Belfast mural memorializes journalist Lyra McKee

McKee, 29, was shot by the New IRA while reporting on rioting last month in the Northern Ireland city of Londonderry, which is referred to by Irish nationalists as Derry. The McKee mural, which is not yet completed, is being painted by Dublin-based artist Emma Blake as part of the Hit the North Street Art Festival.

It's just outside of the Sunflower Pub, a short walk from St. Anne's Cathedral, where McKee's funeral was held.

The 29-year-old investigative journalist and Belfast native was known for reporting that explored the aftermath of The Troubles -- the decadeslong conflict between Irish nationalists and British unionists in Northern Ireland that left more than 3,500 people dead -- and her activism in the LGBTQ community.

She is the first journalist to be killed in the United Kingdom since 2001, according to nonprofit organization the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The New IRA, a dissident republican group, admitted responsibility in a statement to The Irish News and offered its "full and sincere apologies to the partner, family and friends of Lyra McKee for her death."

Journalist Peter Taggart contributed to this report.

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