Overview of the 1972 Springhill Shootings
A coroner has delivered findings following an inquest into the deaths of five individuals shot on 9 July 1972 in the Springhill estate, west Belfast. The victims included three teenagers, a father of six, and a priest: John Dougal, 16; Patrick Butler, 38; Father Noel Fitzpatrick, 42; David McCafferty, 15; and Margaret Gargan, 13.
The families of those killed maintain that the Army was responsible for the shootings, while soldiers at the time stated they had been firing at armed gunmen. The inquest, which concluded its final submissions in April 2024, examined whether the fatalities resulted from military gunfire or from republican or loyalist paramilitary sources.
An initial inquest held in 1973 returned an open verdict. However, in 2014, then Attorney General John Larkin ordered new inquests to be conducted. Due to the government's Legacy Act, which mandated the cessation of coroner investigations into Troubles-related deaths by 1 May 2024, Mr Justice Scoffield agreed to expedite the process.
The deaths at Springhill occurred during 1972, the bloodiest year of the Troubles, during which 472 people lost their lives due to the conflict.
Families' Perspective: "For us, this is not history"
In a joint statement, the families expressed their enduring grief and quest for answers after nearly 54 years.
"We stand together after almost 54 years of grief, loss, and unanswered questions. The deaths of our loved ones that occurred at Springhill and Westrock on 9 July 1972 have cast a long shadow over our lives. Each of those who died was an individual - deeply loved and still deeply missed. For us, this is not history; it is something we have lived with every day. Throughout this inquest, we have listened to extensive and often deeply distressing evidence about the circumstances in which our loved ones were killed. We have done so together, supporting one another through a process that has been both painful and long overdue."
Harry Gargan, brother of 13-year-old Margaret Gargan, recounted that she had been assisting in setting up a bingo night at the local community centre on the evening of the shootings. She was returning home when she was shot in the head.
"I always think of my mother coming back from the original inquest - she was a bit naive expecting an apology or something. Her 13-year-old daughter was described as a 20-year-old gunman with a gun in his left hand. It totally destroyed her."
Mary Judge, sister of John Dougal, shared that he had aspired to join the Army and had been an Army cadet in his youth. She described how his death profoundly affected their family.
"We have always missed him and we think about him every day. We hope this inquest will give us some truth after five decades. Only then can our parents rest in peace."
Jacqueline Butler, the youngest child of Patrick Butler, said her father had entered the estate to assist those wounded during the gunfire outbreak.
"That was the day our childhood ended. We experienced grief no child should have to experience."
Betty Kennedy, sister of David McCafferty, expressed the heartbreak her family endured following his death.
Ruth O'Reilly, niece of Father Noel Fitzpatrick, described her uncle as a "gentle and charismatic person" with a "tremendous open heart."
