Darkley Massacre 26 years on.

Today (20th Nov 2011) at about 5:45 pm marks the 26th anniversary of the massacre at the Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church in South Armagh, Northern Ireland in 1985.  The church was just gathering for worship at 6:00 pm when republican terrorists burst in and shot dead three church elders, two of whom I knew personally and whose funerals I conducted.  

Our service at Armaghbreague Presbyterian Church was being held on that same night, and the terrorist attack was just about half a mile, as the crow flies, from our meeting house.  Our church services were held under armed police and army protection for many months thereafter.

That marked a new low for republican terrorists in their campaign of genocide against the Protestant people of Northern Ireland.  They had promised to do a spectacular, and this was it!  They had also promised that in comparison, this would be like a Sunday school picnic.  They fulfilled that promise, too.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those families of the bereaved and injured for whom today will be a difficult day.