Two of the most devastating events of the Troubles were revisited in London's financial district last night when Gerry Adams apologised for the Warrington bombing at an event in Canary Wharf.
The 1993 killings of schoolboy Tim Parry and toddler Johnathan Ball in Warrington caused revulsion throughout Britain and Ireland.
Last night the Sinn Féin president addressed a gathering on the 30th floor of the headquarters of corporate lawyers Clifford Chance, situated in Canary Wharf where a bomb in 1996 killed two people and marked the end of a 17-month IRA ceasefire. Opposite Mr Adams was Colin Parry and his wife, Wendy, who became involved in the peace process after their son Tim died from the injuries he sustained in the Warrington bombing.
Mr Adams repeated an earlier apology to Colin and Wendy Parry for their son's death at the hands of the IRA and for the deaths of all other "non-combatants".
"The fact that two children were killed obviously had a devastating impact, not just on their families and their communities, but on parents including me back in Ireland," Mr Adams said.
In 2002, the IRA had expressed its regrets for the deaths of all "non-combatants", Mr Adams said. "I have also expressed my personal and sincere regret, and apologised for the hurt inflicted by Republicans, and I do so again this evening.
"As we seek to move forward there's a requirement that we address the tragic human consequences of our actions . . . I therefore want to acknowledge Colin and Wendy Parry's personal journey".
Mr Parry said he and his wife had the choice of forgiving and wholeheartedly supporting the peace process.
"I can say that inviting Gerry Adams to join me here tonight was not, as you might imagine, easy for me or for Wendy." He added: "However, it is a vital step on my own personal journey to reconciliation." - (Additional reporting PA)