Mr Irwin was speaking ahead of the 40th
anniversary of the massacre.
The DUP MLA said, “The attack in Darkley was indiscriminate sectarian murder of innocent people as they worshipped on a Sunday evening. Harold Brown, Victor Cunningham, David Wilson and every other member of the congregation that evening were targeted because of their faith and were easy targets in the small isolated wooden building.
Even amongst the horrors of the Troubles, Darkley stands as one of the most horrific atrocities as gunmen stood outside the church, reloading their weapons to then spray the building with gunfire again. Mountain Lodge has seen the murder of its members and arson attacks on its premises on two separate occasions. Despite Sinn Fein’s view, there was never any justification for such attacks and there was always an “alternative” to such hatred.
Even after 40 years it is difficult to comprehend the mindset of those who perpetrated this atrocity. It is also hard to find a more glaring contrast than between those who were inside the building that evening and the gunmen who attacked them indiscriminately. It is also difficult to comprehend how, even after 4 decades there are still those in our society who eulogise and celebrate the types of individuals who were involved in preparing and perpetrating this massacre.”
