McGlinchey family ‘fobbed off’ over murders

Relatives of Dominic and Mary McGlinchey have said the 26 County state authorities have questions to answer over their role in investigating the separate murders of the high-profile republicans.

Dominic McGlinchey’s brother Seán, a prominent Sinn Féin councillor, was speaking ahead of High Court proceedings in Dublin alleging the murders were not properly investigated.

Originally from Bellaghy in south Derry, the former INLA Chief of Staff Dominic McGlinchey was shot dead in Drogheda, County Louth, on February 10, 1994.

His wife Mary was brutally gunned down while bathing her two young sons at their home in Dundalk, County Louth, seven years earlier, on January 31, 1987.

A garda police file relating to her death is supposedly “gone missing”, and there are concerns over the handling of key exhibits – a bath taken from the murder scene and stored at the back of Dundalk garda station was later used as a flower box.

Concerns have also been raised that the findings of an inquest into the death of Mrs McGlinchey later failed to even record the killing as unlawful.

Her son, named Dominic after his father, was present when both his parents were killed.

He has launched judicial review proceedings in Dublin alleging that gardaí failed to properly investigate his parents’ murders and failed to follow up potential leads.

He says the 26 County State has not complied with its constitutional obligations to ensure effective investigations were carried out.

While mystery continues to surround the circumstances of both murders, information has previously come to light about an attempt to kill Mr McGlinchey near Ardee, County Louth, in 1993, during a 16th birthday party for his son Declan, who died in 2015.

The McGlinchey family only recently learned that a man was arrested after the murder of Mrs McGlinchey and held at Navan Garda Station before being released without charge.

They had previously been told no arrests had been made.

It is believed the failed murder attempt was carried out by former UVF commander and state agent Billy Wright along with his close associate Mark ‘Swinger’ Fulton.

Fulton, also believed to have been a state agent, has been linked to the murder of GAA sports official Sean Brown, who was also from Bellaghy, in 1997.

Dominic McGlinchey Jr has submitted more than 40 questions about the murder of his father to Gardaí.

It is understood these include whether it was considered if Wright or Fulton were involved in collusion with RUC Special Branch at the time.

It is believed around 20 questions have also been posed in relation to Mrs McGlinchey, with several focusing on the disappearance of her investigation file.

It is understood the McGlinchey family has yet to receive a response to either set of questions.

It has now emerged that Pat Marry, a retired garda detective, has provided an affidavit to the court about the disappearance of Mrs McGlinchey’s file.

It is believed the former garda reviewed both murders in 2015 but was forced to abandon Mrs McGlinchey’s case because he could not locate the missing documents.

It is believed the high-profile former garda may give evidence if required.

Speaking to the Irish News, Mr McGlinchey, a Sinn Féin representative at Causeway Coast and Glens council, said his family is entitled to know the truth.

“I think like any family in the conflict it’s important that they do get answers and address that so the families can move on,” he said.

“When the families hear about the case of Sean Brown and the Finucanes, they think ‘rightly so’ and then they feel, ‘what about us’, Mary and Dominic, are we not entitled to answers too?”

“It’s crucial, especially for Dominic, who is the last remaining relative of that immediate family, his own close family, to get closure.”

“It has had an impact on the wider families as well.

“When the families hear about the case of Sean Brown and the Finucanes, they think ‘rightly so’ and then they feel, ‘what about us’, Mary and Dominic, are we not entitled to answers too?”

Mr McGlinchey questioned the disappearance of papers linked to Mrs McGlinchey.

“The mother and Dominic are two separate things,” he said.

“This was one of the most brutal killings, slaying of a mother, bathing her two children, and not a file exists. There has been no investigation, no nothing.”

Mr McGlinchey said that state authorities may have questions to answer.

He claimed that prior to his brother being shot he had been under 24 hour surveillance.

“Where was the 24-hour surveillance and then no surveillance on him at all - dropped off, no surveillance?”

He compared the approach of authorities on either side of the border to controversial legacy cases.

“Up here at least they’ll do some type of investigation, they’ll cover themselves some way,” he said.

“Down there there’s total, blatant (disregard) for the family.”

Mr McGlinchey said his family does not want prosecutions, just access to the truth.

“To be fair the families don’t want convictions. We don’t want people in the courts, we don’t want to waste the court’s time,” he said.

“It’s not about that, it’s about young Dominic and a family putting closure to it.”

Mr McGlinchey believes the intervention of former garda detective Pat Marry has now forced authorities in the south to reevaluate their approach to the McGlinchey murders.

“They didn’t care then, I think the big change is when Garda Marry walked in and gave his affidavit, that changed the goal posts a bit.”

He said that up to this point the 26 County state has “shown total blatant disregard” for the McGlinchey family.

“We are just looking to hold the state to account so the families can get closure,” he said adding “Questions answered, that’s all we want.”

Lawyer Ciaran Mulholland, of Mulholland Law, said it was a “sad reflection on the Irish justice system” that his client has been forced to take legal action”.

“Irrespective of one’s political views there should never be a hierarchy of victimhood and answers need addressed here – two of the most horrific murders in the Irish state ...yet little is known of the investigation and in an unprecedented development a retired senior Garda is now on the record giving sworn evidence that there may have been loyalist involvement and key evidence has gone missing to include exhibits and the file of Mary McGlinchey.

“I think it is now time that the Irish state take their responsibilities seriously and I am calling on the justice minister to meet with my clients.”

Urgent Appeal