Families of Victims Call for Immediate Closure on 47-Year-Old Case

The long-awaited inquest into the deaths of ten Protestant men in the Kingsmill massacre, carried out by the IRA in 1976, concluded its final submissions on Friday. For the victims’ families, the lengthy process has been described as both “painful” and “frustrating.”

Held at Dungannon Courthouse, the inquest has been running for over seven years, with the proceedings first ordered by the attorney general a decade ago. Fiona Doherty KC, who represents several families of the victims, expressed their deep frustration at the delay in bringing the case to a conclusion, stressing that there should be no further setbacks in finalising the findings.

The massacre, which took place on January 5, 1976, in County Armagh, saw 10 men shot dead after being ordered from a minibus by the IRA. The assailants spared one man, Richard Hughes, due to his Catholic faith, while Alan Black, the only survivor, was left with 18 gunshot wounds.

The families of the victims have been particularly disturbed by the police investigation into the massacre, which, according to Doherty, was marred by significant errors. One such mistake was the failure to match a palm print found on the getaway van to a suspect until after the inquest had already commenced in 2016. Despite a new police inquiry, no charges have been brought against those responsible for the killings.

Coroner Brian Sherrard noted that the IRA, along with the wider republican movement, had failed to provide any assistance or evidence during the proceedings. Sherrard indicated that the lack of participation from those involved in the attack could influence the final conclusions drawn from the case.

As the families await closure on this tragic event, the inquest has been a long and painful journey, with the hope that the coroner’s findings will now finally shed light on the truth behind the massacre.