Annie's Bar massacre in Derry: Families meet PSNI 50 years on

The meeting was held at the request of the Pat Finucane Centre, in advance of the 50th anniversary on Tuesday.

Barney Kelly, Frank McCarron, Michael McGinley, Charlie McCafferty and Charles Boyd Moore were killed when Annie’s Bar in the Top of the Hill area of the Waterside was attacked by UDA gunmen, just a few days before Christmas.

No one was ever convicted for the murders or any other offence connected to the incident.

In a statement issued following the meeting this week via the Pat Finucane Centre, it was stated: “At the meeting, the PSNI apologised to the families for the lack of engagement by the RUC in the aftermath of the attack.

“The families outlined a number of questions they had concerning the attack and subsequent investigation, and the LIB stated that they would try to answer their questions, whilst acknowledging that this may not now be possible due to the passage of time, loss/ destruction of evidence, and the legal parameters they must adhere to when naming suspects who have not been convicted.

“The families present welcomed the opportunity to meet with senior PSNI officers in advance of the 50th anniversary.”

It was on December 20, 1972, that loyalist gunmen burst into the pub and opened fire with a sub-machine gun and a pistol.

The gunmen fired around 20 shots into the busy bar, killing five people and wounding four more as they watched a football match.

The five men who died were all local - Michael McGinley was aged 37, Charles McCafferty 30, Charles Moore 31, Bernard Kelly 28 and Frank McCarron 58.

The ‘Journal’ features interviews from the families as they reflect on the terrible events of that day five decades on, beginning today.

The first feature on Pages 18 & 19 of today’s paper sees Derry Journal chief reporter Kevin Mullan speaking with the family of Michael McGinley.