Annie's Bar 50th anniversary: ‘I was only 7 months old... But my father's memory lives on through the stories'

Gillian McElholm was just a baby when her father Michael McGinley was murdered alongside four other innocent men.

She told those gathered at An Chroi community hub in Top of Hill on Tuesday night: “The cruelty of the attack at this time, five days before Christmas, was deliberate- to ensure maximum hurt and suffering.”

"Some had just finished work, some were giving their wives and mothers peace to sort the house, organise the children, and prepare for Christmas.

Gillian related how she was just seven months old at the time. “I don’t remember my daddy. But his memory lives on through the stories that have been shared in my family, and his memory will continue to live on through my children. The memories of Frank, Charlie, Charles, and Barney will also live on, and we are thankful to the Pat Finucane Centre for capturing some of their stories in the booklet that was prepared for this anniversary.”

She also spoke of the ‘enduring memories of the pain inflicted on that night’ being compounded by ‘a complete lack of justice’.

“No one has ever been prosecuted for the murders of our loved ones that night. No one was ever convicted for any offences relating to the attack. 50 years later we know that we will not get the answers or justice that we deserve, but we cautiously welcomed the opportunity to meet with the police last week, and to receive an apology from them for the lack of engagement with our families in the aftermath of what happened.”

"It was a small step in acknowledging what we have endured, and for some it may be a small step towards healing this hurt.”

Gillian also spoke out strongly against the British government’s move to introduce a Legacy Bill that will stop all families who have lost loved ones during the conflict from gaining justice through inquests, investigations, and civil actions.

“It wasn’t just our families that were devastated by the actions of those men, who cowardly and viciously attacked defenceless men at the mouth of Christmas, it was a whole community,” she added. “There were 30-40 people in that bar, and everyone lived with the scars of what they witnessed.

“We are grateful to Cyril Doherty, who was a bar man in Annie’s that night, and Lawrence Arbuckle, who was present with his father in the immediate aftermath, for sharing their experiences – the passage of time has made these memories no less vivid or painful.”