IRA Volunteers Charlie Breslin, and brothers Michael Devine and David Devine

Strabane honours Breslin and Devines

Memories are still raw in Strabane about the terrible events that took place in the early hours of 23 February 1985, when three young local IRA Volunteers Charlie Breslin (aged 20), and brothers Michael Devine (aged 22) and David Devine (aged 16) were summarily executed by British State Forces in a pre-planned shoot-to-kill operation in a field overlooking the Head of the Town area of their home town.
The killings had a deep impact on the local community and one of the many ways the strength of feeling manifested itself was the formation of the Strabane Memorial Flute Band shortly after their deaths. Local people, including friends of Charlie, Michael and David, came together and decided to form a band as a means of giving positive expression to their feelings. Over the last 25 years the Strabane Memorial Flute Band has not only been the mainstay of local parades, but has also attended republican parades and commemorations the length and breadth of Ireland as well as England, Scotland and America.
To mark the 25th anniversary of their deaths, the Breslin/Devine Commemoration Committee has announced an extensive programme of events. The itinerary, which has been almost a year in the planning, will run from Friday 19 February until Tuesday 23 February.
A major initiative undertaken by the committee has been the commissioning of a Commemorative DVD and many months of painstaking work has gone into the planning and filming of the production. Twilight Graves is a high quality and professional production and features interviews with the family and friends of Charlie, Michael and David, original TV footage from the time and a range of additional material.
The documentary is an emotional rollercoaster, ranging from the tender reflections and memories of those nearest and dearest to Charlie, Michael and David through the harrowing accounts of their deaths and funerals; the contempt visited upon the families by the British state through its military and judicial apparatus; and the far-reaching impact upon the local community and the wider political fallout. Throughout, a powerful testimony shines through, reflecting the extraordinary strength and dignity of the Breslin and Devine families in the face of so much suffering and adversity.
600 copies of Twilight Graves have been produced and it will be launched at the Strabane Memorial Flute Band Dinner Dance next Friday night with the screening of a 15-minute preview.
On Saturday 20 February from 12 pm to 6pm and Sunday 21 February from 11am to 2pm, a major commemorative exhibition in memory of the three volunteers will be held in Fountain Street Community Centre, combining family memorabilia with photographic and newspaper accounts of their deaths and subsequent events.  The Relatives for Justice Remembrance Quilt will also be exhibited. The quilt is made up of squares of material designed and made by family members dedicated to those who have been killed through state and state-sponsored violence. Family tributes to the three men appear alongside the many hundreds of others whose deaths were afforded little importance in the attempted construction of a  hierarchy of victims by governments and other parties to the conflict.
On Sunday 21 February the Strabane Memorial Flute Band 25th Anniversary Parade and Band Competition will take place. Many visiting bands will be taking part in this major event, which will commence at Drumrallagh Estate at 2pm and proceed along Fountain Street to the memorial in memory of the three Volunteers at the junction of Fountain Street and Inisfree Gardens, where a memorial ceremony will take place at which Martin McGuinness will be the main speaker.
On Monday 22 February at 7pm, the Breslin and Devine families will hold an Anniversary mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the extended weekend of commemorative events will conclude on Tuesday 23 February with a candelight vigil at the Volunteers’ Memorial.  This final event will take place 25 years to the day of the summary execution of Charlie, Michael and David.

Strabane Memorial Flute Band to celebrate their 25th anniversary