Denis Donaldson, the murdered ex-Sinn Fein official who spied for British intelligence for 20 years, was buried yesterday in Belfast, close to his former home in Andersonstown. Fewer than 100 mourners attended the funeral of the man who had been the subject of death threats since he sensationally confessed to being a double agent on national television.
Donaldson, a former confidant of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, was shot dead in a remote cottage near Glenties, Co Donegal, last Tuesday.
His wife, Alice, daughter Jane and sons Pearse and Denis Jr led mourners during the private Roman Catholic service. Afterwards, mourners used umbrellas to shield the coffin from the media. The cortege then drove to the Falls Road and the city cemetery. One of Donaldson's granddaughters clutched a single white rose by the graveside as rain fell.
On Friday, Donaldson's family said they did not believe the IRA was responsible for his murder. In a statement released by a Belfast law firm, they claimed their grief was the direct result of the activities of the British intelligence agencies.
