Gina Murray: Shankill bomb campaigner 'wasn’t and isn’t defined by an act of terror' and leaves behind a 'legacy of love', funeral hears today

Gina Murray died on Thursday October 3 at Marie Curie, aged 73.

Mourners at Gina’s funeral in Melville Morgan Funeral Home, Bangor and taken by Pastor Mark Gordon, heard she "wasn’t and isn’t defined by an act of terror”.

“Gina wasn’t and isn’t defined by an act of terror – her strong soul and beautiful spirit was seared with scars and today Gina Murray’s suffering is over,” said Pastor Gordon.

“Death isn’t the end and you Gina’s loved ones can take comfort in that.”

Also addressing mourners, fellow Shankill bomb survivor from Wave, Alan McBride said Gina left behind a “legacy of love”.

He added: “The tragedy of Frizzell’s fish shop brought me, Gina and Gary together for first time.

"And I have said this before to Gary that I wish I had never met you...”

He added that “Gina was a remarkable woman with a slight build” but an indominable spirit “making her a giant among her peers”.

Telling mourners some of Gina’s life story, Pastor Gordon said that Gina had been born in Lincolnshire, England and was one of three children.

"Then at 18-years she met Thomas Murray who was a singer in pubs and clubs,” added Pastor Gordon.

"And then Gina was asked to move to Argyle Street on the Shankill, and she was more than happy.”

He said that Gina was a “wonderful mother who invested her energies in her family” but had been no stranger to grief having lost her son Paul as a child, baby George and then her daughter Leanne in the Shankill bomb.

"Gina and Leanne were inseparable,” Pastor Gordon told mourners.

"Gina was devastated beyond belief that her darling was ripped from her.

"But out of suffering emerges the strongest souls.

“And rather than allow her grief to overwhelm her, she focused her attention on fighting for truth and justice.

"And she did all this whilst continuing to be a mother, grandmother and great grandmother."

Pastor Gordon said Gina first diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2022.

"I visited Gina in Marie Curie (Hospice) and she talked to me about how she worried about Gary and if he would be ok.

“But she also said she wanted to see ‘my Leanne’ again.”

"She is now reunited with her children Paul, George and Leanne.”

Gina’s 13-year-old daughter Leanne was among nine people who were killed in the IRA bomb attack on a fish shop on the Shankill Road in 1993, when Gina was aged 42.

According to Funeral Times Gina is the ‘dearly loved partner of Paul and loving mother of Gary and the late Paul, George and Leanne, much loved and loving grandmother of Ashley, Toni, Brandon and Courtney, devoted great grandmother to her seven great grandchildren’.

After the funeral service in Melville Morgan Funeral Home, Bangor there was committal afterwards in Roselawn Crematorium.

Earlier her son Gary said their family are "beyond devastated".

And in a statement released through Lisnaskea-based Victims Group South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) her son Gary said: “It may sound corny or naff but Ma was truly my hero, she was my inspiration.

“She was the strongest, most forgiving person I’ve ever known.

“She tried to look at life positively, no matter how much pain she was feeling.

“She fell in love with Bangor and when we returned from England after a short period of months living there post the bomb, she was determined to live here and she had done for three decades.

“Her priority in life was to support her family, all generations. She spent time with them, and was able to relate to all of us.

“Despite the grief she carried through Leanne’s murder, she still tried to get on top of life.

“She was the most powerful woman I have known, she had her demons but she battled back from them through her own steely determination.

“Each and every day we spent time together in person or as a minimum we spoke on the phone, life will never quite be the same without her.

“She laughed at my jokes, even though they weren’t very funny at times.

“My wife Lynn got Mum to join Kilcooley Women’s Centre and she became an advocate for women experiencing violence, she was a powerhouse in this role.

“One day she decided to open a scouting group and kids throughout the estate loved her, and I’ve no doubt her leadership will have had a positive impact on their formative years.

“Ma wasn’t into materialism, she believed in acts of kindness which could change the circumstances of others, she lived out her personal Christian faith, she didn’t just talk it”.

Gary, Lynn and their four children; Ashley, Toni, Brandon and Courtney.

Tributes have also been paid to Mrs Murray's courage.

Former First Minister Arlene Foster described Mrs Murray as a "great advocate for women through her work with Kilcooley women's group in Bangor".

"Deepest sympathy to her beloved son Gary and her wide circle of friends," she said.

Kenny Donaldson , director of victims' group SEFF, added: “Gina may have been small in stature but she had a very big presence and possessed the heart of a lioness.

"She was also a much-loved grandmother and great grandmother, and had a special sense of humour and possessed a beautiful smile.

"The world is a poorer place without her in it, our deepest sympathies are with Gina's family. Gina ensured that Leanne's legacy has continued and the same should now happen for Gina."

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