Lyra McKee: Channel 4 documentary film, death explained, why was journalist shot - who killed her

A new documentary film examines the life and times of Lyra McKee, the Northern Irish journalist who was tragically killed while reporting on rioting in Derry in 2019.

Lyra - a film by McKee’s friend and BAFTA-winning documentarian Alison Millar - provides viewers with a look at the person behind the news, and utilises voice recordings and interviews that were found on McKee’s Dictaphone, as well as text messages and home videos.

Although the documentary primarily focuses on McKee, it also raises some significant issues as the Good Friday Agreement’s 25th anniversary is celebrated in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Here is everything you need to know about it.

Who was Lyra McKee?

Lyra McKee was a Northern Irish journalist, writer and LGBTQ+ rights activist. Born in March 1990, she was known for her investigative journalism on topics such as the aftermath of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, and her book - Angels With Blue Faces - explored the unsolved murder of a politician during the conflict.

She also wrote extensively about the experiences of young people living in poverty and the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, and wrote openly about her own experiences as a gay woman in Northern Ireland.

She was also an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and was named by The Guardian as one of the 100 most influential LGBTQ+ people in the UK in 2018.

Tragically, she was shot dead at the age of 29 in April 2019 while reporting on rioting in the Creggan area of Derry, Northern Ireland, which shocked the nation and led to widespread condemnation of the violence that took her life.

The group responsible for the shooting, an extremist group styling itself as the New IRA, admitted responsibility and offered its “full and sincere apologies” to McKee’s family and friends.

In the aftermath of her death, there was an outpouring of grief and tributes from across Northern Ireland and beyond. McKee was remembered for her courage, her commitment to telling the stories of those who had been marginalised or overlooked, and her dedication to building a better future for her community.

What is Channel 4’s Lyra?

It gives McKee the chance to tell her own story by drawing on voice recordings and interviews recovered from the journalist’s Dictaphone, as well as text messages and home videos, and intimate access to her mother, sister and partner to capture their grief and quest for justice in the days and months following her death.

Although McKee is a major focus of the documentary, it also raises some important issues as the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement is marked by those in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and with a visit from US President Joe Biden.

McKee’s sister - Nichola McKee Corner - appears in the intimate Channel 4 documentary, and said it was “very important” for people to see “the young person, the wonderful young person, behind the headlines, and for people to get to know her as a person”.

She told PA: “And see why she was so inspirational and why she was trying to change the world and how she was trying to change the world. Because she has left us with that job, taking that job forward, to try and make change on her behalf because she is no longer here to be able to do it herself.”

McKee Corner said McKee was interested in writing about “all manner of social things,” not just suicide rates in Northern Ireland and LGBTQ+ rights. “The reason for that lies in the fact that she was such a caring, humanitarian, empathetic person,” she added.

Director Millar told PA she hoped the film would “inform and show that the majority of people here want peace, they want a better life”.

She added: “As Lyra said in one of her writings, ‘I don’t care much for a stronger union or united Ireland, I just want a better life’ – and I think people just want a better life. They want their politicians to be working for education, for health. They want everything that we all need in life.”

When can I watch it?

Lyra airs on Channel 4 at 9.25pm on Saturday 15 April.