Former Sinn Féin politician, Jim McAllister, who was once one of the most outspoken supporters of the IRA in South Armagh, died yesterday (Tuesday) following a short illness.
Mr McAllister (68), a former councillor who had also been elected to the 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly, left the party in the late 1990s claiming it had abandoned republican principles.
He led the campaign for justice for Paul Quinn, the young South Armagh man brutally beaten to death in a barn in Co Monaghan by the Provisional IRA in 2007.
Last night, Mr Quinn's parents, Breege and Stephen, paid tribute to Mr McAllister as a "decent, honest, loyal and courageous campaigner" for justice for their son.
In recent times, Mr McAllister spoke out against smugglers and fuel-launderers in South Armagh who had made millions of pounds for themselves personally in the name of the IRA.
Former Sinn Féin MLA, Pat McNamee, described Mr McAllister as "a valued friend who was a republican when it was dangerous to be one".
Mr McAllister was diagnosed with lung cancer last June. His son Turloch, who is in Magilligan Prison, was recently denied compassionate parole to see his father before he died.
He has also been refused parole to attend the funeral in Cullyhanna tomorrow but the family's lawyer is seeking a judicial review of that decision.
