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The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Murder of mother and children has shaken community to its core, service told
The murder of a mother and her two children in Co Fermanagh has shaken the community 'to its core', mourners have heard. A service of removal has taken place in Maguiresbridge for Vanessa Whyte and her children James Rutledge, 14, and Sara Rutledge, 13, ahead of their funeral in Co Clare on Saturday. The three family members died in a shooting incident at a property in Drummeer Road in the Co Fermanagh village a week ago. Agricultural contractor Ian Rutledge, 43, who died on Monday, is understood to be the only suspect in the shooting of his family. Last week, police said a triple murder and attempted suicide was a line of inquiry. Mourners gathered at St Mary's Church in Maguiresbridge on Wednesday morning, with several dressed in bright colours following a request from the family. Large crowds lined the streets outside the church in advance of the service. Among those who attended the service were Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill, former first minister Baroness Arlene Foster and Sinn Fein MP Pat Cullen. Shortly after 11am the three coffins arrived and were brought to the front of the church as the hymn Abide By Me was sung. During the service, a reading was delivered by Elizabeth Armstrong, principal of Enniskillen Royal Grammar School, where Sara and James were pupils. In his homily, Father Raymond Donnelly said people had gathered in a church 'filled with grief'. He added: 'There is a heaviness in the air, a silence within our hearts, that speaks volumes. 'The tragedy we have endured has shaken this community, and our country, to its core. 'We are left shocked, grieving, heartbroken, searching for meaning, grappling with questions too deep for words.' He added: 'The loss of Vanessa and her two beautiful children, James and Sara – lives taken in such an unspeakable way – is more than any heart should bear. 'A woman full of kindness and warmth, a friend to so many here. 'And her children, so young, so vibrant, so full of promise. 'Their laughter rang through school corridors, through playing fields, especially on the GAA pitch, where they thrived with passion and joy. 'That zest for life, their infectious energy, their open smiles. 'Words fail us. And when words fail, we turn to the word of God.' The priest told the grieving family members 'you are not alone'. He added: 'We stand with you. 'We hold you in prayer and embrace. We do not have answers, but we offer presence. We offer prayer. We offer love. 'To the classmates of Sara and James and to all the friends, know that it is OK to feel confused, angry, sad and to cry. 'Please speak to someone. Speak to your parents, to your teachers, to your clergy.' Fr Donnelly told mourners that grief is 'not something to carry alone'. He added: 'It is a journey we make together. 'To all involved in sport – to coaches, teammates, mentors – thank you for the joy you helped nurture in these children. 'Their bright spirits will remain a part of every game played in their memory. 'And we take a moment to thank all first responders and medics. Thank you for your service under unimaginable circumstances. 'Thank you to all who have come forward with meals, hugs, tears, prayers, practical and pastoral support or a silent presence. 'You remind us that light still flickers, even on the darkest of days.' Candles were then lit in memory of the three victims. The bodies will be taken to Barefield in Co Clare, where Ms Whyte was originally from, ahead of their funeral Mass on Saturday. The three will then be buried together in Templemaley Cemetery.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Michelle O'Neill accused of ‘trying to rewrite history of IRA campaign'
Northern Ireland's First Minister has been accused of 'attempting to rewrite the history of the IRA's terrorist campaign'. It comes after an interview Michelle O'Neill gave in which a DUP and TUV representative accused her of 'trying to shift blame onto the British state'. Advertisement During the interview with The Irish Times, Ms O'Neill referred to 'local lads' being killed by the British state, including her cousin Tony Doris, a member of the IRA who was shot dead in an SAS ambush in Coagh in 1991. Asked whether she can understand why those who were bereaved by the IRA take issue with her attending republican commemorations, she said she respected there are 'many people out there that have a different narrative than me'. She said: 'I respect that that's their view. It's also perhaps their lived experience, but mine's different' adding that part of reconciling is 'actually understanding that it's okay – we may have different narratives, but we need to respect that is actually the case'. 'That understanding is what allows me to say what I can say – what I said whenever I became First Minister – because I absolutely am sorry that anybody lost a loved one. I'm so sorry we lived in a society that (had) a conflict,' she said. Advertisement DUP MLA Trevor Clarke claimed Ms O'Neill's comments 'are a deeply offensive and pathetic attempt to rewrite the brutal history of the IRA's terrorist campaign'. 'Seeking to shift blame onto the British state while defending those who were on 'active service' with the IRA and were dealt with by the security forces is repugnant and shows a complete disregard for the suffering inflicted on innocent victims,' he said. 'These remarks are not the words of a leader seeking to represent all communities. They are the words of someone still trying to justify and sanitise sectarian, ruthless murder.' TUV party chairman Allister Kyle claimed the interview 'revealed a deeply warped view'. Advertisement 'Let us be clear: those who were neutralised by the security forces were not simply 'local lads',' he said. 'They were active terrorists caught in the act of attempting to murder soldiers, police officers, and civilians. 'This attempt to sanitise the IRA and recast gunmen as victims of 'the British state' is not only historically dishonest — it is an insult to the thousands of victims who suffered at the hands of republican violence. 'The record stands: the security forces saved lives. The IRA took them. No amount of spin can change that.' Advertisement
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Michelle O'Neill: ‘The British state killed local people. Those moments contribute to who you are'
As Michelle O'Neill walks in her home village of Clonoe, east Co Tyrone , there is not a person she passes who does not say hello or a driver who fails to wave from a passing car. O'Neill greets them all in return. Eventually, The Irish Times inquires as to whether she has adopted her own special wave like Queen Elizabeth II's ? 'They do tease me about that,' she says with a laugh. Clonoe is where the First Minister of Northern Ireland and Sinn Féin vice-president spent her formative years and where she still lives. As O'Neill shows us around, it is evident how her family, her village and her community have shaped the person she is and the politician she has become. READ MORE 'I'm Michelle who's from this area. There's no airs and graces, but sure, this is my home. This is where I feel comfortable.' At the heart of this staunchly republican village is Clonoe O'Rahillys GAA club with modern pitches and a redeveloped clubhouse, which also houses the community centre. A plaque commemorates its official opening by the then MP for the area and O'Neill's 'mentor', Martin McGuinness , in November 1998. Michelle O'Neill standing by the pitch at Clonoe O'Rahillys GAA club near where she grew up in Co Tyrone. Photograph: Alan Betson Was she here that day? 'Absolutely.' She was 'a young mummy, my child was four … it was, 1998, the Good Friday Agreement , such a moment of hope and opportunity for people, and the club being opened captured, in a very local way, that new beginning and that new hope'. Outside, she shows off the Gaelscoil, the village's business park and her favourite walking route along the canal path. 'This is part of my mindfulness, my relaxation, keeping myself right, going out walking with friends … get a bit of head space to talk about things that aren't in the political sphere,' she says. 'Because we're all human at the end of the day, even those of us in politics, so I like that – I need that, actually, to keep doing what I'm doing.' She was born in Fermoy, Co Cork , in 1977. The family returned to nearby Coalisland when O'Neill was a baby, then to her father's homeplace of Clonoe to a new row of bungalows her father helped build and where her mother, Kathleen, still lives. In 1968, discrimination in the allocation of housing in east Tyrone helped spark the first civil rights march, from Coalisland to Dungannon. 'When we got the opportunity to move, my mummy didn't believe my daddy, actually. She said to Daddy, 'Brendan, we're not the kind of people who can buy a home' and he said, 'Yes, we can'.' O'Neill speaks warmly of a 'good family life' with 'strong role models around us', including her mother who gave up work so Michelle could go back to school after she became pregnant at 16. O'Neill has spoken previously about how she was prayed over by some at her Catholic grammar school, how she sat her GCSEs a few days after giving birth and then the 'huge fuss' made about her returning for A-levels. Michelle O'Neill: 'Partition failed my community, failed every community across the island.' Photograph: Alan Betson 'It was difficult,' she says, but also says 'I suppose it does make you more resilient' just as 'being a young mummy shapes who you are, being responsible for this beautiful little being and wanting the world to be better for her'. From an early age, O'Neill was aware she 'grew up in a family, in a society, in a community that was discriminated against, that was treated with inequality on a day-to-day basis'. There was 'a lot of loss in the community, many moments when the British state killed local lads, local people, local people that weren't much older than me … all those moments contribute to shaping who you are'. Among them was her cousin, Tony Doris, one of three members of the IRA's East Tyrone Brigade who were on 'active service' when they were shot dead in a SAS ambush in nearby Coagh in 1991. O'Neill was 14. 'It was horrendous for his immediate family, obviously, and all these things have lasting impacts, and that's the same for every family that lost. My experience, unfortunately, was felt by far too many people.' O'Neill's father, Brendan Doris, was an IRA prisoner and local councillor. 'He was such a community activist. He was a man who was very much wedded to his community, and I liked what he did. I liked how he helped people. So I suppose, maybe it was always organic that I would go down the route that I took in terms of going into politics.' Even then, her goal was 'Irish unity. I think partition failed my community, failed every community across the island', she says. 'But I'm somebody who was gifted the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. I had just turned 21 and that gave me that precious gift of peace. 'It made me determined that I am going to go out and I'm going to work this because this is a democratic pathway towards the unification of this island and I am going to grab it. That's really been my journey ever since.' O'Neill joined Sinn Féin in her early teens. In 1998 she officially started working for the party. She was elected a councillor in 2005, then to Stormont in 2007. Michelle O'Neill with fellow Sinn Féin politicians Francis Molloy, left, and Martin McGuinness following their election in 2007. Photograph: Eric Luke A former minister for agriculture and then health, in 2017 she replaced McGuinness when he stood down as deputy first minister. Last year, she became First Minister, making history as the first nationalist to do so. As she walked down the grand staircase into the Great Hall at Parliament Buildings and then into the Chamber, she allowed herself a smile. 'There's no doubt it was a moment of pride, personal pride, pride for my community, for my family,' she says. 'I suppose I felt the weight of the moment of history on my shoulders, I felt the expectation on my shoulders, but that in itself is a motivator. 'You know you have to go out and give it your 100 per cent and I hope that's what people can see. I give it my 100 per cent every day.' O'Neill's maiden speech, delivered shortly afterwards, was about setting the tone for her term. She promised to be a 'First Minister for all' and 'inclusive and respectful' of everyone regardless of background or identity. 'I've fulfilled that pledge,' she says. She lists examples, including her attendance at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral and King Charles III's coronation, a PSNI graduation and the official Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Belfast last November. Michelle O'Neill shakes hands with Liz Truss, left, then British prime minister, in September 2022 during at a service for the late Queen Elizabeth II at St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast. Photograph: Liam McBurney/Getty Was this difficult, given her own experience? 'Personally, given the experience of my community at the hands of the British state, then, yes, from that perspective it is. 'But is it the right thing to do to try and reconcile the people on this island? Yes, it is. 'So, for me, that outweighs any personal feeling.' But equally she says: 'I go to republican commemorations because that's who I am. I've never shied away from that. I don't distance myself from that.' Can she understand why this is difficult for many, particularly those who lost loved-ones to the IRA? 'I do think about it,' she says. 'I understand there are many people out there that have a different narrative than me and I respect that that's their view. It's also perhaps their lived experience, but mine's different.' But, she says, part of reconciling is 'actually understanding that it's okay – we may have different narratives, but we need to respect that is actually the case. 'That understanding is what allows me to say what I can say – what I said whenever I became First Minister – because I absolutely am sorry that anybody lost a loved one. I'm so sorry we lived in a society that [had] a conflict. 'But the job of leadership of 2025, the job of leadership since the Good Friday Agreement, all of my life's work, is about building on what was achieved then [in 1998] and continuing to drive us into the next 25 years.' For O'Neill, this means a united Ireland. She stands by Sinn Féin's aim of a Border poll by 2030, but is 'less fixated on a date' for unity, 'more interested in that the actual planning and preparation is done and that we get it right'. She says: 'The Irish Government really, really need to treat this with urgency … give people the tools in which to make an informed decision.' How is this to be achieved, given that neither the Irish nor the British government – which must ultimately call the poll – have given any indication they intend to do so in the near future? 'Well, governments say many things … then they're forced to take a position just because of the public demand for it. We will continue to make the case,' O'Neill says, arguing that even her own election as First Minister 'speaks to the change that's happening around us' and, coupled with potential of elections ahead, 'all these things can become the tipping point for Irish unity'. She believes there are 'many people' – including unionists – 'open to being persuaded … and they'll be convinced because it's in their best interests. The argument to be made is that there is something better for all of us.' UK prime minister Keir Starmer will not, she says, have 'the luxury of burying his head in the sand and ignoring the call for constitutional change'. In the meantime, as the joint head – with the Deputy First Minister, the DUP's Emma Little-Pengelly – of the four-party Northern Executive, there is much work to be done. Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and First Minister Michelle O'Neill speak to the media last February after Stormont ministers agreed a programme for government. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA 'Emma and I are completely different characters, completely different backgrounds, completely different outlook, but also very understanding of the fact that we have to work together to try and lead the Executive.' Challenges facing Stormont include the crisis in the health service, the worst waiting lists on these islands, and a lack of funding almost across the board. Often, the public perception is that little practical is achieved amid much political point-scoring. 'There are lots of things we work on together and there are differences, but you have to manage those things. That's just the nature of it.' O'Neill is critical of the 'lack of leadership in political unionism, particularly when it comes to issues of bonfires' and its 'faux outrage at times around particular issues'. 'The constant attacks on the GAA tell people who support the GAA and people from an Irish national identity that they're not welcome in this place. Political unionism would need to think about that.' But O'Neill defends the Executive's record: 'We're 18 months in … we have a programme for government, the first in over a decade. We've prioritised health waiting lists and we've put finances in that direction. We've been able to deal with public sector pay.' She also cites 'a whole new economic strategy … advances on childcare, advances on a strategy to end violence against women and girls'. On two major infrastructure projects, the rebuilding of Casement Park and the upgrade of the A5, she says they will be built. 'I've said they'll be built on my watch. I will stand over that.' There is also the matter of the Irish presidential election. O'Neill bats away the names of any potential candidate – Mary Lou McDonald , Gerry Adams , her own – with the same response. Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald with Gerry Adams and party vice-president Michelle O'Neill during a pro-unity group event in Belfast. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA 'The party is still deliberating. We're actively having conversations. We've seen others enter into the field and we'll make our position known very shortly.' Will McDonald lead Sinn Féin into the next general election? 'Absolutely,' she says. Is O'Neill a future leader of her party? 'Well, there's no vacant position,' she says with a laugh. One day? 'I also love being vice-president … and working alongside Mary Lou. She's described me before as her wing woman. That's very much who I am.' The role of First Minister 'is my priority, and that's where I need to be focused … I'm more than content with where I am'.
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Mother and two children killed in Fermanagh shooting while man remains in hospital
A woman and two children who were killed in a shooting in Co Fermanagh are understood to be a mother, her son and daughter. The mother is aged in her 40s, but the ages of her two children have not been confirmed. Advertisement A fourth person, a man, is in a serious condition in hospital after the incident in the Drummeer Road area of Maguiresbridge. All four people are members of the same household and all four suffered gunshot wounds, police said. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly expressed their shock at a mother and her two children being killed. 'We are deeply saddened by the events which have unfolded in Maguiresbridge this morning,' they said in a joint statement. Advertisement 'Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the victims and their families, and the wider community. 'We want to pay tribute to and thank our emergency services who responded to the incident.' A murder investigation has been launched and police are probing a triple murder and attempted suicide line of inquiry. Superintendent Robert McGowan said that the suspect has a 'limited footprint' with police. Advertisement Speaking in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, Mr McGowan said that two people were pronounced dead at the scene and a third person died in hospital. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it received a 999 call at 8.21am on Wednesday and dispatched three emergency ambulances, one rapid response paramedic, two ambulance officers and an ambulance doctor to the scene. Mr McGowan said: 'Earlier this morning, police received a report of an incident in Maguiresbridge. 'Officers, along with their colleagues in the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, attended a house in the Drummeer Road area. Advertisement 'Tragically, despite best medical efforts, two people were pronounced dead at the scene. Sadly, I can confirm that a third person has this afternoon passed away in hospital. 'The fourth person, who was taken to hospital, remains in a condition described as serious. 'All four had sustained gunshot wounds and I can confirm that all four individuals are from the same household.' Mr McGowan said the incident was ongoing when police arrived at the scene on Wednesday morning. Advertisement 'It just happened prior to police attending, so, as you can appreciate, it's a very harrowing scene for all involved,' he told reporters. The scene in the Drummeer Road area of Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh. 'So, not only police officers, but colleagues in the ambulance service, and family members. Without going into detail, it's a very harrowing scene for anybody to attend.' He added: 'There is limited domestic history involving the people concerned and that is certainly one line of inquiry that the detectives will take forward.' He said the alarm was raised by a phone call made from the house where the incident was taking place. 'I am keen first and foremost to express my sympathy to the family members and loved ones who are today left in total shock and who will struggle to come to terms with their unimaginable loss,' he added. 'Detectives have now commenced a murder investigation and are working at pace to determine the circumstances. 'This is a quiet rural location and I'm aware that this tragic event will have sent shockwaves of sadness throughout the community.' The local Gaelic football club said those who died in the tragedy were all 'active and beloved' members of the club. 'St Mary's Maguiresbridge GFC offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those impacted by the tragic incident which happened in our community this morning,' it said in a statement on Facebook. 'We are working with the GAA at county, provincial and national level, to implement the Association's critical incident protocols. 'We will work closely with all appropriate services to ensure that those who require support at this difficult time can access it.' Speaking at the scene, local MP Pat Cullen said she was 'shocked to the core' and 'heartbroken' at the incident. 'It's such a tragedy to hear that a mother and two wee children have lost their lives here today, and another person seriously injured,' the Fermanagh and South Tyrone representative told PA. 'It's just devastating news, devastating for the people of Maguiresbridge, a really close-knit community that I have got to know so well over the last year, just people that are the salt of the earth. 'I'm also thinking of all the wee school friends of those two wee children and what that must feel like for all of them and how the next few days and weeks will be for everyone, particularly just at the beginning of the school holidays.' She added: 'I think out of respect for the families alone it is so important that we give space now to the police to carry out their investigation. 'Speculation doesn't get us anywhere, it's time now to come together and wrap ourselves around this community and give them all the care and attention that they need and deserve.' Local MLA Deborah Erskine said there was 'a deep sense of shock and distress' in the 'close-knit, quiet, rural' community. 'I know having spoken to people within the community today, they are shocked, but the foremost thoughts are with the family,' she said at the scene. 'This family has had their lives completely and utterly turned upside down within a matter of hours today.' Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn said it was a 'tragic and deeply distressing' incident. 'My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the local community in Fermanagh. 'I would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the PSNI to continue their investigation.' The North's Health Minister Mike Nesbitt and Justice Minister Naomi Long also urged against online speculation and appealed for privacy for the families and friends of those who had died. In a joint statement, they commended the work of the first responders and emergency services. 'We are horrified and heartbroken to learn of the tragedy that has occurred in Maguiresbridge today,' they said. 'We send our deepest sympathies to the families affected and to the wider community in County Fermanagh. 'The shock of this terrible event is being felt by many people and we would urge those in need of support to reach out to services provided within the health and social care system, and in the voluntary and community sector. 'We wish to commend the work of first responders and the emergency services, including the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, as well as staff from Western and Belfast Health and Social Care Trusts, the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service and Air Ambulance NI. 'Those who work in the front line of our emergency and health services are the best of us and we value their tremendous dedication and compassion at this most awful of times for families and the community. 'We would appeal for privacy for the families and friends of those who have died and would caution against speculation online as the PSNI continues its investigation.'
Irish Times
23-07-2025
- Irish Times
Fermanagh shooting: third person dies, another remains in hospital
A third person has died following a shooting in Co Fermanagh. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said they died in hospital this afternoon. A fourth individual remains in hospital, where their condition is described as serious. Police remain at the scene of the shooting at the Drummeer Road area of Maguiresbridge. READ MORE The PSNI said that all four individuals are from the same household. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it dispatched an emergency team after receiving a 999 call at 8.20am. Three emergency ambulances, one rapid response paramedic, two ambulance officers and an ambulance doctor were sent to the scene. The charity air ambulance was also dispatched. One of the injured was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, by air ambulance and another to South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen, about 13 km from Maguiresbridge, by ambulance. Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill said she was 'absolutely heartbroken' by the news of the shooting in Maguiresbridge. 'My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, and the local community. I have no doubt that the people of Maguiresbridge will come together and support one another through this incredibly difficult time,' she said on social media website X. Sinn Féin MP Pat Cullen has expressed her deep shock following the reports of the shootings. The Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP said her thoughts are 'with the victims and their families at this tragic time'. 'Police are currently at the scene of an incident outside Maguiresbridge and there are a number of road closures while they carry out their investigations. 'I would urge people to not speculate on the details of this tragic and shocking incident,' she said. Former DUP leader Arlene Foster, who is from nearby Brookeborough, said the news was 'just absolutely devastating' and the last thing you expect to hear from Maguiresbridge, which she described as 'a very sleepy little village in Fermanagh'. 'I just feel so sorry for everybody that has been impacted by what seems to be an absolutely horrific tragedy,' she told the News Letter. 'Obviously those involved will need a lot of support in the coming days and I am sure the community in Fermanagh will give that to them.' The former First Minister who represented Fermanagh locally, at Stormont and at Westminster said she knew wider family members linked to the situation. 'I send my deepest condolences love and support to them at this time,' she said. DUP MLA Deborah Erskine described a truly shocking incident which has 'stunned the entire community' as she expressed her condolences with those affected. 'The area of Maguiresbridge where this has happened is a rural, quiet area and everyone is deeply affected by what has happened this morning,' she said. - Additional reporting PA
