Northern Ireland

Last surviving IRA man linked to brutal 1971 murder of Scottish soldiers dies in Dublin

The location of the murder of three Scottish soldiers by the IRA in March 1971 is marked by a memorial on the outskirts of north Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann
The location of the murder of three Scottish soldiers by the IRA in March 1971 is marked by a memorial on the outskirts of north Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann The location of the murder of three Scottish soldiers by the IRA in March 1971 is marked by a memorial on the outskirts of north Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann

AN IRA man linked to the murders of three young Scottish soldiers in Belfast has died in Dublin.

Anthony Doherty, known as 'Dutch', died last week at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital, aged 71.

He was believed to be one of four IRA members involved in the killing of brothers John (17) and Joseph (18) McCaig, and Dougald McCaughey (23) in March 1971.

The trio, members of the 1st Battalion Royal Highland Fusiliers, were off-duty and drinking in a pub in Belfast when they were lured to a road outside the city and shot dead.

Their bodies were later discovered by a 14-year-old girl.

Doherty was the only person arrested in connection with the murders, which were never claimed by the IRA.

In December 1971 Doherty escaped from Crumlin Road jail, where he was being detained, and fled to the Republic where he later successfully avoided an attempted extradition back to the north.

He was the last of the four Provisional IRA members believed to be behind the killings still alive before his death last week.

It was thought that Doherty himself had previously died, but a BBC Spotlight programme in 2020 found him alive and living in Dublin.

The show reported that Doherty confessed his involvement in the murder of the three Scottish soldiers when being quizzed by Metropolitan police following his 1971 arrest.

However, a judge later ruled his confession could not be regarded as voluntary.

Relatives of the three soldiers continued to campaign for justice over the years, and in 2020 a new file on the murders was submitted to the then-Attorney general John Larkin in an attempt to secure a fresh inquest.

When confronted by the BBC Spotlight team that same year, Doherty denied he was involved in the killings.

Doherty's funeral was held at St Benedict's Church in Dublin's Kilbarrack area last Friday.

Paddy McAdorey, who is understood to have been named by Doherty as being involved in the murders of the Royal Highland Fusiliers trio, was shot dead by British soldiers later in 1971.

Another member of the group suspected to have been responsible was former Parachute Regiment soldier-turned IRA volunteer Paddy O'Kane, who died in 2009 in Co Clare.

The fourth suspect, Harry Canavan, died aged 72 in 2015 while living in the Republic.