“He’s covering up for them.. he knows them..”
As well as the report on the aftermath of the killing of Paul Quinn on BBC’s Newsnight last night, journalists at RTÉ are also paying attention – despite the apparent blindness elsewhere. As the Prime Time webpage notes – “major technical difficulties” prevented the full programme going to air, but the clips which should have gone to air are now available online – although the second clip still seems to be truncated. Intro report by Claire Murphy here.. and an interview with Paul Quinn’s parents here [RealPlayer files] Updated below the foldUpdate A report from the Irish Times on the recent meeting in Cullyhanna [subs req]
The chairman of the group, Jim McAllister, who was a local Sinn Féin leader before becoming disaffected from the leadership, said he “felt ashamed” for not speaking up against such incidents. There were people who felt similarly, he knew. “If people had spoken up much sooner than now maybe we could have saved the life of Paul Quinn. But we are speaking up now, and that is very important,” he added.
There were no Sinn Féin representatives in the hall. Local SDLP Assembly member Dominic Bradley, pledging his support, repeated his comment that the people who killed Paul Quinn were “no ad hoc” group.
He said Sinn Féin’s attempt to portray the murder as part of a criminal feud was an attempt to blacken Paul Quinn. “But I think that lie has been exposed for what it was.”
Another speaker said campaigners were portrayed as “somehow enemies of the peace process. I want to make this very clear right now that nobody in the Quinn family and support group has the slightest interest in bringing down Stormont, or anything else, except murder. We are not enemies of anyone or anything, except those who murdered Paul, and those who want to provide cover for his killers.”
Yesterday the Quinn support group issued a statement, which it said would permit Sinn Féin “to retreat from its increasingly ridiculous and isolated position on the Paul Quinn murder without further loss of face for the sake of the peace process. We say to the governments and to the DUP, let Sinn Féin continue in government, but let them tell the truth. Let us simply all agree that the killing was not sanctioned at any organisational level which should have political consequences at Stormont. Let us also agree that we have a murder machine in our community and it must be dismantled for ever.”
Repost from another thread.
My sister-in-law was brutally murdered a few years ago. The local police commander, ably supported by the backroom boys, carried out a meticulous, utterly professional investigation leading to the arrest, trial and incarceration of the perpetrator.
The Quinn family deserve no less.
A fire needs to be lit under the PSNI and Gardai. The Chief Constable and the Gardai Commissioner need to be told that the jobs of everyone from the district commanders up to themselves are on the line if this crime is not solved.
I know from my family experience that there are men and women capable of solving it.
I am a regular Slugger poster but I’m using a false name here to protect my extended family privacy.
There is another regular Slugger poster who can vouch for my good faith.
Susan
Yes I am referring to Frank Kerr – 2 Provisionals went to Long Kesh for his murder and they were in turn released under the GFA.
They were not both involved but the older of the 2 100% was!
Criminals/Republicans – who cares but the man needs running in again as he is out on licience!
He is one of Tom Murphys footsoldiers!
Rory
That is a potentially libelious statement, any proof?
I am sorry for your family’s loss, We Remember. For what it is worth I respect and understand your decision to protect your extended family ‘s privacy here.
I do not know enough about the investigations being run by the gardaà and the PSNI to know if more pressure on them is warranted or if they are doing what they can.
It would be comforting to think of the Quinn family receiving guidance from someone who understands both the pain and violation of losing a young family member in the way they have, and the nuts and bolts of seeking justice in the courts and within the law as your family successfully did.
I was thinking about the Quinns in the middle of the night last night, as I believe many of the people currently tearing strips out of each other were. I was reminded of a quote I saw in a little case years ago visiting the Kennedy museum in Dorchester, Massachusetts ten years ago. It resonated with me so strongly at that time I scribbled it down in my address book and have returned to it from time to time ever since. It’s from Aeschylus, and Bobby Kennedy used it in a eulogy for Martin Luther King, but according to what his son wrote at the museum RFK himself came upon the quote after his own brother’s murder and carried it with him from tha time until he himself was murdered. The quote was this:
“In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.”
I am glad your family saw your sister-in-law’s murderer brought before the law and punished. If you are able to pass on some of the wisdom gained from that experience on to the Quinn family, I hope you will have the opportunity to do so.
Chris Gaskin,
Slab and Co dont do libel any more – not since the Sunday Times debacle – the alternative as the late Mr Collins of Newry found out, is a hell of a lot worse.
Checking in, I see some of us were posting at cross times, if not cross purposes.
Rory, if anyone close to you has evidence or information that might aid the investigations, I hope you encourage them to contact the authorities, in whichever jurisdiction they are most comfortable.
I couldn’t help but think of Frank Kerr when I read your post last night, but I immediately regretted posting his name, for starters in the event it might unwittingly cause pain to the Kerr family. Another reason I immediately regretted asking was because of my own revulsion at politicians publically bandying about the guilt or innocence of persons unknown to them, whether it be Laird, Adams, or Murphy. This is what the Quinns had said about seeing public insinuations their son was involved in criminality in the immediate aftermath of his death:
Stephen Quinn said: “Gerry Adams said Paul was killed because of a falling out among criminals, which is as good as calling our son a criminal. Next to his brutal murder, nothing has caused us more pain than this allegation. Gerry Adams says he consulted people in South Armagh and could certify no republicans were involved. He didn’t ask us or we could have told him different- so could anyone around here.
“Conor Murphy has repeated the criminality story. If he has a shred of evidence that Paul was involved in anything, I challenge him today to put it in the paper – or else do the decent thing and publicly withdraw it. Conor Murphy says he knows the area, but it doesn’t sound like the area we know. He must be talking to people who tell him what he wants to hear. We could have told him the truth.
“It is very hard for us to understand why anyone would want to tell lies about Paul. He was just an ordinary young lad, no angel but no criminal. They took Paul away from us and damaged his body terribly. But why do they want to damage his memory? I intend to ask Gerry Adams and Conor Murphy directly why they are saying these things about Paul.
“Many of our neighbours are Sinn Féin members and supporters. They are good people and we want their support. But we want the truth a lot more, and we are appealing to all concerned to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.â€
I’m not sure if Adams or Murphy have made clear their evidence for making statements linking Quinn, whom they did not know,
to criminality. Quinn’s brother, who did know him, said at the meeting last week his brother didn’t have “2p to rub together.” I’m aware both Adams and Murphy have called for those with information on the murder to go to the police, presumably neither of them would want Quinn’s death shrugged off as “one less white nigger.”
How much then are we to make of the information Quinn was “not an angel”? I’m not a criminal, I’ve never physically harmed another living soul. But I can’t look back at my twenty-one year old self and say I was never stupid, never reckless. How many can? Can Adams or Murphy?
Another reason for discretion is the volatility of the situation. I don’t know what the count is of masked men involved directly in the murder according to the eyewitnesses, but the bare minimum is around eight. Which means there are a minimum of eight men who know they are at large and at liberty only as long as they can trust in the silence and cooperation of at least seven other men who have already beaten an unarmed and unassisted twenty-one year old to jelly with premeditation and with precision.
So it is a truly volatile situation for anyone around them, any real evidence should go to the authorities and to the authorities only.
Rory
You have almost got the right connection re Frank Kerr, but not quite. Two were arrested in the townland of Adavoyle, near Dromintee, after the murder in 1994, but one got away with the cash and that is where attention should be focused. And yes, young Master Gaskin, I have gone to the Gardai with that information and for good measure I went to the PSNI as well. The other connection with the Quinn murder, of course, is that Gerry Adams got very solid assurances at the time that the Provisional IRA was not involved. I’m starting to come to the conclusion that Conor Murphy is something of a prisoner or hostage in all this. He went out on a limb for no visible political reason whatever and he has got himself on a number of hooks, some of them legal. I see Good Morning Ulster has distanced itself from his allegations last Thursday against Jim McAllister for allegedly naming names.
Red Deisel & Susan
Name handed to the Gardai this morning in Carrickmacross – could not bear to speak to the PSNI (RUC in new uniforms).
The Gardai do not seem to want to know as the individual does not live in their juridiction.
Seems like appeasing the Provo’s is still on the agenda
Red Deisel & Susan
Chris Gaskin says:-
Libelous –
SO WHAT!
People in republican circles are 100% sure that I have the right man and his name will be handed also to SF as the guy is also member of their party!
Lets see how Adams and co get out of this one!
Hope the guy is arrested and Jailed for Life then maybe the Quinns can have their son rest in peace.
Rory, even with the forensic evidence destroyed at the murder scene, there’s other people with family members who’ve experienced the same threats/orders to leave the country from the same quarters Paul Quinn did. As time goes by I realise the poster We Remember was right, this case can and will be solved.
A wee schoolfriend of Paul’s emailed me a photo tribute set to Westlife. You watch it, and you think, “The murderers sent how many out against the one?” and it is very, very difficult to stay calm.