Joanne Reilly's family want memorial at Warrenpoint police station retained

A memorial to Joanne forms part of Warrenpoint police station's external wall

The family of a woman killed by an IRA bomb beside Warrenpoint police station want assurances a memorial to her will stay in place after the station is sold.

Joanne Reilly, a civilian, died in the blast in the County Down town in April 1989.

The 20-year-old had been working in an adjacent hardware store on Charlotte Street when the bomb went off.

A memorial to Joanne has since formed part of the station's external wall.

The Reilly family's solicitor says the family want assurances it will remain in place no matter what the former station becomes once it is sold.

"The Reilly family want Joanne's memorial to remain in situ, in perpetuity and in their ownership," said Rosemary Connolly.

"A commitment has already been made to that effect some years ago that the memorial will be transferred into the ownership of the Reilly family.

"They want it to remain where it is and they would like that commitment to be delivered on as soon as possible."

'Sensitivity'

The issue of what becomes of memorials at former police stations took centre stage after the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) announced in August that it intended to close Crossmaglen station in south Armagh.

Supt Norman Haslett, the Newry, Mourne and Down district commander, said there were also three memorials dedicated to fallen police officers located within the former police station.

"As with any station closure, disposal or redevelopment, there is a requirement to consider how best to manage the transition of these memorials," he said.

"Any proposals for the relocation and re-dedication of the memorials currently in Warrenpoint police station will be handled properly, with sensitivity and in full consultation with the respective families of those who are commemorated."

Barbara McGinn, from the Community Centre for Warrenpoint campaign group, was surprised when initial plans to sell the station fell through

The former Warrenpoint station has been closed for more than five years.

Initially the PSNI had been in negotiations with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, which wanted to build a community centre on the site.

However, in 2018 the PSNI pulled out citing what it said was "uncertainty surrounding Brexit".

This came as a shock to Barbara McGinn of the Community Centre for Warrenpoint campaign group.

"We were gutted as a group because we had done a lot of work with the council and the people in the town," she said.

"The public consultation was very popular and the PSNI site did come out on top.

"But then things happened. Brexit, customs. So we had to move on."

• Three border police stations are back up for sale

It was thought given its proximity to Warrenpoint port the site could become some form of post Brexit check facility.

However, a site within the envelope of the port was later identified for this purpose.

'Absolutely not'

With the station now going back on the market there have been suggestions the council may revisit it as an option for its, as yet, unbuilt community centre.

"Absolutely not," said councillor Mickey Ruane of Sinn Féin.

"The council very quickly, after we knew this site wasn't going to happen, moved on and we are now in Clonallen Park in the town.

"We are now at the stage where we are moving to appoint consultants for the design team and to go forward for planning, so we have no plans to look at this site even though it is back on the market again.

"We were surprised it's back on the market because we wrote to them not so long ago and they told us there were no plans for it."

The market will now determine what the former police station building becomes.

But like in many other towns the past will be ever present when looking to the future.