Londonderry Ulster Unionist Alderman Mary Hamilton was very distressed to discover her family’s grave had been vandalised whilst on a recent visit to Lifford in Co Donegal.
Mrs Hamilton expressed her great sadness in finding republican stickers stuck to the head stone and has called on the people responsible to show respect for the dead.
Mrs Hamilton said;
“I visited my family's grave in Lifford last week and was disgusted and saddened to find there were republican stickers on our family head stone.
Sadly this is not the first time the grave has been defaced. This is our family's last resting place and my Father, Mother, Aunt, known as the Throne family were friends to everyone in the Lifford and Strabane areas during their lifetimes.
I would like to ask the people responsible for this act, just what harm did the Throne family ever do to you? These people are dead so why deface their final resting place?
I would appeal to whoever did this to stop and think about what they are doing and the hurt they are causing. Just how would they feel if this happened to their parents’ graves? Surely it is not too much to ask that the dead be left to rest in peace?
I would ask them to follow the motto that has served me well over the years – “Treat others the way you would like to be treated yourself.”