Member's statement: Springhill Inquest: Prime Minister's Apology
Member's statement by Ms Aisling Reilly on .
- MLA
- Ms Aisling Reilly
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 8 June 2026
- Type
- Member's statement (made as a minister)
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Springhill Inquest: Prime Minister's Apology
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5600203
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The apology issued last week by the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to the families of those killed in the Springhill massacre was an important but long overdue acknowledgement of what happened on the streets of Springhill and Westrock in west Belfast in July 1972. For more than 50 years, the families of Father Noel Fitzpatrick, Patrick Butler, John Dougal, David McCafferty and Margaret Gargan have carried the pain of unimaginable loss while also having to fight for truth and justice. The findings of the Springhill inquest, and the apology that followed, confirmed what the families always knew: their loved ones were innocent and should not have been targeted. In apologising, the British Prime Minister accepted the findings of the inquest and expressed regret for the grief and trauma that were endured by the families. That acknowledgement matters. Springhill cannot be viewed in isolation. It forms part of a wider period in our history that left deep and lasting scars across many communities. The actions of the British state forces in places such as Derry, Ballymurphy, Springhill and the New Lodge caused immense suffering and had profound consequences for generations of families. For many, the hurt was compounded by what came afterwards. Efforts to deny, justify or obscure the truth deepened the trauma and left families facing years of struggle simply to have the facts recognised, but those families never gave up.
Their determination made sure that the truth endured despite decades of obstacles and delay. We have seen similar acknowledgements before. Following the Saville inquiry, the British Government apologised for Bloody Sunday, and, following the Ballymurphy inquest findings, an apology was issued to the families. Those moments mattered because they represented official recognition of wrongdoing and vindicated families who had spent years seeking the truth. The Springhill acknowledgement is significant for the same reasons. It establishes a record that cannot be denied or rewritten. It reinforces the principles that no state actor should be beyond scrutiny; that everyone must be accountable under the law; and that everyone deserves equal respect and treatment. Above all, today and every day, our thoughts remain with the Springhill families and all the families who have fought and are still fighting to get truth and justice. They have my utmost respect, and I acknowledge the determination that brought them to this moment. Their perseverance, dignity and courage made sure that the truth prevailed.
399 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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