GAA President Burns pays tribute to Seán Brown at the GAA Congress in Donegal Town

GAA President Jarlath Burns has paid tribute to Seán Brown, the former chairman of Bellaghy Wolfe Tones GAA Club, who was murdered in 1997. 

Speaking at the GAA Annual Congress in Donegal Town, Burns reflected on the Brown family's decades-long struggle for justice and called for greater transparency in the case. 

Seán Brown, a highly respected community figure and lifelong GAA member, was abducted and murdered by the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) on 12 May 1997.

The 61-year-old father of six had stayed behind to lock up the club grounds when he was attacked. His body was later found near Randalstown, County Antrim, with gunshot wounds. Despite years of campaigning by his family, no one has ever been brought to justice for his murder. 

READ NEXT: Donegal v Galway: Match details, news, and where you can watch it 

Burns acknowledged the suffering the Brown family has endured, with their calls for truth repeatedly ignored. 

"It would be remiss of me as Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael not to address the fact that we have assembled in Ulster and across the county boundary from Derry where Seán Brown was murdered and how since that terrible act in Bellaghy in 1997 his family have been put through the additional agony of having their requests for truth and justice repeatedly thwarted." 

Allegations of state collusion have surrounded the case for years. Reports indicate that multiple individuals involved in the murder were linked to security forces. Despite these concerns, efforts to secure a full public inquiry have been continually blocked. 

Burns pointed to the findings of two High Court judges, both of whom concluded that the circumstances of the case warranted further investigation. He criticised the lack of action from the British government and the Northern Ireland Secretary. 

"The dignity and determination that the Brown family have shown in the face of the obfuscation of the British Government and Northern Secretary is admirable." 

The Brown family has pursued justice relentlessly, attending court over 57 times in a legal battle marked by obstruction and delays. Even after a judge ruled in favour of an inquest in 2023, progress has remained slow, with key evidence still withheld. 

During his speech, Burns also reflected on the dangers GAA members faced during the Troubles. He recalled the murders of Seán Farmer and Colm McCartney in 1975 while they returned from an All-Ireland semi-final, and the killing of Aidan McAnespie in 1988 as he walked to a match. Earlier this year, he contributed to Lost Gaels, a book documenting the 150 GAA members killed during the conflict, underscoring the lasting impact of that period on the Association. 

To honour Seán Brown’s legacy and recognise his family’s ongoing campaign for justice, Burns invited his widow, Bridie, and other family members to attend the Congress. Their presence was met with strong support from GAA members. 

Seán Brown’s daughter, Clare, addressed the gathering, expressing her family’s gratitude to the GAA and highlighting their painful struggle. 

"On the night of May 12th, 1997, our father, Seán Brown, was doing what he had done countless times before. Locking up the gates of his beloved club, Bellaghy Wolfe Tones, in County Derry. 

"As chairman, he had just finished overseeing another busy club meeting, where plans were made for the summer months of Gaelic Games. Those plans, at least for him, were never to be realised. That night, a group of armed men abducted and murdered our father. 

"His killing was an act of brutal violence, but what followed has been just as cruel. Decades of cover-ups, failed investigations, and deliberate obstruction of justice. For nearly 28 years, our family has fought tirelessly for the truth.” 

She spoke of the toll that the legal battle has taken on her family. 

"We have attended court over 57 times, only to have met with silence, excuses, and denials," she said. 

"The police investigations were a failure, an insult, and, distressingly, a cover-up for state collusion. From the inquest proceedings, which began in March of 2023, it became painfully clear that state agencies deliberately withheld critical evidence to prevent the truth from emerging. 

"We know now that up to 25 suspects were involved in his killing, many of them state agents. The coroner formally urged the Secretary of State to convene a public inquiry, and even the Chief Constable of the PSNI has stated he would not oppose one. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has also publicly supported calls for a full public inquiry. 

"And yet, instead of truth and accountability, we have been met with resistance. The Secretary of State has not only denied our family justice, but has actively appealed a High Court ruling that has called for a public inquiry. Why? Why is our family and our 87-year-old mother being treated with such contempt? What are they so desperate to hide? 

"We are deeply grateful. The GAA is more than a sporting organisation. It is a community. A movement. A force for good. Tonight, I ask for your continued support. 

"We will not be silenced. We will not stop until we have justice."