The McCartney family is planning to take a civil case against those it believes were responsible for the murder of Robert McCartney in Belfast three years ago, Paula McCartney has confirmed.
Three years on she says that the sense of loss and grief over the death of a brother, a son, a fiancee doesn't get any easier, but that the extended McCartney family remains united and determined to press ahead with its campaign to see "justice done".
"We just have to keep plugging away and hope to God that some day something gives," said Paula yesterday.
Only one man has been charged with the murder of Mr McCartney on this date in 2005. Two others are charged with affray.
The McCartney family insists, however, that at least five people linked to the IRA were directly involved in the beating and fatal stabbing outside Magennis's bar in central Belfast and that at least 10 others were indirectly involved.
The trial of the 51-year-old Belfast man charged with the murder could begin on April 7th if there is a court opening available, according to the Northern Ireland Court Service. If this isn't possible a more formal date of May 12th for the trial has been set, a spokeswoman for the service said yesterday. Today the McCartney sisters - Paula, Catherine, Gemma, Donna and Claire - and Robert's fiancee, Bridgeen Hagans, and his parents, Robert and Kathleen, will mark this third anniversary privately in their own individual manner.
"I went to the grave once for a broadcast piece CNN were doing, but that was a mistake. I wished I hadn't gone because it was just too difficult. None of my sisters have been able to visit the grave; they feel the same as I do. Bridgeen goes and put flowers on Robert's grave," Paula explained.
As for the anniversary? "We all do different things. Some go to Mass, Bridgeen goes to the grave, some of us don't do anything at all."
The McCartneys have brought their Justice for Robert campaign to Dublin, London, Washington, Brussels and the world. They've met world leaders; they've received numerous awards; Catherine has written a detailed book, Walls of Silence, outlining how they waged their battle and how they will continue doing so until they believe some form of justice is achieved.
Paula says that notwithstanding protestations and actions to the contrary that neither Sinn Féin nor the IRA has done anything practical or genuine in helping convict the killers. At one stage the IRA threatened to "shoot" those it believed responsible, which the McCartneys utterly rejected, while Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams on a number of occasions urged republicans to be "full and frank" in helping bring the killers to justice.
Again, with the urgings of the republican leadership, scores of people gave statements about the killing of Mr McCartney. However, according to Paula, none of this provided anything evidential despite the fact that Magennis's pub was crowded when Mr McCartney was attacked. "It all amounted to diddly-squat," she said. In particular, she queried how there is not sufficient evidence to prosecute the local IRA commanding officer, who allegedly gave the order for Mr McCartney to be killed. She said he is still viewed as a senior and influential republican in the Short Strand and nearby Markets area.
"All this talk of people coming forward and assisting the police inquiry, and assisting us, it's all a smokescreen; it's all smoke and mirrors," said Paula.
Sinn Féin in a response last night insisted that it "unequivocally" supported the McCartney family and called on anyone with information to come forward to the police. "Sinn Féin and Gerry Adams in particular has called repeatedly on anyone with information to bring it forward to the PSNI. Our representatives have also met with the PSNI on this and engaged with the local community," said a Sinn Féin spokesperson.
Paula hopes that the forthcoming trial of the single person charged with murder will yield more information about what happened in and outside Magennis's pub three years ago, and that this in turn will facilitate the family taking a civil case, as some of the Omagh families are doing.
"We hope that the murder trial will open doors to allow us take a civil action against the people we believe were behind Robert's murder," she said. In the meantime the family members get on with their lives as best they can. Paula, married with six children, had to abandon a Queen's University degree course in gender studies because the joy had gone out of the study. But she is learning Spanish, and hopes to take an extended break in Spain "when things settle down".
Catherine spent time recently in Australia with a view to emigrating. "But I think she's gone off the idea," said Paula. Gemma, a nurse, who was recently verbally intimidated while carrying out cancer screening work in the Markets, is considering a career change to teaching. Donna and Claire, as is the case with all the family, even now are finding the continuing grief hard to bear.
It's hard too for Bridgeen, Robert's fiancee, and mother of their two boys, Conlaed (7) and Brandon (5). "We're very proud of Bridgeen," said Paula, "She recently passed her driving test, and the boys are doing fine."