A portrait of the only Houses of the Oireachtas member to be murdered during the Troubles has been unveiled at Dublin’s Leinster House.
Senator Billy Fox was shot dead by the IRA on March 11 1974, when he was visiting his girlfriend’s farmhouse near Tircooney.
A gang of Provisional IRA men had come at the location before him to search it for weapons, and the Fine Gael politician was shot when he arrived at the house and attempted to run after being stopped by the men.
Although the murder of the 35-year-old was initially claimed by loyalists, five IRA men were later convicted.
On Wednesday, a new portrait of the senator, painted by artist Nina Ruminska, was unveiled at Leinster House by the Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, Senator Jerry Buttimer and Taoiseach Simon Harris, as members of the late politician’s family looked on.
Mr Fox had previously served as a TD for Monaghan from 1969 until a year before his murder.
Mr Buttimer described Senator Fox as a “courageous politician”.
“As a TD, Billy Fox criticised the British army over its use of plastic bullets for crowd control and the cratering of ‘unapproved roads’ on the border,” he said.
“In fact, he attracted national publicity when he was forcibly removed from the Dáil chamber during a Dáil debate in December 1971 when he displayed two rubber bullets and a CS canister which he claimed had been fired across the border by British forces.
“Billy Fox was a broadminded man who tried to understand other points of view. He was often described as a ‘man ahead of his time’. Someone who had worked tirelessly with all his vigour and imagination and empathy for the good of the community.”
He added: “It is right and just that his portrait will be permanently displayed on the walls of Leinster House.”
