Mother of murdered Paul Quinn appeals to Sinn Fein TD to urge people to come forward
To date, 23 people have been arrested in connection with the murder but no one has ever been charged
by Michael O'Toole · Irish MirrorThe mother of a man beaten to death by an IRA-linked mob has appealed to a local Sinn Fein TD to urge anyone with information to come forward.
The mother of Paul Quinn made the appeal of Cavan Monaghan TD Matt Carty on today's anniversary of his son’s murder.
Mr Carthy, who is the party’s spokesman on Defence and Foreign Affairs, today did urge anyone with information to come forward.
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He said: “I appeal to anyone with information to disclose this to the gardaí or PSNI.”
Tragic Paul Quinn from Cullyhanna, Armagh, was lured to a shed in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan and mercilessly beaten to death on October 20, 2007.
To this day no one has been prosecuted over his murder, which is thought to have occurred after Paul had a confrontation with the son of a prominent IRA member in a bar in the days prior.
Now, on the 17th anniversary of the murder of the 21-year-old, his mother Breege appealed for Mr Carthy to get involved in the case.
She said Mr Carthy had repeatedly commented on the case of Monaghan man Shane O’Farrell, 23 – whose death at the hands of a hit and run driver near Carrickmacross has been the subject of calls for a public inquiry – but said she hasn't heard him mention her son’s murder.
She said: “Seventeen years ago Paul Quinn was murdered in a shed in Castleblayney.
“Despite numerous appeals for information by the family for those with information to come forward, not one person has been before the courts in relation to his death.
“While we the family continue to appeal for information on Paul’s murder, we particularly appeal to Matt Carthy TD for Cavan Monaghan who in recent years has been very vocal in looking for a public inquiry into the young man Shane O’Farrell’s tragic death in Carrickmacross - and rightly so.
“Yet 17 years on since Pauls’ murder in a shed in Castleblayney, which is also in Matt Carty’s constituency, we have yet to hear him mention Paul’s name in any forum.
“We are asking Matt Carthy to make a public appeal to those who have information on Paul to come forward to gardaí."
When contacted by The Mirror, Deputy Carthy did make such an appeal.
He said: “Sinn Féin have repeatedly called for anyone with information into the murder of Paul Quinn to bring it to the police.
“I absolutely acknowledge the grief and ongoing trauma of the Quinn family who are still seeking answers and a resolution in the case of Paul's murder.
“I appeal to anyone with information to disclose this to the Gardaí or the PSNI.”
Gardaí also made an appeal for witnesses to come forward yesterday.
The force said 23 people have been arrested – 14 in the Republic and nine in the north
And it said gardaí continue to work with their colleagues in the Police Service of Northern Ireland in efforts to solve this crime.
Superintendent Ronan Carey, who is in charge of the investigation, said the force was treating the probe as a priority.
He said: "We firmly believe that the answers to this murder or the evidence that we require to progress this investigation lies within the community. That relationships change or the nature of them, and that people may be in a position now to provide answers to us or come forward to us and give us information that they may not have been previously in a position to do so.
“We want to provide the answers, and we want to provide justice to Paul, to his mother, Breege, and his father, Stephen.”
Officers appealed to anyone with any information, no matter how small or insignificant you might believe it to be, to contact Carrickmacross Garda Station on 042 9690197 or any Garda station.
Anyone who wishes to provide information confidentially should contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
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