The death of Aidan McAnespie during the Troubles features prominently during an upcoming episode of TG4's Laochra Gael.
Aged just 23, McAnespie was shot on the Tyrone/Monaghan border by the British Army in February 1988 while on his way to play football for his local club Aghaloo.
"Aidan McAnespie was my brother-in-law," says former Monaghan ladies footballer Brenda McAnespie, who is the subject of the final episode in this year's series of Laochra Gael.
"He was just an ordinary young fella living in a border town when the Troubles were going on and it wasn't easy.
"He was a bubbly person and full of life. I was talking to him that morning and had arranged to go out that night."
Brenda is married to Aidan's older brother Vincie.
"He used to go down home to light the fire, to have the house warm for my mother and father coming home," Vincie explains.
He came back down and parked the car on the northern side of the checkpoint. He was going into the football field.
It was only about 50 yards from the GAA grounds [where he was shot]. It was outside one of the gates. The shot had rang off and one of the footballers looked up the road and they could see Aidan on the ground. There wasn't a movement, Aidan was just dead at that stage.
Brenda found out about Aidan's death when she entered a shop in her native Scotstown.
"Bridie, she came over to the counter and I remember the first question she asked me was which of the McAnespie boys I was going out with," she says.
"She knew I was going out with one of them but wasn't sure of the name.
"I said, 'Vincie... why are you asking me?' She said, 'Oh, well it’s not him'. I just knew from the question there was something just not right. Then she went on to tell me somebody had been shot and she heard it was Aidan.
"It was just real surreal for a while. Just those next couple of days were just awful.
"I think, it really sent ripples right through the length and breadth of the country. I remember my aunty, who was a nun, was out in Africa in the missions and it was something she heard over there. It hit everybody."
The British Army claimed that McAnespie was shot by one of three bullets accidentally fired from a machine gun held 18-year-old David Holden.
Holden was charged with manslaughter in 1988 but the charges were dropped. Earlier this year, a judged ruled that Holden, now in his 50s, will stand trial for the manslaughter of McAnespie.
"So many things happened after that to keep Aidan's memories alive," says Brenda McAnespie.
"It made people in the community really strong.
"There's many different tributes that have been paid. One of them is the monument that is there on the side of the road beside the football pitch where Aidan was shot. That's something that stands out to people when they come into Aughnacloy.
"The first year that Tyrone won the All-Ireland, Peter Canavan was the captain and he stopped at the monument with the Sam Maguire.
"It's a tribute to Aidan and it's also a tribute to the GAA, they were probably very, very supportive.
"His legacy lives on. It lives on in the football team out in Boston. It lives on in songs. Whenever our own children are going anywhere, they're asked, 'Are you anything to Aidan McAnespie?'"
Brenda McAnespie's episode of Laochra Gael airs on TG4 at 9:30pm on April 9th.
