IRA murder victim's daughter speaks of 'serenity' after legacy report

The daughter of a solicitor who was murdered by the IRA in 1977, has said a meeting where she and her brother learned the details of their father's death moved them into a "space of serenity and light, all anger taken away".

It comes as the legacy body set up to investigate Troubles cases published its first report, examining the shooting of 59-year-old Rory O'Kelly, who was targeted because he worked for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The murder, which happened in Coalisland, County Tyrone, was examined by the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

The investigation into his death was requested by O'Kelly's now deceased son, Roger, who met ICRIR staff last year alongside his sister Anne Frances O'Kelly and Roger's wife.

The meeting, which included ICRIR chief commissioner Sir Declan Morgan, happened just before Roger died from cancer in a hospice in England in October 2025 and was set up to share the investigation's findings.

In a statement, Anne Frances O'Kelly described the meeting as "sacred and transformative".

She added: "Everyone present was transported 50 years back to the hour and place of our father's death."

She said she "would never have expected to know this sort of release," by the end of the meeting.

"I can never thank members of the ICRIR enough for working so hard to piece together the facts of the death of our father."

Sir Declan, said the 124-page report is a "significant moment", two years after it began operating.

It is currently dealing with 140 other investigations.

Mr O'Kelly was a father-of-five who studied for the priesthood before becoming a solicitor and moving from Coalisland to Bangor when he began working for the DPP.

He was also a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).

He was shot by a gunman at Lyttle's Bar, where he had gone to attend a funeral.

The ICRIR investigation focused on information recovery, as a review of material indicated prosecutions were unlikely due to an absence of witnesses and forensics.

It was unable to identify the gunman or others who may have been involved.

But it added it had been possible to reach "some findings about the way the murder was carried out".

It described the murder as "carefully planned", involving the monitoring of his movements after he arrived in Coalisland.

The Colt .45 pistol was used in eight other attacks before and after.

Anne Frances O'Kelly explained how, no matter how far she had been from Northern Ireland and how happy her life was there was a deep inside feeling of "irrecoverable loss and distress".

"I could never talk about my father's killing to anyone," especially to those within the family, she said adding that it was "bad form to mention the subject".

Her brother Roger had sought answers and the meeting with the ICRIR had brought him "great peace," she said.

She also paid tribute to the "heroine of this story" - her mother - who "kept the home warm and cheerful, and encouraged us to get qualified and independent".

"She never got over the loss of her husband, missing his kindliness, humour and story-telling. She thought of him every day."

Commissioner for investigations, Peter Sheridan, said: "The commission has provided as many answers as possible in this report.

"However, like many legacy cases, there will be people who can still shed light on Rory O'Kelly's murder.

"I am calling on those people to use this moment to engage with the commission for the sake of those members of Mr O'Kelly's family who are seeking further information."

The ICRIR was established as part of the last government's Legacy Act.

Under a bill currently before parliament, it will undergo reforms as part of a replacement act.

Earlier this year a review of the ICRIR found it faced significant problems.

Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant said: "Reading Anne O'Kelly's deeply moving personal statement, I was struck by the transformative impact the information provided has had on her and her family.

"Many families have waited too long to find out what happened to their loved ones during the troubles, but I strongly believe that the work to uncover this information is of vital importance.

"I look forward to a steady rhythm now being established for the publication of ICRIR's reports, as we work together to prepare for its transition to the Legacy Commission as set out in the NI Troubles Bill."