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Killing of Margaret Perry

UNSOLVED1991Mullaghmore, County Sligo, Ireland (body recovery site)3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Margaret Perry was a 26-year-old Catholic civil servant from Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, who worked in Lisburn and lived with her widowed mother in Portadown. On 21 June 1991, Perry disappeared after crossing the border into the Republic of Ireland to visit her boyfriend, who was hospitalised in Monaghan.

Approximately one year later, on 30 June 1992, acting on a tip-off relayed from the IRA via a local priest, Gardaí recovered her body in a field near Mullaghmore, County Sligo. Perry had been beaten and strangled and buried in a shallow grave.

Shortly after her body was recovered, the Provisional IRA said it had killed three men from Portadown — Gregory Burns, John Dignam and Aidan Starrs — whom it alleged were responsible for Perry's abduction and murder and were also working as informers; their bodies had been found at roadsides in County Armagh. The IRA's account was disputed: the men's families and supporters maintained they had been set up, and The Guardian reported inconsistencies in the IRA's version of events. No one has ever been charged in connection with Margaret Perry's murder, and the case remains unsolved.

Key facts

Victims
Gregory Burns, John Dignam, Margaret Perry, Aidan Starrs
Date
1991
Location
Mullaghmore, County Sligo, Ireland (body recovery site)
Case status
unsolved

Case timeline

  1. 1991-06-21

    Margaret Perry disappears after crossing the border into the Republic of Ireland to visit her hospitalised boyfriend, Gregory Burns, in Monaghan.

  2. 1992-06

    The Provisional IRA admits responsibility for killing Gregory Burns, John Dignam, and Aidan Starrs, whose bodies are found at roadsides in County Armagh.

  3. 1992-06-30

    Acting on an IRA tip-off via a local priest, the Garda recover Margaret Perry's body buried in a field near Mullaghmore, County Sligo.

Best coverage

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People

  • Gregory Burns

    VICTIM

    Killed by the Provisional IRA in June 1992; the IRA alleged he was an undercover agent and implicated him in Perry's murder, an allegation denied by his family.

  • John Dignam

    VICTIM

    Killed by the Provisional IRA in June 1992; the IRA alleged he was an undercover agent and implicated him in Perry's murder, an allegation denied by his family.

  • Margaret Perry

    VICTIM

    26-year-old civil servant from Portadown who was abducted on 21 June 1991 and found beaten and strangled to death; her murder remains unsolved.

  • Aidan Starrs

    VICTIM

    Killed by the Provisional IRA in June 1992; the IRA alleged he was an undercover agent and implicated him in Perry's murder, an allegation denied by his family.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Mullaghmore, County Sligo, Ireland (body recovery site)

54.4711, -8.4581

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Margaret Perry, a 26-year-old civil servant from Portadown, was abducted on 21 June 1991 after crossing into the Republic of Ireland to visit her hospitalised boyfriend. Her body, showing signs of strangulation and beating, was found a year later in Mullaghmore, County Sligo, following an IRA tip-off. The case remains unsolved.
Where did the killing happen?
Mullaghmore, County Sligo, Ireland (body recovery site).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: unsolved.
More cases in Ireland

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Margaret PerryWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSThe Troublesome Death of Margaret PerryThe Washington Post · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSIRA murders "informers"BBC News · 2026-07-10