THE ISLAND OF Ireland was left in shock yesterday following the news that a young journalist had been fatally shot during rioting in Derry.
29-year-old Lyra McKee was killed after shots were fired in the Fanad Drive area of Creggan in the city on Thursday night.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland have described her killing as a “terrorist incident”, with both the rioting and fatal shooting in Derry echoing the violence that marred Northern Ireland for decades.
The incident was criticised across the political divide yesterday, while two teenagers were arrested this morning in connection with the shooting.
The story features on the front pages of all of Ireland’s newspapers today.
The Irish Examiner leads with a striking black-and-white front page, which contains a quote from one of Lyra’s essays describing her life in the post-Troubles era.
It reads: “We were the Good Friday Agreement generation, destined to never witness the horrors of war but to reap the spoils of peace. The spoils just never seemed to reach us.”
The Irish Independent leads with the same quote and a picture of Lyra, headlined “Terror returns to Derry”.
Meanwhile, The Irish Times has led with a front page containing a picture of Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and DUP leader Arlene Foster.
It quotes Lyra’s partner Sara Canning, who spoke powerfully at a vigil for the slain 29 year-old yesterday, when she said: “Lyra’s death must not be in vain”.
The Irish Sun also quotes Lyra’s partner, underneath a subhead reading “revulsion at reporter’s murder”.
However, it opts for a more personal quote, which says: “I’ve lost the love of my life”.
The Irish Daily Mirror contains an insert of Lyra over an image of rioting in Derry on Thursday night. Its headline contains two words from the final tweet that the 29 year-old sent from the scene: “Absolute madness”.
The Herald pays tribute to Lyra with a small insert of her partner, on a front page that reads: “A shining light snuffed out”.
The Irish Daily Star also opts for an image of rioting in Derry with inserts of Lyra, mourners at a vigil for her, and CCTV footage of the suspected gunman.
Its headline reads: “Killer in the shadows”.
And finally, the Irish Daily Mail’s front page features a small publicity photo of Lyra beside a bookshelf, with a more editorial headline: “Murdered by cowards”.
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