The Ballymurphy Families were in court today 11th October 2018 for an update on the tracing and identification of soldiers involved in the Ballymurphy Massacre. This has been a running issues since the inquests reopened in November 2010, the MOD have used every trick in the book to stall and block the inquests even presenting the court with 4773 soldiers names 6 days before the inquests started, all this was designed to do was swamp the court and stall the inquests. Families learned today in court that the list didn’t even include information that would identify if soldiers served in Ballymurphy at the time.

Upon visiting each of the spots where the victims were murdered, the AOH promised to take what they had learned back home to the Irish American community.

The families of the Ballymurphy victims met with two AOH representatives who heard testimonies from them about how their loved ones were shot

The representatives were told in great detail how the victims met their fate at the hands of those who were meant to be protecting them.

The families outlined how their loved ones were murdered in their own area some 47 years ago.

The National Vice-President of the AOH, Danny O’Connell and Secretary Jere Cole heard how Father Hugh Mullan was shot as he waved a white handkerchief ,brothers of the late Frank Quinn, Liam and Pat went into detail of how frank was murdered going to the aid of Fr Mullan and the wounded Bobby Clarke.

They were told how Danny Teggart was shot fourteen times with a high velocity rifles and how Joan Connolly was shot by the army and then left out in the open to bleed to death.

The victim’s families showed Mr O’Connell and Mr Cole photographs of Ballymurphy around the time of the massacre. These photographs demonstrate the close proximity of Father Mullan’s house and the field he was shot in. They also show how close the vantage points of the paratroopers were.

The families visited the manse field where four of the Ballymurphy victims were shot, among them was Mrs Connolly and Mr Teggart.

Mrs Connolly’s daughter Philomena spoke about her mother and how she was murdered on that day along with six others.

The families along with Mr O’Connell and Mr Cole, visited the other spots where the victims had lost their lives.

John Laverty’s sister went into detail abut how her brother was shot dead along with another man Joseph Corr.

She spoke of her other brother, Terry, and how he had tried to make it home to safety but was stopped by the paratroopers.

Terry was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment on that day for riotous behaviour. Some years later this conviction was overturned.

The delegation were also informed of Pat McCarthy and John McKerr who also lost their lives at the hands of the British Paratroopers on the third day of the masscare

The families finished the tour at the spot on the Whiterock Road where Eddie Doherty was killed. Eddie’s sister Kathleen gave detail about her brother’s death and how he was shot in the back also.

John Teggart, son of Danny Teggart said:

“It was some hard-lifting for the two visitors from the Ancient Order of Hibernians but I do think that it brought home to them that this did happen.

“On that first day, on August 9^th, six people were murdered. This happened on a bright summers night and it happened at close range. They were carefully aimed shots, direct shots, and in the end, there was no forensic evidence to suggest that any of our loved ones were anywhere near rifles.

“There was no ammunition recovered, no guns recovered and there were no security personnel shot in that proximity. This all proves that our loved ones were killed, they were shot in the back.”

Mr Taggart has said that there is a campaign of fake news happening by some newspapers at the minute and that some politicians are insisting that the Ballymurphy Massacre has already been investigated and calling for an amnesty for these soldiers.

“The sole people who investigated Ballymurphy were the Royal Military Police. When politicians say that Ballymurphy was investigated they are referring to the investigation done by the friends of those who were being interviewed who murdered our loved ones.

“Just like the Widgery inquiry, if they had taken statements off of these soldiers and it didn’t sum up as the Royal Military Police liked, they crafted them to suit their version of events.

“All the RUC did was take photographs of our loved ones in the morgue and maybe statements from those who had identified them.

“Anybody who says that Ballymurphy was investigated needs to think about the brutality of the Royal Military Police over those three days in Ballymurphy. Then they can see if it was a proper investigation.”

The Ballymurphy Massacre Families would like to thank Danny , Jere and the AOH  for their continued  support.

Relatives of 10 people shot dead by paratroops in west Belfast in 1971 have welcomed the decision to hold new inquests into their deaths.

The families said the decision by Attorney General John Larkin was an important step in their ongoing campaign for justice.

The Army said it opened fire in the Ballymurphy area in response to gunfire from republican paramilitaries.

The families have long called for an independent inquiry into the killings.

The victims, which included a priest and a mother-of-eight, were killed over the course of three days in August 1971 by members of the Parachute Regiment during Operation Demetrius, when people suspected of paramilitary activity were interned.

The Northern Ireland Office has ruled out any public inquiry into the killings akin to the Bloody Sunday Tribunal.

In a statement the families of the victims said: “We commend the attorney general for showing leadership and credibility in announcing that the inquests will be re-opened.

“We feel that when he considered the facts surrounding the sham inquests which took place 40 years ago, his decision was the correct one.

“We regard the original sham inquests as a serious neglect of duty by everyone involved and leave a lot of questions to be answered.”

The statement added that the new inquests would be an “important step on our journey for truth”.

“But even a fully resourced and effective inquest will have limitations,” the families said.

“We believe that only an International and Independent Investigation can facilitate the discovery of the facts and provide an accurate historical account of the events of August 1971 on the streets of Ballymurphy.”

‘Fully cooperate’

The Ministry of Defence said it was “aware that the attorney general has re-opened inquests into a number of deaths which occurred in the Ballymurphy area of Belfast in 1971.

“The Ministry of Defence will cooperate fully with the Coroner’s court,” it added.

SDLP West Belfast MLA Alex Attwood said Mr Larkin’s decision underlined the need for a full international inquiry into the atrocity.

“The decision by the attorney general on the Ballymurphy massacre is a step in the right direction. This decision vindicates the campaign of the families for truth and justice,” he said.

“This development, however, serves to confirm that it is a public, international inquiry that is needed to give the families the means to truth that their campaign demands.”

The MP for West Belfast, Sinn Fein’s Paul Maskey, also said a full inquiry was needed.

“This is a welcome announcement by the attorney general and moves the campaign for justice for the Ballymurphy Victims a step closer,” Mr Maskey said.

“But while this is an advance in the campaign it should not be seen as fulfilling the demands of the families to a full independent international inquiry.”