Irish terrorists are 'ragged remnants of bygone age', spy chief says But occasionally we are all stung with the tragedy of wanton murder, as we saw most recently with the shooting of David Black (a prison officer) last November. Rejecting the political process in Northern Ireland, these ragged remnants of a bygone age are in a cul-de-sac of pointless violence and crime with little community support. We will continue to work with the police to put these thugs and killers in front of the courts.