The so-called “apology” from the Provisional
I.R.A. for its murder of thousands of innocent people at their
hands during the 30 years of terrorism, including the slaughtered
of Bloody Friday in Belfast was a tiny gesture.
It certainly did not deserve the gushing response from some
of the “great and the good” who seemed to fall over
themselves in their desire to hep praise on the ruthless killers
of the I.R.A. Far more relevant was the response of the families
of the victims, and the overwhelming majority of those who
have spoken have made it clear that the I.R.A’s weasel
words means nothing to them.
How could it be otherwise? The murdering and the maiming
was on a vast scale and the dead at the hands of these ruthless
people included men, women and children.
Let’s not overlook the fact that this was very much
a qualified “apology” and did not extend to the
families of soldiers, policemen or loyalist paramilitaries
who were murdered. If the “apology” counted for
anything, it should have included a declaration that the war
was over, that all weapons would be decommissioned, and an
unqualified apology to the families of everyone who died at
the hands of the I.R.A. during this dreadful period in the
history of this Province.
The Orange Order has suffered terribly at the hands of the
terrorists, with over 150 Brethren killed, and hundreds of
others maimed.
In that Bloody Friday atrocity, two Orangemen were among
the dead – Bros. Tom Killops and Robert Gibson.
Bro Killops, aged 39, was a Portadown man by birth, but had
been living and working in Belfast for some 20 years. He was
an Ulsterbus employee, and lived at Breda Terrace in Newtownbreda.
A member of Knockbracken L.O.L. No. 1366, he painted Orange
banners in his spare time. Members of his lodge formed a guard
of honour at his funeral.
Tom’s sister, Mrs Betty Magee, who lives in Portadown,
poured scorn on the I.R.A. “apology” and told the
local weekly newspaper, Portadown Times, about the devastating
effect Tom’s death has had on his family.
The other Orangeman who died was Robert Gibson, a bus driver
and part-time reservist from Crossgar. He was also a member
of the Royal Black Institution and took a keen interest in
Raffrey Presbyterian Church, being a member of the choir.
The writer’s wife worked in Belfast at the time of Bloody
Friday, and she had a nightmare experience as she tried to
find her way through the ravaged city centre to get to the
railway station.
That was the experience of tens of thousands of people that
day, and few will have any feeling of gratitude towards the
I.R.A. for a half-hearted form of apology. Only God can forgive
those who perpetrated such an atrocity.
The airwaves since the announcement by the I.R.A. have been
filled with republicans attacking decent Ulster people for
not accepting such a restricted apology. Several of these
have said that Unionists owe an apology to nationalists for
the way they were precluded from playing their full part in
Northern Ireland affairs during the 50 years of Unionist government
rule.
Perhaps there were isolated incidents of discrimination and
if such things happened they were deplorable. But no one can
compare bigoted instances of this sort with the murderous
campaign of bomb and bullet by the I.R.A. which killed so
many in the 30 years, including many Roman Catholics.
If the apology is the first step on a proper renunciation
of violence and a complete unreserved apology, then it is
of some benefit. Otherwise, it is a gesture which will be
meaningless to most decent people, especially the families
of those who have suffered from the violence.
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