Unionist Voice has compiled a short list of legal professionals murdered by the IRA. None of these victims have ever had a public inquiry.
- Judge William Staunton- shot dead as he dropped his daughters off to St Dominic’s in 1972. He lay in a coma and died in 1973.
- Judge Rory Conaghan- shot dead in front of his 9 year old daughter after answering the door to an IRA terrorist who was dressed as a post man.
- Resident Magistrate McBurney- shot by the IRA at his home.
- Judge Willaim Doyle- shot as he left mass at St Bridget’s in 1983.
- Lord Justice Gibson and Lady Gibson- killed by an IRA bomb.
- Edgar Graham- young legal professional murdered by the IRA. He was seen as unionism’s brightest legal and political star.
The IRA also tried to murder Judge Tom Travers as he left mass. The terrorists shot his 22 year old daughter Mary and fired numerous shots into the body of Judge Travers, who miraculously survived.
The IRA also tried to murder catholic Justice Eoin Higgins. Terrorists detonated a bomb meant for the Judge, however their bomb instead murdered a young family- including a 6 year old boy- who had been returning from holiday.
The IRA have continuously stood by their targeting of legal professionals, and to this day Sinn Fein have not condemned the murder of any of those mentioned in this article. All those described in this article who lost their lives at the hands of IRA terrorists were deemed “legitimate targets”- primarily because of their role in the legal profession.
The only legal professional whose killing the IRA condemned was that of Pat Finucane. It appears it is one standard for republicans and quite a different standard for everyone else.
You can read Unionist Voice’s analysis of the Pat Finucane campaign HERE