Man arrested in connection with McCartney murder

Finally, the PSNI have today arrested a 31-year-old man in connection with the murder of Robert McCartney. It’s understood that the man, accompanied by his solicitor, went voluntarily to a police station at lunchtime.


Hopefully, the arrest can be the beginning of the end for the sisters and family of 33-year-old father of two Robert McCartney since his murder outside a Belfast bar nine weeks ago.

Since his murder, McCartney’s family have had to endure living in a tight-knit community knowing the identity of Robert’s murderer and knowing that members of their community had been intimidated by members of Sinn Fein and the IRA into not giving evidence or statements to the police.

Before the Good Friday agreement, Sinn Fein and the IRA considered any unlawful acts committed by their members beyond reproach. They were in a ‘war’ after all.

Not anymore they’re not and the killing of Robert McCartney was a savage indicator of the brutality of the ‘we’re untouchable’ attitude of many republicans involved with the ‘cause’.

The day after McCartney was stabbed outside Magennis's Whiskey Café following a row where a woman had taken offence to something when none was intended, the PSNI was making inquiries in the Short Strand area and came under an orchestrated attack from stone-throwers. Sinn Fein’s Alex Maskey accused the PSNI of using "old-style heavy handed RUC tactics".

The public disturbances and Maskey’s declaration were clearly designed to the protect the identity’s of McCartney’s murderers. Why? Because they’re ‘soldiers for the cause’?

What has a row in a pub that leads to a man - one of their own - being stabbed, covering up any evidence by removing it physically from the scene and intimidating witnesses, got to do with 800 years of oppression?

Gerry Adams was right to try and make Sinn Fein give support to McCartney’s sisters, but, the loudest cheers at the Ard Fheis during Adam’s speech were not for the McCartney sisters. No, they were left for the various defiant moments in Adam’s speech where he rounded on SF’s detractors. Namely, Michael McDowell.

While jeering McDowell is a wholly worthwhile activity, it compares more than a little unfavourably with the lack of genuine applause and support given to the McCartney sisters at the Ard Fheis. The SF faithful were more than a little bit uncomfortable with their presence at the RDS. And there-in lies the rub of it all.

The SF policy of "an Ireland based on equality, justice, rights and empowerment", should really read "an Ireland based on equality, justice, rights and empowerment for those who were directly involved in the republican struggle. All other republicans can forget about it as they didn’t work for it. In fact of you give us any jip we’ll murder you and cover it up."

In the mid to late 90’s, Sinn Fein councillors were heavily involved in organising communities in inner city Dublin, to fight back against the drug dealers in their areas.

Locals mounted neighbour watch programmes in flat complexes where those coming into the complexes looking to purchase drugs were, erm, ‘turned away’.

As a young reporter, I went on a protest march in the Sherrif Street area of the north inner-city. It involved a group of 300-400 protesters marching up to various homes of alleged drug dealers and shouting slogans like: "What do we want?/ Pushers out/ When do we want it?/ Now".

Most of the dealers were either not at home or had closed the curtains in a vain attempt to hide. Those that did come out to address the mob, were clearly frightened. All bar one.

He came out of his townhouse, with his presumed partner, and his young kids to face the chanting mob. Neither he nor his family showed one ounce of fear. Indeed, the man made several gestures of slitting throats as he looked around the mob, many of whom, presumably were his customers.

At the time, I took his behaviour to be that of a man who was protected, no matter what the mob did. Who was protecting him? The only organised group in the area who could do that were the local Sinn Fein members working on the ground.

Then, as well as now, Sinn Fein demand to do their own policing. People will turn a blind eye if there’s illegal policing of drug dealers, but, not a murder of an innocent man out for a couple of pints.

Makes you wonder are Fianna Fail really that bad.