be used to cause harm, distress or disruption to Inquiry attendees.
You cannot take any of the above into the Hearing Centre. If in possession of any of these items, entry will be denied – you will have to leave, dispose of your items and return via the queue.
If you have a serious medical condition that requires the use of sharp objects or other medical equipment, please ensure this information has been provided in advance of your attendance to operations@finucane.independent-inquiry.uk using the relevant section of the public registration form. Any such objects brought to the Hearing Centre should be accompanied by a copy of your prescription demonstrating that they have been dispensed for medical purposes. The information on your prescription will not be noted or retained by the Inquiry.
Items that you may have on your person whilst in the building are:
- Mobile phones – should be switched off or put on silent in the hearing room and not permitted to capture any proceedings or recordings.
- Hand sanitiser, perfume, deodorant or similar liquid or aerosol that can be applied to skin – you will be asked to use this in front of security staff to prove it’s not a harmful item.
- Drinks – unopened non-alcoholic drinks in cartons and cans, and drinks in a bottle, flask or cup with a lid – these cannot be made of glass. If your drink is opened, or in a flask or cup, you will be asked to drink some to prove it is not harmful.
- Medication – prescription medicines that have details on to prove this is a valid prescription. Any information will not be recorded or shared.
- Food – not permitted in the hearing room but you may take food to the refreshment area.
Other ways to follow the Inquiry
The hearing will be livestreamed (subject to a short delay) on the Inquiry’s YouTube channel.
Transcripts of the proceedings will be published on the Hearings section of the Patrick Finucane Inquiry website.
The Inquiry will also publish updates and information on its social media feed on X: @PatFinucaneInq
Queries about the hearings
If you have any questions about attending the hearings which have not been answered in this guide, please email operations@finucane.independent-inquiry.uk.
Disclaimer
Please note that the Patrick Finucane Inquiry is unable to offer secure storage at the hearing venue, and visitors will be responsible for the safety and security of their belongings. The Patrick Finucane Inquiry does not accept any responsibility for loss or damage to visitors’ belongings.