Plan to honour SF councillors angers unionists

There were angry exchanges at a meeting of Magherafelt District Council on Tuesday night as Sinn Féin put forward a proposal …

There were angry exchanges at a meeting of Magherafelt District Council on Tuesday night as Sinn Féin put forward a proposal to erect a plaque to two former council colleagues who were murdered during the Troubles.

The eight Sinn Féin councillors on the 16-member council voted for the proposal, but the four DUP and two Ulster Unionists were against and the two SDLP councillors abstained.

There were heated exchanges after Cllr SeáMcPeake (SF) raised the motion: "That a plaque be erected in this council building in memory of the two former councillors for Magherafelt District Council, Cllr John Davey and Cllr Bernard O'Hagan, who were so brutally murdered whilst serving the people of the district."

Mr McPeake said yesterday: "We brought it forward at this time because we felt the two councillors needed to be remembered by the council. It is long overdue. There is a plaque in the council to all victims of the conflict, but we feel these two stand out as they died while they were serving the council."

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Cllr Oliver Hughes (SF) said he believed unionists were against the plan because it involved his party.

Mr Davey was ambushed by loyalists in February 1989 and Mr O'Hagan was shot outside his workplace in Magherafelt in 1991.