Chai Brady
A crying schoolgirl is escorted to the Holy Cross Primary School in the republican Ardoyne district of Belfast, past Loyalist protestors on the first day of the new school term in
September, 2001. Photo: Paul Faith/PA Archive/PA Images. A Belfast priest has voiced his disappointment after a flag showing loyalist killer Michael Stone was put up near Holy Cross Girls’ School in Ardoyne.
Rector at Holy Cross Ardoyne, Fr Eugene McCarthy told The Irish Catholic the incident wasn’t representative of the Loyalist community.
“I think it could be an embarrassment to the Loyalist people to have this kind of stuff happening again. We don’t want it, we don’t need it and we have enough to do to keep ourselves going in the midst of this pandemic,” he said.
“We’re disappointed that it happened and please God it won’t happen again,” he continued, “sometimes it’s done by people who don’t appreciate the consequences of that kind of behaviour”.
Fr McCarthy added: “I was happy to hear that some of the groups on either side have been talking and so forth, it’s better to have people talking than to have a deadly silence and that kind of behaviour.”
The Stone flag, which included the slogan ‘Hands up if you’re going to be sectarian today’, was taken down several hours later. It’s believed it was put up along with several Rangers flags around the Ardoyne Road last week.
Holy Cross Girls’ School was the focus of bitter loyalist protests in 2001 and 2002. It involved attempts to stop young girls from going to school.
A former UDA member, Stone was convicted of three murders and was subsequently released under the Good Friday Agreement in 2000.