When Time is Taken

At 17 years of age, Norah first glimpsed Robert in a less than flattering impression. It took almost a year and all his charm and wit before she agreed to date him. And it was years later before she walked down the aisle with him.

Robert became a Methodist Minister and Norah an SRN in the renowned Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast. A few years after they married, they adopted their daughter.

But nothing was normal at this time in Northern Ireland. For years, terrorists had inflicted death and turmoil on the people. Whether you were Catholic or Protestant, they would strike at families, not caring if it was a mother or child or whoever got in the way of their quest for a united Ireland.

As the violence escalated, Robert felt compelled to stand for Parliament. Winning a seat, he became a Westminster MP, requiring more personal security as the threats intensified.

Robert and Norah lived behind bulletproof glass and doors, checking the car for boobytraps; even a picnic had to be well thought out. As for holidays to the Republic of Ireland - could the Garda be trusted?

Then came that fateful day - in a community hall in Belfast. Children were having a birthday party; Robert was in a room next door helping his constituents with advice. Terrorists burst through the children and their parents, executing him because he stood against their belief.

Like so many innocent people in Northern Ireland whose families had a loved one taken unlawfully, no one was ever charged or brought to court. Blood is on the hands of not just those who killed Robert, but the governments who were in collusion with terrorists and hid evidence securely out of public view.