Father Hugh Mullan, Francis Quinn, Daniel Teggart, Joan Connolly, Noel Phillips, Joseph Murphy, John Laverty, Joseph Corr, Edward Doherty and John McKerr.
These are the names of those killed by the British Army Parachute Regiment in the Ballymurphy Massacre in August 1971. Today, after 50 years, the Coroner, Mrs Justice Keegan declared them as innocent victims.
Separate inquests were held into their deaths in 1972 and returned open verdicts. The new inquests, which began in November 2018, ended just before lockdown began last year.
An 11th victim of the Ballymurphy Massacre was Paddy McCarthy, a youth worker from England, who died from a heart attack after Paratroopers placed a gun in his mouth and threatened to shoot. Soldiers prevented locals from coming to his aid. His death is not included in the current inquest.
Responding to the verdict, Fr Paddy McCafferty, Parish Priest of Corpus Christi in Ballymurphy said: "We are just massively relieved and thankful that after 50 years the people’s names have been cleared. They are innocent people, they were totally innocent victims.
“We are so grateful for the verdict and it just confirms what we knew all along.”
Speaking to belfastmedia.com, he added: “It is a momentous day and I am full of relief for the people of this community. It has been half a century of anguish and having their loved ones names blackened and vilified which added to the grief and distress they were feeling.
“There was a real need for them to hear today that they were all innocent victims. It was unambiguous, they were all innocent and we knew that, their families knew that but the world needed to know that.
“The damage was done when the British establishment slandered them in an attempt to justify the unjustifiable. These people were slaughtered and to cover-up the fact that their soldiers ran amok, they decided to say that they were terrorists. None of these victims were even remotely involved in anything political.
“It is a longed for day of vindication, of truth and of justice which these families have fought for since the late 90s when they formed a cohesive body to campaign for justice.
“That work finishes today, but these families are left with grief. It is a painful day for them as it brings back so many memories. All that trauma over the years is once again coming to the fore.
“It is a good day from the point of view that they have achieved what they set out to do and cleared their loved ones names.
“The British Army are left with questions to answer. It was clear from listening to the Coroner that she received very little cooperation from the military.”
Ciarán Cahill, coordinator of Springhill Community House which was founded in 1971 by Fr. Des Wilson, added: “It is a great day for the families but it is also a very sad day for them.
“They got the verdict which they have always known to be true. All of those people were innocent.
“We are delighted that now the world knows that all those people that were killed were innocent and posed no threat to anyone.
“This verdict is holding people to account. There was no investigation and there were lies told about those victims. It was said that they were gunmen and gunwomen but today that has changed. The headlines have been rewritten and all of the Ballymurphy Massacre victims are innocent and they had no links to paramilitaries.”
Providing his reaction to the verdict, Tommy Holland, Manager of the Upper Springfield Resource Centre said: “It is quite an emotional day. These families have waited 50 years which is a long time to wait on the truth.
“Having their names cleared means everything to these families. It means everything to have the lies and untruths listed in a court of law.
“For the coroner to say their loved ones were innocent, all previous lies such the British Army calling them terrorists, is all gone now. This is what they fought so hard for.”
