A mural which symbolically represents all the children killed or maimed during the Troubles in the North was unveiled in the Bogside in Derry yesterday.
Death of Innocence is a painting of Annette McGavigan (14), who was shot dead during rioting close to her Bogside home in September 1971. She was the 100th victim of violence in Northern Ireland.
Her sister, Ms Mena McGavigan, said her family was delighted with the "beautiful" mural.
"Annette was coming home from the local shop eating an ice-cream. She had to pass close to rioting. During the riot a sniper fired a shot at soldiers. One of the soldiers fired a single shot in return. The bullet ricocheted off a wall and hit Annette in the back of the head. Local people carried her into a nearby house where Bishop Daly gave her the last rites," she said.
Dr Edward Daly, who was a curate in the Bogside at the time, said he had never forgotten Annette.
"I saw a young girl lying on the ground with an ice-cream beside her. She had been hit in the head and was on the point of death. I gave her the last rites and then had to break the news to her mother who collapsed. It was very difficult. It made a very powerful impression on me."
Mr Tom Kelly, one of the three members of the Bogside Artists' Group who painted the mural, said they were "trying to bring attention to the fact that children, right across the board, have been killed and maimed over the last 30 years. "It is a peace mural for the peace process and anyone who questions that should look at it because it speaks for itself," he said.