This afternoon.
Further to yesterday’s developments in the Mary Boyle case.
Gemma O’Doherty tweetz:
From left: [Mary Boyle’s twin] Ann Doherty, [solicitor] Darragh Mackin and [family friend] Margo at Donegal coroner to demand an inquest for Mary Boyle.
Yesterday: Have I Found Mary’s Grave?
From top: Mary Boyle; from left: Solicitor Darragh Mackin, Margo O’Donnell, Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Mary Boyle’s sister Ann Doherty in Government Buildings
Further to the meeting between Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Ann Doherty, the twin sister of murdered schoolgirl Mary Boyle…
Gemma O’Doherty writes:
The Taoiseach has sent a personal letter to Ann Doherty, the twin sister of Mary Boyle, acknowledging ‘the pain and distress she has endured through many years.’
It follows their meeting of last Thursday (November 19) in Government Buildings where she informed Enda Kenny of her belief that Mary’s killer has been protected for almost four decades by some people known to the murdered schoolgirl and some members of the Gardai.
Mary was six when she vanished on her grandparents’ farm in Cashelard, Donegal in March, 1977. Her remains have never been found.
Ann believes her identical twin was murdered by somebody known to her because she was going to reveal a terrible secret.
She has also been informed by a number of retired officers that a politician made a phone call to Ballyshannon station in the days after the murder requesting that certain people were not to be considered suspects. Ann believes the investigation was hindered as a result.
Mr Kenny thanked Ann for meeting him and for ‘the honest manner’ in which she spoke ‘from the heart’ about her sister Mary.
‘I cannot begin to imagine the pain and distress you have endured in the many years that have gone by,’ he said.
Mr Kenny said he had sent a report about the meeting and the points made by Ann to the Department of Justice to be forwarded to the Gardai and the Donegal Coroner Dr Denis McCauley.
He also said that he hoped Ann would achieve a ‘resolution on this difficult journey.’
Ann has expressed gratitude to Mr Kenny for taking the time to meet her and has asked that he now publicly endorse her campaign for justice, which she has taken to Brussels, Stormont and Westminster.
Ann attended the meeting with her husband Shane, her solicitor Darragh Mackin and her cousin Margo O’Donnell.
“We had a productive meeting with the Taoiseach,” she said.
“He is now aware of the very serious concerns we have about what happened to Mary and he is also aware that there have been issues of child safety in relation to her killer for almost 40 years.
“I hope he will come out publicly now to support our camapign to find Mary and to encourage the Gardai to finally act and bring her killer to justice.”
Mr Kenny telephoned Margo O’Donnell earlier this week to say he would do all he could to support the women in their search for Mary and would contact her again in the coming days with an update on the matter.
Previously: The Meeting For Mary
Mary Boyle And ‘Political Interference’
Pic: Gemma O’Doherty
Mary Boyle’s sister Ann Doherty (left) and Boyle family friend Margo O’Donnell (right), with unnamed solicitor and journalist Gemma O’Doherty (second right) at Pearse Street Garda Station in October
Ahead of the meeting in Government Buildings today, between Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Ann Doherty, the twin sister of murdered schoolgirl Mary Boyle, Gemma O’Doherty writes:
[Ann Doherty] will inform Enda Kenny of her belief that Mary’s murder has been covered up by some members of An Garda Siochana and that the killer is still being shielded to this day.
Ms Doherty alleges that Mary was murdered by somebody known to her and also believes she was the victim of a sexual assault.
She is supported in her belief by several former Gardai who worked on the case in 1977.
They say the person they consider the chief suspect has never been arrested but is likely to confess if brought in and questioned properly. They also believe the individual will reveal the location of the child’s remains.
These officers along with Ms Doherty claim that another person known to Mary is protecting her murderer.
Ms Doherty also alleges there was political interference in the investigation which has prevented the killer from being brought to justice.
A number of officers who worked in Ballyshannon at the time have confirmed that they are aware of a phone call to the station by a politician in the days after Mary’s disappearance requesting that some individuals not be considered suspects.
Ms Doherty present compelling evidence which appears to have been ignored or dismissed by An Garda Siochana through the years.
She will also speak about a mysterious visit by two Garda officers to her home at the end of 2014, after she had been to Stormont in Belfast to discuss her case with members of the Northern Ireland assembly. The officers arrived at her home without prior notice and made a number of statements which she found disturbing.
In recent years, Ms Doherty has complained to GSOC – the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission – about the handling of her sister’s case but her concerns were dismissed.
Ms Doherty will be accompanied to today’s meeting by singer Margaret (Margo) O’Donnell, a cousin and long-time family friend who has supported her in her fight for justice.
Margo O’Donnell will remind Mr Kenny that she contacted him about the case after he became Taoiseach in 2011. She spoke to him about her concerns and pleaded for his help in finding Mary Boyle but says she was deeply disappointed by his response.
“I asked for his help four years ago and told him what I know about the case but didn’t get anywhere,” says Margo.
Both Ms Doherty and Margo made formal statements to Gardai in Dublin’s Pearse Street station almost two months ago saying they were told the identity of the killer on several occasions by someone who knew Mary.
The women also say they have expressed their concerns to Gardai many times through the years but no action was taken.
As part of Ms Doherty’s campaign to find her sister, she has travelled to the European Parliament in Brussels, and Westminster Palace in recent months, and has received backing from many politicians in Ireland and abroad who support her in her fight for justice.
In the coming weeks, the case will be raised in the House of Commons and the House of Lords in London. She also intends to bring it to members of Congress in Washington early in 2016.
Speaking in advance of the meeting, Ann Doherty said she will be urging the Taoiseach to ask Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan why the chief suspect has not been brought to justice.
“I believe Mary’s killer had political protection and that the Gardai have shielded him for almost 40 years. I am determined that Mary’s remains will be found and that she will be given the decent burial she deserves.
“The Taoiseach must act now and ensure everything is done to find her and bring her killer to justice. Commissioner O’Sullivan is well aware of this case and I am urging her to act now on all the evidence that has been available to her force for almost four decades.”
Ms Doherty is considering a legal action against Ireland, under the European Convention on Human Rights which guarantees the right to a prompt, independent and effective investigation after a suspicious death.
She is also seeking an inquest into her sister’s death.
Her solicitor Darragh Mackin of Kevin Winters Law Firm in Belfast will also attend the meeting today.
Previously: Progress For Mary
Mary Boyle And ‘Political Interference’
UPDATE:
Ann Doherty with Margo O'Donnell, Catherine Murphy TD and lawyer Darragh Mackin on her way to meet Enda Kenny today pic.twitter.com/AWg8Cn1lzJ
— Gemma O'Doherty (@gemmaod1) November 19, 2015
Ann Doherty, the twin sister of murdered schoolgirl Mary Boyle (above), will meet An Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Dail Eireann tomorrow.
The visit is part of her ongoing campaign to find her six-year-old sister’s remains and bring the killer to justice.
Ms Doherty, her identical twin, believes Mary was murdered by somebody known to her because she was going to reveal a terrible secret. This individual has never been arrested.
Ms Doherty also alleges there was political interference in the investigation which has prevented the killer from being brought to justice.
A number of Gardai who worked on the investigation have confirmed that a phone call was made to Ballyshannon Station in the days after Mary’s disappearance requesting that some individuals not be considered suspects.
Ms Doherty will inform the Taoiseach of her belief that the Gardai have protected Mary’s killer for almost 40 years and that during that time he was, and remains, a danger to other children.
Enda Kenny To finally meet sister of murdered schoolgirl (Soundmigration)
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Mary Boyle, who disappeared from her grandparents’ farm in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal on March 18, 1977, and who remains Ireland’s longest missing child case
Last week, the twin sister of Mary Boyle, Ann Doherty made a statement to Gardai outlining how a former senior garda told her there had been political interference during the investigation into Mary’s disappearance.
It now transpires the authorities were notified of this officer’s claims back In 2012.
Gemma O’Doherty writes:
The former officer has told Broadsheet that he was approached by somebody known to Mary in the days after the murder.
This individual told him he believed the six-year-old was murdered by somebody she knew and that she may have been the victim of a sexual assault. The person was very distressed as he spoke to the officer. He said other people known to Mary held the same opinion.
The individual he identified as the suspect has never been arrested.
It has also emerged that in 2012 the officer gave Gardaí a 28-page account of what he believed happened to Mary Boyle. He repeated the fact that he had been told the identity of the killer by people known to Mary.
He also said that he was aware of a phone call by a politician to Ballyshannon Station requesting that certain individuals not be considered suspects. However no further action was taken by the Gardai following the officer’s statement.
His concerns were revealed in Broadsheet almost two weeks ago but he has not yet been contacted by An Garda Siochana.
Today, Ann Doherty, Mary’s identical twin, renewed her plea to Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan to act on information she and others have given to the Gardaí over many years, and most recently at Dublin’s Pearse St Garda Station on October 1.
During a six-hour interview with officers, she identified the person she believed to be the killer, information she has given to the Gardaí in the past which has not been acted upon. She was accompanied by singer Margo O’Donnell who also named an individual she believes is responsible for Mary’s murder.
The women also gave copies of their statements to Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan.
Speaking to Broadsheet, Ann Doherty said:
“Mary was a feisty little girl who would have blown the whistle if somebody had done something to her. She wouldn’t be walked over. She wouldn’t let anyone away with anything. I believe she held a terrible secret and was not willing to keep it. That secret I believe was that she had been sexually assaulted.
“It is my opinion that the Gardai have known who murdered my sister since 1977. I have been told by an ex-officer that a politician contacted Ballyshannon Station early on in the investigation and said that certain people were not to be considered suspects. There is no doubt in my mind that this hindered the investigation hugely.
“I am holding the Gardai fully responsible for their failure to find my sister and bring her killer to justice. As a result of their actions, a child killer has been at large in Ireland for almost four decades. And even now, it seems they are unwilling to act and do the right thing. This is a Garda cover-up of monumental proportions.”
During leaders’ questions last Tuesday, Sinn Féin Deputy Mary Lou McDonald challenged Enda Kenny about the case. He admitted he had been given information about it some years ago, which he said he passed onto the Guards. He did not follow it up however.
Margo O’Donnell rang Mr Kenny on his mobile telephone after he became Taoiseach in 2011 to inform him of her concerns about Garda wrongdoing and to ask for his help to find the missing child. She never heard from him again.
When asked by Deputy McDonald if he was willing to meet Ms Doherty, the Taoiseach said he was. However, a request sent by Ms Doherty on Wednesday, October 7, to set up this meeting has not yet been acknowledged.
Ms Doherty’s legal team, at Kevin Winters Law Firm Belfast, is considering an action against the State for its failure to have an effective investigation in the murder, a right enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights.
Her solicitor Darragh Mackin has also applied to the Donegal coroner Denis McCauley to hold an inquest without further delay.
Previously: Mary Boyle And ‘Political Interference’
‘I Brought The Allegation To The Attention Of The Gardaí A Number Of Years Ago’
From top: Mary Boyle, and Taoiseach Enda Kenny in the Dáil this evening
In the last hour, Sinn Féin Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald raised the case of Mary Boyle in the Dáil.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny told the Dáil he passed on certain information about the case to gardaí.
Mary Lou McDonald: “Ann, the twin sister of Mary Boyle, a six-year-old girl who disappeared close to her grandparents’ home in Donegal in 1977, Ann firmly believes that there was both political interference and a garda cover-up in Mary’s case. Taoiseach would you be willing to meet with Mary’s sister Ann to listen to her concerns regarding the Garda handling of the case.”
Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett: “That’s not really a matter for the Order of Business now but if the Taoiseach wishes… There are things that are allowed in the Order of Business and things that are not.”
Enda Kenny: “The Garda Bill is before the committee tomorrow. I’m aware of the case, of Mary Boyle. It’s many years ago now. I’ve had some contact about this, quite a number of years ago, which I brought to the attention of the gardaí and I can’t say whether they, the allegation was followed up or not but I brought it to the attention of the gardaí. It’s quite a number of years ago, deputy. I don’t have any objection to meeting, when I get a chance, with Mary’s sister, I’d be happy to do that. But clearly, the operational matters for the gardaí, on a day-to-day basis, are a matter for the Commissioner of the gardaí. The new independent policing authority will bring new powers and new opportunities here as indeed does the changes brought about to GSOC, being chaired by a High Court judge. All these are important and, actually, represent the most fundamental changes to the structure of the Garda Síochána since the foundation of the State. So the answer to your question is: yes. When I get an opportunity, send me the contact numbers for Mary’s sister, I’d be happy to talk to her.”
Meanwhile, staying in tonight?
Here’s my team mate @KatieGHannon telling me just now about a report she has for tonight’s @RTE_PrimeTime #rtept pic.twitter.com/sxBPZtNffa
— Miriam O’Callaghan (@MiriamOCal) October 6, 2015
Previously: Mary Boyle And ‘Political Interference’
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Top: Mary Boyle’s sister Ann Doherty (left) and Boyle family friend Margo O’Donnell (right), with unnamed solicitor and journalist Gemma O’Doherty (second right) at Pearse Street Garda Station last night
Further to yesterday’s post concerning Mary Boyle, who disappeared from her grandparents’ farm near Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal on March 18, 1977, the article’s author Gemma O’Doherty spoke to Niall Delaney, on Ocean FM, earlier today.
Ms Doherty told Mr Delaney that the politician who is alleged to have interfered in the case is still alive and that their suspect would confess if questioned.
Niall Delaney: “Mary Boyle, as you know, has been missing 38 years, last seen in Cashelard in Ballyshannon, in March, 1977, yesterday her twin sister Ann went to a Garda station, identifying, she claims, the person that she believes murdered her sister all those years ago. She handed in a formal statement to gardai in Pearse Street in Dublin, claiming the gardai, that she’s begged gardai to take certain actions down the years and she’s been frustrated in her efforts to find Mary’s remains which she believes are buried somewhere in Cashelard in Ballyshannon.
She rejects suggestions that Mary was snatched by a stranger, she says that’s ridiculous. The journalist Gemma O’Doherty accompanied Ann Boyle to the garda station yesterday, she’s been reporting on the case. And Gemma O’Doherty is on the line now, journalist with Broadsheet.ie. Gemma you’ve been following this case. Well you’ve been part and parcel of this case. You were at the garda station yesterday with Ann Boyle, isn’t that right?”
Gemma O’Doherty: “That’s right, yes. There was a very important development in the case of Ireland’s longest missing child Mary Boyle who vanished from her grandparents’ farm near Ballyshannon on March 18, 1977, aged six, and has never been seen since.”
Delaney: “Ann is adamant that she knows who was behind Mary’s murder.”
O’Doherty: “Ann is adamant and she’s adamant her twin sister was killed by somebody known to her. And yesterday Ann was joined by the country singer Margo O’Donnell, who also made a lengthy statement to the gardai in Pearse Street Station in Dublin, alleging the identity of the killer and also alleging that she believes that the gardaí have not investigated this case properly. Both of them pleaded with An Garda Siochana yesterday to arrest the individual that they believe is responsible for Mary Boyle’s disappearance and murder.”
Delaney: “OK, but why, why now? I mean Ann has had 38 years to go to the gardai and identify this person she believes is responsible or has she done that already and has she been ignored?”
O’Doherty: “She was six when she lost, what she calls, her other half. The person who knew her thoughts, who said the same things as her, the person she adored, her little twin sister. So I think to say it was 38 years, it was only in adulthood, when she started to put things together, after all of the trauma that she had endured as a child, that she started to see that it was impossible for a random stranger to stroll onto the bogs of Donegal and snatch her child and she has had a lot of time to rethink this. But more importantly, through the years, as an adult, she has gone to the gardai, she has spoken to them, she has asked them to hear her concerns and she has faced a brick wall on every occasion. She certainly is utterly disillusioned with the gardai in Donegal. As are members of gardai in Donegal who were there at the very start. Very decent, honourable officers who tried to bring Mary’s killer to justice. But were not able to and one of…”
Delaney: “Some of whom…you’ve been talking to some of them, Gemma?”
O’Doherty: “I certainly have and one of them in particular has made a very serious allegation that in the days after the murder that there was political interference in this case.”
Delaney: “That’s huge. I mean if that goes public, that there was political interference of any sort in an investigation as important as this..”
O’Doherty: “Well it is public now. I published it yesterday on Broadsheet and it is also now in the hands of a number of TDs who will be pursuing this. And yes I have been informed, as have Ann Boyle and Margo O’Donnell, and a number of other individuals that there was political interference and a politician interfered to an extent that certain individuals were not to be considered suspects in this case which is truly shocking because we are talking about the murder of a child.”
Delaney: “Absolutely. We can’t push it too much for obvious reasons but would that politician still be alive…”
O’Doherty: “Alive? Yes.”
Delaney: “They are?”
O’Doherty: “Yes.”
Delaney: “Quite shocking stuff. Is anything going…I mean you can’t predict this, Gemma. But do you think anything is going to come of this? We’ve had many false hopes in the Mary Boyle investigation down the years. Is anything going to come from what her sister did yesterday, and indeed Margo.”
O’Doherty: “I know that, and I completely trust the opinion of the senior gardai that I’ve been working with on this case. But also Ann and Margo and other peopled familiar with the situation and it is their belief that if the killer was brought in and properly questioned, that a confession would be forthcoming. And they believe that this individual has never been questioned properly.”
Delaney: “Never been questioned.”
O’Doherty: “That is their belief and certainly not arrested. So again, one has to wonder, I mean, certainly I believe if we were living in a normal democracy that individual would have been brought in last night given that allegations of murder have been made against them. And we see the sort of carry-on that is going on in this country at the moment where people who protest on the street have gardai arriving all hours of the night and day to them. So we’re talking about the most serious crime of all: the murder of a child, an innocent child and yet, here we are 24 hours on nearly, and I certainly haven’t heard about any arrests and we know that a few months ago an individual was arrested in relation to this case who, it would appear, had absolutely nothing to do with it.”
Previously: Mary Boyle And ‘Political Interference’
Mary Boyle’s twin claims “political interference” hindered course of justice (Ocean FM)
Mary Boyle
Mary Boyle was six years old when she vanished on her grandparents’ remote farm near Ballyshannon, Co Donegal on March 18, 1977.
She remains Ireland’s longest missing child case.
But that may be about to change.
Gemma O’Doherty writes:
The twin sister of Mary Boyle will today make a formal statement to Gardai about the identity of the person she believes murdered her sister.
Ann Doherty will claim Mary was killed by somebody known to her. She says she has been frustrated by an Garda Siochana in her efforts to find Mary’s remains and bring her killer to justice.
Ann Doherty will allege that on a number of occasions she was told the identity of the killer by a person close to her, but neither that person nor the suspect have ever been arrested.
In her statement today, Doherty will make a plea to Gardai to arrest the suspect. She will also state that she was informed by a senior Garda that there was political interference in the case, which she believes prevented Mary’s killer from being brought to justice.
The former officer claims that a politician made contact with Gardai in the days after the child’s murder and made an unusual request in an effort to hinder the investigation. This Garda also believes Mary Boyle may have been sexually assaulted before her death, a fear shared by her sister Ann.
The officer has also said that he was told the identity of the killer by somebody close to Mary on a number of occasions.
In another development, the country singer Margo O’Donnell, sister of Daniel, will visit a Dublin Garda station today to make a formal statement about Mary Boyle’s murder.
Margo, a former neighbour and cousin of the Boyle family, has spent many years searching for the little girl’s remains. She claims that on three separate occasions she was told by a person close to Mary the identity of the killer but says every time she has spoken to Gardai about the case, she has been dismissed. She describes the killing as a ‘massive Garda cover-up.’ Broadsheet has seen witness statements relating to the case, which reveal inconsistencies that have never been reconciled.
Ann Doherty believes that if the person she says killed Mary had been properly investigated and questioned by Gardai, they would have confessed to the killing. She is also certain that the individual can still be brought to justice and the remains of her sister found.
Ann believes her sister is buried somewhere on the 180 acres of farmland in Cashelard, Ballyshannon, once owned by her late grandfather Patrick Gallagher. Some of this land is deep swamp. She rejects suggestions by certain Gardai and reporters that Mary was snatched by a stranger, a claim she describes as ‘ridiculous.’
She says through the years she has begged Gardai to take certain actions. She also says they have refused to speak to her and that their only point of contact with the family is her mother, Ann Boyle.
When Ann Doherty sought an inquest in recent years, she was told that this was not possible as Mary may not be dead. A person is considered to be deceased if they have been missing for more than seven years. Mary disappeared 38 years ago.
Ann Doherty wrote to the Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald earlier this year requesting a meeting but this request was not been granted. Ann will attend the Gardai today in the company of her solicitor Darragh Mackin of Kevin Winters Solicitors, a human rights law firm based in Belfast.
More as we get it.
Previously: A Corner Of Ireland
Update:
Margo O’Donnell has arrived at Pearse St Garda station to make a statement about the killing of Mary Boyle pic.twitter.com/VB6AuuNMmQ
— Gemma O’Doherty (@gemmaod1) October 1, 2015
Update:
The twin sister of Mary Boyle continues her statement to Gardai tonight after five hours in Pearse St station – https://t.co/nsT2a2L9uS — Gemma O’Doherty (@gemmaod1) October 1, 2015
Margo O’Donnell remains in Pearse St station tonight making a statement about the murder cover-up of schoolgirl Mary Boyle.
— Gemma O’Doherty (@gemmaod1) October 1, 2015
Update:
Mary Boyle’s twin Ann has completed her statement to Gardai. She is appealing to them to arrest the killer pic.twitter.com/9Fn8dNsied — Gemma O’Doherty (@gemmaod1) October 1, 2015
Update:
Margo O’Donnell has finished her statement in Pearse St, alleging a Garda cover-up in Mary Boyle’s murder. pic.twitter.com/026kkCmzd3
— Gemma O’Doherty (@gemmaod1) October 1, 2015