The apology made by the Provisional IRA in Derry yesterday that one of its gunmen shot dead a 14-year-old schoolgirl in the Brandywell area of the city 32 years ago, was described as "too late" by her teacher.
Róisín Lynch, vice-principal of St Cecilia's School in Derry, who taught Kathleen Feeney, said she believed the IRA's apology should have been made at the time of the fatal shooting.
"I feel it is years too late and I feel personally that the truth should have been told then and there.
"It was bad enough Kathleen was killed, but at the time had the truth been told, it might have helped the family to lessen their pain."
Kathleen Feeney died instantly when a Provisional IRA sniper opened fire on a British army patrol in Lecky Road, close to the teenager's Quarry Street home, on November 14th, 1973.
At the time, the IRA said in a statement that a British soldier had killed Kathleen Feeney and that the soldier responsible was later killed by the IRA in retaliation.
No official record exists relating to the alleged retaliatory killing of the soldier.
The British army, in a statement issued following the death of the girl, said that the IRA was responsible and added that no members of the ambushed soldiers from the 94th Location Regiment of the Royal Artillery had returned fire.
Yesterday, in a statement published in the Derry Journal newspaper, the IRA admitted that the British army's version was correct, and they "apologised unreservedly" to the Feeney family for killing Kathleen Feeney.
The apology and admission by the IRA that they had lied about their role in the girl's death for 32 years, followed an approach to them last year by members of the Feeney family.
The IRA's statement confirmed that the Feeney family had asked them to "examine the circumstances surrounding the death of their sister and to publicly acknowledge that she was killed by the IRA.
"The IRA leadership agreed to do so. We found, as the Feeney family have always believed, that Kathleen was hit by one of a number of shots fired by an IRA active service unit that had fired upon a British army foot patrol in the Lecky Road area.
"The IRA accepts responsibility for the death of Kathleen Feeney. Our failure to publicly accept responsibility for the death until now has only added to the hurt and pain of the Feeney family.
"The leadership of Óglaigh na hÉireann wish to apologise unreservedly to the Feeney family for the death of Kathleen and for all the grief that our actions have caused to them", the statement ended.
In a brief statement in response to the IRA's public apology, the Feeney family said: "In memory of our parents Kathleen and Harry Feeney, the family of Kathleen Feeney decided to seek an unconditional apology from the Provisional IRA for the death of their sister who was shot dead 32 years ago.
"Kathleen was then aged fourteen years. It is the family's wish that this will help bring closure".