In Ireland

The Damien Walsh Group

Introductory speech by
Brendan Loughlin

Chairperson,
The Victims and Survivors Trust

Also, could I extend our gratitude to the stonemason Sean for the excellent work he’s done in producing the plaque.

Thanks are also due to the owners and staff of the Dairy Farm, the Falls Community Council and the excellent group Survivors of Trauma for their assistance.

And also to the Lagan Valley Memorial Flute Band for coming along.

As you all know it was on the 25th March 1993 that Damien Walsh was working here in the Dairy Farm in the coal bunker when he was murdered.

Damien was only a boy of 17 and he was on a YTP placement here as a trainee coalman.

At about 8pm a Loyalist gang entered the premises and cruelly gunned him down by shooting him in the back.

His work mate, that he was with at the time, sustained gunshot wounds to his legs, but thankfully survived the attack.

Damien died in the City Hospital about 1 hour after the shooting.

So why was an innocent boy like Damien targeted?

When gunmen enter a community and deliberately target civilians in this way they’re not only attacking those caught up in the particular incident but they’re also attacking the entire community.

And it’s an act that’s designed to frighten, alienate and victimise the whole community.

So this year, on the fifth anniversary of the murder of Damien Walsh, a number of his relatives and some friends got together and decided that something positive should come out of such an awful tragedy.

The group set for itself a number of aims and objectives designed to help others who have suffered as a consequence of the Troubles.

But also we decided that it was our belief that the best memorial to all of the victims would be a peaceful outcome brought about through dialogue, understanding and the promotion of the truth.

Since the formation of the group it has undertaken a number of initiatives and has met with many different people.

And has received a varied response from those people.

I’d like to put on record the response of one of those whom we met.

On the 22nd September a delegation from the group met with the British Minister for Victims, Adam Ingram.

He was accompanied by two civil servants from the victims liaison unit, which as you know was a recommendation of Kenneth Bloomfield.

I raised with the Minister our view that the funds being made available were totally inadequate for the support of all the victims and survivors from 30 years of conflict. We are talking of 3,600 dead and at least 40,000 injured.

The response I received from one of the civil servants when I posed this was ‘Get real’.

So, how real do we have to get, for our hurt to be acknowledged?

How many Damien Walsh’s, Carol-Anne Kelly’s and Julie Livingstone’s do we have to bury before we become real in the eyes of the NIO?

But then again, I don’t think we should be relying on the good will of Civil Servants in the NIO for a solution to our problems.

Over 30 years, our community has shown enormous resilience and self-reliance.

And in the end it’s our community that will pull through.

Since its foundation, the Damien Walsh Group has grown three-fold.

With almost every week that goes by we come into contact will people that have suffered loss and/or trauma.

People who believe that something must be done to support the survivors of the conflict.

Two weeks ago we decided to change the name of the group to The Victims and Survivors Trust.

We did this in order to reflect the membership of the group.

So today I would like to formally launch The Victims and Survivors Trust.

Obviously, our doors are wide open and everyone is welcome.

I think, on sad occasions like this, that we should be both reflective and forward looking.

We must be determined that there should be no other innocents like Damien Walsh, Carol-Anne Kelly, Julie Livingstone and the many others who had their lives cut short.

Before I hand over to Eamon, we are going to have a short wreath laying ceremony.

I'd like to thank Eamon O Cuiv for coming to Twinbrook today to perform the unveiling of the plaque.

Eamon I know has many friends here in the West of the city and is well liked and respected.