Going To Washington

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Solicitor Darragh Mackin, Margo O’Donnell, Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Mary Boyle’s sister Ann Doherty in Government Buildings last November

Mary Boyle’s twin sister Ann Doherty is travelling to Washington this morning for a series of meetings with Irish-American politicians, lobby groups and organisations – to speak about the 1977 disappearance of Mary in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal.

During the visit, Ms Doherty is expected to call for the resignation of Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald and Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan.

Journalist Gemma O’Doherty, who will travel with Ms Doherty, writes:

The visit is the latest step in Ann Doherty’s battle for justice for her six-year-old sister, which has taken her to the parliaments of Stormont, Brussels and Westminster.

Ms Doherty will inform members of the United States Congress that Mary’s killer is being shielded by An Garda Siochana and that a politicians interfered in the investigation shortly after the murder, ordering that certain people were not to be considered suspects.

During their visit to Washington, they will visit Capitol Hill to meet US congressman Brendan Boyle whose father comes from Donegal, former Congressman and lawyer Bruce Morrison, best known for his work on the Irish peace process and immigration reform, and other members of the House of Representatives.

They will also attend a number of St Patrick’s Day engagements and meet the Taoiseach, Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and the Irish ambassador Anne Anderson.

They will brief the Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and the Ireland Fund about the case, as well as a number of organisations lobbying on justice issues.

‘The key purpose of this trip is to open Irish-America’s eyes and the US authorities to the wide scale corruption in the Irish police and the criminal justice system,’ said Ann Doherty.

‘There are many horrific cases of cover-up by the gardaí in the Republic that Irish-Americans and anyone who cares about Ireland need to know about. The police have protected my sister’s killer for almost 40 years.

‘For most of my adult life, I have known who murdered Mary. He is walking around Donegal today, immune from prosecution. Instead of arresting him, the gardai have targeted me, and others who have stood up for Mary’s right to justice, in what can only be called an insidious campaign of intimidation.’

Ann Doherty met Enda Kenny in November 2015 but says the situation has deteriorated further since their meeting and she feels let down by him.

Mr Kenny was given information about the murder in 2011, which he admitted recently in Dail Eireann that he passed to the gardai but failed to follow up.

In December, Ann asked An Garda Siochana for a search of a location in Donegal where she believes Mary’s remains may be.Her request has been ignored. She has also been denied the right to an inquest into her late sister’s death.

‘The gardaí have sufficient evidence to bring her killer to justice, but to do so will reveal a sordid cover-up by police and politicians,’ said Ann.

‘No country can call itself a democracy when its police force perpetuates the cover-up of a child’s rape and murder. That is why the rest of the world must know about Ireland’s record when it comes to policing, justice and protecting its children.’

Mary Boyle on Broadsheet

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12 thoughts on “Going To Washington

  1. Owen C

    I feel terrible for what this woman must be going through. But I must take issue with the following:

    “‘The gardaí have sufficient evidence to bring her killer to justice”

    They have never even found the body. Almost 40yrs after the disappearance and assumed murder of her sister, the closest we have gotten is:

    “In December, Ann asked An Garda Siochana for a search of a location in Donegal where she believes Mary’s remains may be.”

    I could understand why she would like the Gardai to investigate this site, but the problem is she already had them look at another one:

    “January 2011: A second review of the case began by An Garda Síochána’s Northern Region.
    Members of Mary’s family and gardaí searched an area of bog close to where she was last seen. The dig was instigated by Margo O’Donnell who hired Danish psychic Yan Sterns to aid in the search.”

    I wonder what the psychic thinks.

      1. Owen C

        Apparently, per a previous Indo article, Mary Boyle has used various clairvoyants over the years to give her suggested sites for the body. Is it somewhat understandable that the Gardaí are treating her accusations with some skepticism?

  2. kingo

    do you really expect us to believe that the gardai wouldn’t investigate such a serious matter.

  3. pedeyw

    I don’t really understand the logic of going to Washington, is it just to highlight it internationally?

  4. phil

    Whos is the individual , not his name, but which kind of person, in theory, might be protected for such a long time by political influence ? I just dont get it, are people in that area sitting in a pub with a known child murderer and saluting him pleasantly when they see him ?

  5. Tish Mahorey

    It’s very clear that there is an official cover up of this murder.

    If those of you seeking to undermine the journalist and the family are working on behalf of the murderer or those involved in the cover up, I hope you are found out and prosecuted.

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