I understand why the relatives of Scottish soldiers, often just boys at the time, will be upset by links with Sinn Fein but their anger would be better directed at the UK government and senior officers who sent them, ill-prepared, into a brutal civil war, in the first place.

The UK has full diplomatic relationships with political parties of government in countries, from Ireland, through Kenya, to Israel and Malaysia, where similar young Scottish soldiers were sent, similarly ill-prepared, to die. Should we ask UK ministers to apologise?

This is another media/opposition campaign, exploiting these parents and relatives in an effort to undermine the SNP, just the same as their previous, sickeningly cynical campaigns on SNP ‘fraud’, ‘infected’ hospitals and ‘failed’ ‘ferries.

Also Swinney need not apologise for Sinn Fein ‘links’ as IRA was not responsible for the deaths of any Scottish civilians in Scotland

Key Facts from Historical Records

• IRA policy on Scotland: During the Troubles (roughly 1969–1998), the IRA deliberately avoided bombing campaigns or major attacks in Scotland. They viewed Scots as “Celtic cousins” and restricted mainland operations primarily to England. This was an unstated but consistent policy, even as they carried out hundreds of attacks in England. heraldscotland.com
• The one minor exception: In May 1981, the IRA planted a small bomb at an oil terminal in the Shetland Isles (Scotland) on the same day Queen Elizabeth II was visiting nearby. It caused no injuries or deaths. en.wikipedia.org
• No recorded civilian fatalities: Extensive records of IRA attacks (including Wikipedia summaries of their campaign, CAIN database references, and historical analyses) show no deaths of Scottish civilians on Scottish soil. Loyalist groups like the UVF did carry out attacks in Scotland (e.g., Glasgow pub bombings in 1979, which injured people but killed none), but these were not IRA actions. en.wikipedia.org

In short, while the IRA caused many deaths across the UK and Ireland, historical evidence confirms they did not kill Scottish civilians in Scotland.