'He Dedicated His Life To His Pursuit Of Justice'

Tributes paid to Maghera man, Neecie Kelly

- Caoimhe Hegarty

TRIBUTES were last night paid to a Maghera man, who spent the past 30 years fighting for justice for his two murdered sons.

James Kelly, who was locally known as ‘Neecie’, passed away peacefully at Antrim Area Hospital on Saturday.

Since the early 90’s, Neecie has been actively seeking justice for his two sons, Michael and Jimmy.

Neecie’s 15 year-old son Michael was bludgeoned to death with a pickaxe having stumbled upon a criminal gang as he played around a derelict shop in Maghera in February 1988. Initially reported as missing, his body lay for days before being discovered.

On March 25, 1993, Neecie and his wife Anna were dealt another devastating blow when their 25 year-old son Jimmy, was one of four Catholic workmen killed by a paramilitary gang in Castlerock. Their work van was sprayed by bullets as they arrived to Gortree Place, a housing estate where they had been working for some months.

Tragically, three months after his Jimmy’s murder, Neecie lost his beloved wife Anna.

Despite a hard-fought campaign spanning almost 30 years, due to repeated failures by the state, Neecie died without uncovering the truth behind his sons’ murders.