Murderer Keeps 'Stormont Adviser' Post

There's growing controversy today as the Chair of the Stormont Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) Committee, has joined in condemnation of the Department's Sinn Fein Minister over a killer's appointment as a special adviser.

Mary McArdle was convicted of murder for her part in the shooting of primary school teacher Mary Travers in 1984.

The 23-year-old was killed close to St Brigid's Church in Belfast minutes after leaving Mass with her father, magistrate Tom Travers, who was the intended target of the IRA ambush.

Controversy erupted yesterday after it emerged that Ms McArdle has been appointed as special adviser to new Culture Minister Caral Ni Chuilin, (pictured) who is also a former republican prisoner.

Today, the DUP's Michelle McIlveen slammed her Department's Minister and said that a new Sinn Fein bid to introduce an Irish Language Act was a 'smokescreen'.

She said: "The day after the DCAL Minister caused revulsion and disgust by the appointment of her adviser, one would have thought she would have been keen to try and avoid controversy.

"Instead in a desperate bid to try and move the news agenda on she has raked up an old chestnut from the past.

"The DCAL Minister should focus on making amends for the offence caused by her adviser's appointment rather than chasing headlines with an Irish Language Act," said the DUP MLA.

The controversy surrounds the news today that the adviser linked to one of the most shocking killings of the Troubles will stay in her Assembly job, despite First Minister Peter Robinson describing Sinn Fein's decision to appoint her as "insensitive and a mistake".

The dead woman's sister, Ann Travers, yesterday told BBC NI that her family found the appointment difficult to accept.

"While we all want to move forward and have peace in Northern Ireland, we're still all allowed to grieve and we should never be asked to stop grieving or forget about our loved ones who were murdered," she said.

"We're not allowed to move on because every time we want to move on Sinn Fein turn the knife a little bit more, and we're asked to accept a little bit more from them."

Ms Travers said she had been sickened by McArdle's appointment.

Earlier, the DUP MP, Gregory Campbell said Sinn Fein should reverse the decision to appoint a convicted murderer as a special adviser to the DCAL Minister.

He said that Mary McArdle - now 46 - was part of an IRA gang who ambushed Tom Travers and his family as they left Mass in south Belfast in April 1984, but that it was the magistrate's daughter, Mary Travers, who was killed.

The East Londonderry politician said Sinn Fein should have rethought the appointment in light of the pain it had caused the Travers family.

The SDLP's Alban Maginnis also said Sinn Fein had shown no concern for the Travers family whatsoever.

"I cannot understand how Sinn Fein did not foresee this, or perhaps they did foresee it, but thought 'we can do what we like'."

However, the Culture Minister, Ms Ni Chuilin, defended the choice and said Northern Ireland was now in "a post conflict environment".

"Myself and my special adviser are both former political prisoners.

"The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 recognised the role of political prisoners

"I understand that, particularly where families have been bereaved, there are huge issues around grief and I respect that," she said, but refused to make any change.

Threats

Sinn Fein has since revealed that MLAs Gerry Kelly, Caral Ni Chuilin and her newly appointed special adviser, Mary McArdle, have received death threats from loyalists.

Mr Kelly said they took the threats from the 'Orange Volunteers' very seriously - but said Ms McArdle would still not be withdrawing from her post.

(BMcC/GK)