MEMBERS of the Oireachtas have been briefed on the UVF murder of two teenagers in Co Armagh 27 years ago.
Relatives of Gavin McShane sat in on the virtual meeting as TDs and senators were told how the 17-year-old was murdered along with his friend Shane McArdle as they stood in a taxi depot in Armagh on May 18 1994.
The killer, who was not masked, shot both teenagers once in the head as they played a computer game in the depot at Lower English Street.
Mr McShane died at the scene while his friend, also aged 17 and from Markethill, died the following day.
Mr McShane's mother Maria, who has campaigned tirelessly for justice, was pregnant with the teenager, when she lost an eye during the 1976 bombing of the Step Inn Bar in Keady, which killed two people.
All the Republic's main parties were present at yesterday's meeting, which was hosted by Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy.
Mark Thompson from Relatives for Justice, which published a report into the killing of Gavin two years ago, said the double murder sent shockwaves through the community.
"These murders, which remain unsolved, were part of a wider series of executions, carried out during the early 1990s and attributed to the Mid-Ulster UVF," he said.
"Subsequent investigations and material emanating from inquests indicate that the gang was heavily infiltrated by the British intelligence agencies and operated with impunity."
He said TDs and senators was being sought for "an independent Article Two compliant inquiry into the circumstances of Gavin and Shane’s murders".
Mr Carthy, who is a TD for Cavan/Monaghan, described the case as "tragic" and said all the main parties had been invited to take part.
"The RFJ report raises concerns with suggestions the gang involved were involved with British intelligence agencies and it's clear the family of Gavin McShane are entitled to the truth of who was behind the killing of their beloved son," he said.
