There was a relaxed mood as relatives of the Glenanne gang gathered in Belfast yesterday.
Loved ones of those killed in the Dublin bombings were joined by victims and survivors of all ages from across the north.
Their journey to the doors of the High Court can be measured in more than miles.
A glance around the packed courtroom reveals the bloody reach of the notorious Glenanne Gang.
Men like Malachi McDonald, who lost his wife Elizabeth to the killer gang, are as determined as ever to force the state to admit the scale of its involvement in the killing spree carried out by RUC, UDR and UVF members who made up the Glenanne Gang.
Dozens of people crammed into the courtroom as legal teams shuffled about with boxes of files they hoped would prove their case.
With the public gallery at bursting point, a frown-faced clerk announced that everyone should decamp to a larger courtroom.
There the stage was set for English barrister Danny Friedman, flown in specially for the case, to launch the first of several clinical strikes.
At times the PSNI’s two barristers shared a quick glance as Fr Friedman fired yet another salvo in their direction.
His distinct English accent added its own flavour to proceedings as he made local place names sound positively exotic.
Former Historical Enquiries Team officer Steve Morris, who led the shelved review, looked on as the barrister hammered home his case.
Familiar faces also packed the gallery, some leaning forward to draw in every word, as Friedman’s vocals were lost in the acoustics of the open courtroom.
Among them was Eugene Reavey, the south Armagh campaigner who lost three brothers to the gang in 1976.
Like others, the Whitecross man has never given up.
As relatives walked quietly from the courthouse yesterday flanked by solicitors and support groups it is clear they have no intention of giving up their fight for justice regardless of how this case goes.
