Thirty years after she was killed in a crossfire between paramilitary gunmen and a British army patrol, the IRA today apologised for shooting a 14-year-old girl in Londonderry.
Kathleen Feeney was killed by a single bullet near her home in Brandywell, Londonderry, in 1973. The IRA initially blamed her death on British soldiers and claimed to have killed a soldier in retaliation.
At the time, the British Army said a patrol had been ambushed by a group of gunmen on Quarry Street, in Londonderry, but insisted that no soldiers had returned fire. Today the IRA took responsibility for the teenager’s death. Last year the Feeney family called on the IRA to apologise.
“The leadership of Oglaigh Na Eireann (IRA) wishes to apologise unreservedly to the Feeney family for the death of Kathleen and for the grief that all of our actions have caused,” said a statement released to the Derry Journal.
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“Our failure to publicly accept responsibility for her death until now has only added to the hurt and pain of the Feeney family.”
Gerry Adams, the President of Sinn Fein, welcomed the apology, but unionist politicians called on the IRA to go further, and apologise to the family of the soldier they killed in retaliation.
Speaking in Dublin, Mr Adams said: “I welcome the statement. The most important element in all of that is the Feeney family. I would hope that the statement helps to bring closure to that family and I therefore welcome that statement.”
“At least the IRA is prepared to stand up and take responsibility for something that they did. There is an absence of that both in terms of armed organisations and in terms of politicians,” said Mr Adams.
But David McClarty, East Londonderry MLA for the Ulster Unionist Party, said the apology did not excuse the actions of the IRA.
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“This type of despicable and deplorable behaviour is what we have come to expect from the IRA,” he said. “There is no justification whatsoever for murdering a child.”
Mr McClarty said it was time for the IRA to take responsibility for its retaliation.
“Whilst we fully appreciate the significance of this statement for the Feeney family and are mindful of their situation, when is the IRA going to apologise to the family of the soldier they shot dead?” He asked.
A 18-year-old youth was charged with Kathleen’s murder two years after her death. But he was acquitted after the judge ruled that it was impossible to know whether he had fired the fatal shot.
The man was later imprisoned for seven years after admitting having an Armalite rifle and ammunition.