‘Voiceless for so many years’: Appeal for information over 40 years after deaths | ITV News

Play Brightcove video

More than 40 years after the deaths of a father and his son on the Antrim Road, Northern Ireland’s legacy body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) has made an appeal for information.

Eric Guiney was a 45-year-old milkman and father of four; Desmond was his 14-year-old son.

On 5 May 1981, the ICRIR said they were travelling along the Antrim Road in Mr Guiney’s milk float when the vehicle was attacked with bricks and missiles.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter here.

It was reported at the time that rioting had broken out that morning following the death of Bobby Sands.

During the attack, the milk float collided with a concrete lamp post on the Antrim Road at its junction with Duncairn Avenue, opposite the New Lodge Road.

Desmond died of his injuries three days after the incident, while Mr Guiney died the day after his son’s funeral on May 13.

Following a request from the Guiney family, the Commission is now appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Joanne Dorrian from the South East Fermanagh Foundation, a victims and survivors group, said: “We support a brother and sister of the Guiney family, but there are other members of the family who have died before their time with suffering from a broken heart.

“There’s Julie who died in 2014, who never got over the loss of her father and her brother, and Roberta, who died in 2021, and again just lived a life of trauma when she lost her husband and her son.

“That’s really the heart of this message today – the Guiney family will continue to ask for answers.

“They’ve been voiceless for so many years, so those bigger questions of who threw the missiles, who threw the bricks at the van, all of those questions are still as relevant as they were on day one, and those are the answers that they deserve.”

Assistant commissioner Amanda Logan is urging anyone with information to come forward to help the Guiney family.

She said: “The Commission is committed to delivering for all those who have come to us for help, and today the family of Eric and Desmond are uppermost in our thoughts.

“Any information you may hold, no matter how inconsequential it may seem, could be of critical importance to uncovering the truth.

“If you know anything about the circumstances that led to the deaths of Eric and Desmond, please share it with the Commission.

“All information will be treated in the strictest confidence.”

She added: “The Guiney family has waited more than four decades to learn the truth of what happened that day.

“At the Commission we will help them in every way we can, and I appeal to the public to assist us in this work.”

The ICRIR said its witness appeal will involve distributing posters and an organised leaflet drop in the area relating to the investigation.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter here.

Catch up with the latest UTV Live on ITVX

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.