Memorial planned for shot IRA men
ONE of the most controversial shootings of the Troubles will be remembered at a silent vigil in Strabane 25 years on.
Thousands are expected to turn out next weekend for a series of events planned to commemorate the deaths of IRA men Michael Devine (22), his 16-year-old brother David and Charles Breslin (20), who were shot dead in an Army ambush on February 23 1985.
The three IRA men were returning arms to a dump in a field off Plumbridge Road when they were shot at over 200 times by undercover members of the Army’s Special Air Service.
The shootings were widely believed to be part of a British Government “shoot-to-kill” policy and sparked widespread protests in the area. The Ministry of Defence paid damages to the families following a High Court ruling in May 2002.
A programme of events will run from Friday, February 19, to Tuesday, February 23.
