Balloons were released at a gathering on the 25th anniversary of the murders of the three Quinn boys in Ballymoney.
Jason (8), Mark (9) and Richard (10) were killed in a UVF firebomb attack at the height of the Drumcree stand-off on July 12 1998.
Dozens of people gathered to release the balloons during the remembrance event on the Carnany estate in Ballymoney, Co Antrim.
Davy Joyce, father of Jason, attended the event.
On the anniversary, Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said: “It’s 25 years since the horrific murder of Jason, Mark and Richard Quinn.
“As we begin our twelfth celebrations, it is right to stop and reflect on how intolerance and hate can bring out the worst some.”
The three boys had moved into the house with their mother Chrissie just six days before the early morning attack. A fourth boy, Lee, was staying in his grandmother's home at the time of the attack.
Read more:
- DUP urged to show leadership today, not refight 25-year-old dispute over Drumcree march
- Quinn uncle: I identified the blackened bodies of my nephews
- Quinn brother murders 'changed mood' at height of Drumcree standoff
- Blair told Orange Order chief to get Orangemen to call off Drumcree dispute after Ballymoney fire tragedy
Today we remember the three young Quinn brothers -Richard, Mark & Jason - who were cruelly taken 25 years ago on the 12th of July 1998. Their mum has written a beautiful poem with Velma in WAVE to remember her boys. Thinking about Chrissie, Lee & their family & friends today. pic.twitter.com/CBbyXM4Kio
— WAVE Trauma Centre (@WAVETrauma) July 12, 2023
Their murders were directly linked by many to ongoing tensions and violence following the banning by the recently formed Parades Commission of an Orange Order march from Drumcree along the Garvaghy Road and past a mainly Catholic area.
For a week following the banning of the march there was violence and protests at Drumcree and across the north.
The murders led to the Drumcree protest being called off that year.
All four DUP MPs marked the anniversary of the banning of the parade down the Garvaghy Road with an early day motion in the House of Commons.
The motion, supported by the Orange Order, “regrets that the Parades Commission continues to deny the brethren of Portadown District LOL 1 their right to return home from an act of worship via their traditional route”.
Orange Order grand secretary Mervyn Gibson, on BBC, said the murder of the three boys was not “solely the fault of Drumcree”.
It was the “fault of society”, he said.
SDLP MP Claire Hanna called on the DUP to show leadership now and not refight a quarter-century old dispute.
