McCartneys hoping to dispel romantic notions of IRA

The sisters and fiancee of murdered Belfast man Robert McCartney have said they will be trying to convince Americans to abandon any romantic notions they may have about the IRA.

The 33-year-old's sisters and partner have travelled to the US this week as part of their campaign for justice and are due to meet several senior politicians, including President George W Bush.

Mr McCartney was beaten and stabbed to death outside a pub in Belfast on January 30, allegedly by senior IRA members.

The McCartneys have accused Sinn Féin and the IRA of mounting a cover-up to prevent those responsible from being brought to justice.

Speaking on her arrival in the US yesterday, Catherine McCartney said: "What we want people in America to know is that any romantic vision they had of the struggle should now be dispelled.

"The struggle in terms of what it was 10 years ago is now over and we're now dealing with criminal gangs who are still using the cloak of romanticism around the IRA to murder people on the streets and walk away from it.

"We're going to bring that reality home to Americans who have political and financial influences in Ireland."