THE six victims of the Loughinisland massacre were remembered 30 years on in the village last Tuesday (18 June).
Eamon Byrne, Barney Green, Malcolm Jenkinson, Daniel McCreanor, Patrick O’Hare and Adrian Rogan were murdered by the UVF in the Heights Bar as they watched a World Cup match between the Republic of Ireland and Italy on 18 June 1994.
Marking the 30th anniversary, an open-air Mass was held at St Macartan’s Church, after which a procession to O’Tooles Bar took place.
Former Ireland striker Niall Quinn – who did not play in the 1994 World Cup tournament but had travelled to the USA with the squad – attended the event.
Speaking to the Mourne Observer, Mark Thompson, chief executive of Relatives for Justice, said that it is “always very humbling and a great privilege to be invited down by the Loughinisland families and survivors to the village, and to take part in what was a very poignant 30th anniversary”.
“The families have always conducted themselves with great dignity in the face of such adversity,” he stated.
“They always come across with dignity and respect.
“They’re like lots of families – they show great courage.
“To be in their presence and to be able to work alongside them is always very encouraging and humbling for us.”
The chief executive highlighted the success of the families in challenging a 2011 report into the massacre by then Police Ombudsman Al Hutchinson, which was ultimately quashed, leading to the publication of a new report in 2016 by Mr Hutchinson’s successor, Dr Michael Maguire.
In his report, Dr Maguire concluded that he had “no hesitation in unambiguously determining that collusion is a significant feature of the Loughinisland murders”.
Mr Thompson also noted the success of No Stone Unturned, a documentary about the massacre, though said that the treatment of filmmakers Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey – “their arrests, the raiding of their premises and the covert surveillance” – had “cast a dark shadow”.
“In terms of the 30th anniversary, the families achieved a huge amount in the documentary film, in the Ombudsman’s report, in challenging the retired police officers, and in seeing off the report that Al Hutchinson and others tried to fob them off with,” he continued.
“They have been through a lot, they’ve learned a lot, they’ve been on an important journey – not only for themselves, but for wider society.
“We all owe them a great debt of gratitude, as we do many victims for the tenacity and courage that they have demonstrated.
“But there is a bit to go, and the bit to go is that the people responsible for this remain at large – in particular, the key perpetrator remains at large.
“There needs to be a form of accountable justice, and they will never give up until that happens too.
“I think that’s what surrounds it and makes them a remarkable bunch of people.”
Concluding, Mr Thompson said that the controversial Legacy Act had been “a consequence of the successes of the Loughinisland families and many other families”.
“It is a wholesale attempt to try to whitewash everything and push it all under the carpet, but there isn’t a carpet big enough to push it under, and that is the truth,” he stated.
“They may have buried their loved ones, but you certainly won’t bury the truth.”
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Quinn contrasted the “euphoria” of Ireland’s 1-0 win in New Jersey’s Giants Stadium to hearing about the “horror and terror” of Loughinisland.
He added that the marking of the 30th anniversary had seen “a community coming together, still feeling pain and helping each other, and, I suppose, putting their trust in God”.
“In a strange way, that was a powerful night, and I know it should be solemn, of course, and it was,” said the ex-footballer.
“To come up, I’m delighted to do that.
“I hold my hat off to the community, to the families.
“I was told a story about the last priest that was here left, and, on the day he left, he said he never heard the word ‘revenge’ mentioned in this community.
“It was an amazing reaction to what must’ve been the most dreadful night of all.”
Speaking in the Dáil on the anniversary of the massacre, An Taoiseach Simon Harris stated that his government “will continue to speak out and speak up for victims and survivors, and for the need for justice, truth and reconciliation”.
In relation to the Legacy Act, he added: “Any approach to legacy has to be one that has the support of political parties in Northern Ireland.
“It has to be compliant with human rights law and have the confidence of victims’ representative groups and others.”