An Anniversary Mass is being held for Donegal man Michael Leonard this weekend.
This month marks 50 years since Michael was shot and killed by the RUC on the border between Belleek and Pettigo.
He was 24 at the time.
This year, a campaign calling for a fresh inquest into his killing has gained momentum, with the Leonard family holding talks with the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Tánaiste Michael Martin while a booklet was launched in March calling for a new inquiry to be held.
Michael was shot after a car chase close to the Fermanagh and Donegal border between Pettigo and Belleek on May 17, 1973.
At the time police claimed that Mr Leonard, who was a disqualified driver, had failed to stop at a checkpoint and that a single shot was later fired during a chase.
Michael’s family say that new evidence proves that he was deliberately targeted and shot at multiple times by police before he could reach the border into Donegal – they say that the files show what they have always known, that the official story doesn’t add up.
The family is against the clock for a fresh inquest to be sanctioned due to the controversial UK government Bill to deal with the legacy of Northern Ireland’s troubled past.
The Bill proposes an effective amnesty for Troubles crimes in exchange for co-operation with a new truth recovery body, as well as ending future court processes.
The anniversary Mass for Michael is taking place on Saturday evening at 7.30pm in St. Marys Church in Pettigo.
