Border-murder family to meet Ahern

The family of a man murdered along the Border two months ago are to raise directly with the Irish Government allegations that IRA members were involved.

Paul Quinn from Cullyhanna in south Armagh was lured over the Border to a shed in Co Monaghan where he was beaten to death by a gang.

His relatives and some people in south Armagh claim the 21-year-old was killed by members of the PIRA.

The family will meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern today in his Dundalk constituency office.

Supporters of the Quinns have organised public meetings in the area to demand his killers be brought to justice.

The latest meeting in Crossmaglen last Thursday was attended by 300 people including three Opposition members - former Labour Party deputy leader Liz McManus and Fine Gael’s Seymour Crawford and Fergus O’Dowd.

Sinn Féin councillors also attended the meeting and insisted they wanted the killers to be brought to justice too.

However the party also alleged the family’s campaign is being manipulated by the SDLP.

That claim was angrily denied by SDLP Assembly member Dominic Bradley who accused Sinn Féin of resorting to desperate tactics.

“We have never for a second hidden our support for the Quinns and their committee,” the Newry and Armagh MLA countered.

“We are supporting them for the simple reason that the family has asked us to support them and because it is the right thing to do.

“We will continue to support them in every way we can until Paul’s name is cleared in public and until the family get the justice they deserve.”