Legacy of Murder Spotlight

Mary McArdle. Once jailed for murder, now promoted to the

corridors of power. When I heard she had got the post of special

adviser to the culture minister, I felt physically sick. She has never

once attempted to explain to our family what happened.

Once again, awkward questions about the past. Should Mary McArdle not

have co-operated with VHE team when they were looking at this?

comment, OK Julian? Some people want the past to go

away but this has brought it up. This is no ordinary store room.

Death is recorded on every shelf. Each file contains grimmer details

of lives cut short. I am in a warehouse used by the historical

enquiries team. The detective unit which is re-examining three decades

of killings from the troubles. Usually, details of cases stay

hidden away, like the grief of the bereaved. Sometimes both can be

propelled back into the public eye. As in the case of two women named

Mary. In 1984, Mary Travers was 23, a teacher, not long qualified. She

was the daughter of Catholic magistrate Tom Travers, he refused

to have a bodyguard at the time when the judiciary were IRA targets.

Mary McCardle was a committed IRA volunteer. She was 18 in April 1984,

when, one Sunday, she was part of a gang dispatched on a murder mission

to South Belfast. Our house was only a couple of hundred yards away.

This is an Ann Travers, a family friend. -- and a family friend. She

is showing me the route Mary took home from church with her parents.

The sun was shining and it was a beautiful warm spring day. Mum

turned to Dad and said, doesn't Mary look lovely? Mary turned

around and said, delighted mum? She held up the collar of her blouse

and with that, the shooting started. Mary Travers was the first to be

hit in an ambush by two gunmen. was shot in the back and fell down

into mum's arms. Mum fell to the ground. The gunman stood over dad

and started to shoot him. The other the man stood over my mum and

attempted to shoot her as well. The bollards jammed in the gun.

-- bullets. Meanwhile, Mary McCardle was

walking a dog near by, pretending to be an innocent bystander. I saw

Tom first and he was clearly in agony. He said, why did they do

this? When I got to Mary, I was fairly certain nothing could be

done for her. I remember there was blood coming out of her mouth and

she was quite still. The gunmen fled, run be doing with

Mary McCardle, whose job was to dispose of the weapons. She hid

them in surgical stockings beneath her skirt but the handover was

witnessed and the police were alerted. Meanwhile, news of the

attack reached the other travellers' children who ran to the

scene. I saw Muammar, leaning over that. -- Mum, leaning over Dad. She

was saying to someone, please help my poor husband. Mary was lying

over there and gurgling. She was not moving.

Mary McArdle hurried away as the emergency services arrived.

turned around, there was an ambulance there and I saw my

brother Paul sitting in it with Mary.

I am pretty sure I was there when she took her last breath. I looked

at my sister and I didn't really recognise her. The life had gone

from her body. I had a greater feeling of a presence in the

ambulance but once the door opened at the Ulster Hospital, I felt that

she had left. Mary McCardle was arrested just 300

metres from the scene by a patrol alerted to the shooting. The guns

were discovered as she was taken in for questioning.

We found two revolvers. These revolvers, we have established, had

been used in a number of murders in and around the Belfast area.

The two gunmen escaped and during its 33 interviews, Mary McArdle

maintained her silence. Mary Travers was pronounced dead upon

reaching hospital. She was just a great sister. She

was such a lovely, lovely person. Every time I come past here it is

really hard and I always think of Mary. I always remember it, you

know, I always remember... The whole thing. Poor Mary, just lying

there on heroin. There was nothing that anybody could do for her. --

on her own. Next morning, Mary Travers' class

sank a him she had taught them. -- sang a hymn.

It is a tragic event. Us in this School are a little family. One of

our family is now dead. Jonah Travers came to the funeral

without her husband, who remained gravely ill, having been shot six

times. -- Jonah. Mary's pupils made a tribute. -- Joan.

What was the impact of this on your family? It was devastating. We were

such a close family. We had been brought up very middle of the road

for, to see the goodness in everybody, to try to be balanced. I

just do not think that any of us could really handle it wants Mary

was murdered. In the long term, we all ended up leaving Northern

Ireland. My poor mum is living up in Belfast on her own.

The array said Mary Travers' death was a mistake. -- I R A. Her family

have shown as a report into the murder by the historical enquiries

team, which concludes the attack was a deliberate attempt to kill

all three people with no distinction made between the

magistrate, his wife and his daughter. In 1985, Mary McCardle

was convicted of murder and sentenced to 18 years in prison for

what the judge said was her pre- arranged role in a dreadful crime.

When she was convicted, she turned and waved to her family members,

cheerful and happy. Prout, no remorse, no regret. Quite happy

with what she had done. Yes, she was convicted and went to prison

and at least we knew that somebody had been convicted of the murder.

But we always know that the two gunmen whenever convicted.

Mary McArdle became the IRA's commander amongst her fellow

inmates at prison. She used to time to obtain a first class honours

degree. She spoke about strip searches by prison staff in a

republican video. Her comments have now added to the controversy over

Tom Travers remained a magistrate with a bullet still lodged in his

neck. Right up to his death in 2009, he longed for answers.

He just wanted to know the truth. That is all he wanted to know. What

happened to his beautiful daughter and who did it and why. You know,

what are Sinn Fein waiting for? Are they waiting for more people to die,

heartbroken, not knowing the truth? They need to get a move on.

In a 2007, the DUP and Sinn Fein entered government. A momentous day,

watched by a prime ministers and 200 specially chosen guests. They

included Mary McArdle who had been released from prison in 1998. It

was a sign of her rising status, which continued not just on to Sinn

Fein's ruling Executive but right into the heart of Stormont. When

her former comrade Caral Ni Chuilin speaking culture minister she was

appointed a Deputy. Mr McArdle gives most of her weight to Sinn

Fein, which could be up to �80,000. -- wage.

Some of those people involved now hold positions in government, many

people have moved on. Is it something you can not accept?

not a matter of acceptance. I accept that Mary McCardle was

released. I have accepted that there are people in Stormont who

have been elected, voted in, who have been involved in dreadful,

dreadful, dreadful crimes. And then I saw this woman who was involved

in the murder of my sister being gifted a job. And it appeared to me

like a reward. For what she had done.

There is no set time on grief. It is important that victims' grief is

Across the world in Brisbane Paul Travers who emigrated 20 years ago

said a prayer for his dead sister. He was 19 when she was killed.

the grief that we have buried and have done to move on came up

streaming back because the murderer of by sister is back in the public

eye. The woman who murdered my sister and two took part in the

attempted murder of my father and my mother and providing -- is now

sitting instalment. My sister played in the Ulster Orchestra. She

was a talented musician. It does make me wonder what sort of culture

we are running into. I feel pity for Mary Ann McArdle. I think she

must have a very ugly soul. I think someone who can take lives without

any feeling of remorse or any need to talk and explain what she did to

the victims' families must be a very hard person. I think it shows

the same of moral fibre as it showed the day she murdered my

sister. It shows she is a coward. The family want Mary McArdle to

leave her post claiming there is a lack of JuneIt remorse. But in an

interview Mary and the Cardle said the murder was a tragic mistake.

But if that was designed to drop a line of under the affair it failed.

The intensity of their human sadness in this case is difficult.

It cannot be dismissed. It is difficult to say anything about

Mary Travers and there than she was an innocent person done to death in

Afro and despicable way. Sinn Fein it does not welcome the world at

large being reminded of some of the past. Miss McArdle made an

appearance at a North-South meeting in Dublin seen here at behind the

minister she once commanded in prison. After words Peter Robinson

was asked how he felt about her attendance. I have not engage with

any special advisers other than my own. There was a time when the

presence of somebody like mayday Mikado might have caused serious

political ructions. Peter Robinson made a post on Twitter when the

appointment made headlines. He said it was insensitive and a mistake

but did not call or resignation. That tells you the depth of thought

that went into this. To use Twitter is the lowest scale. They

government seems designed -- seems determined to keep the affair Loki.

I was going to say special adviser, but I am not allowed to talk about

special advisers tonight... That comment came hours after Peter

Robinson met Ann Travers. He said there would be a review of the

appointment but that made him a card bills position is unlikely to

be affected as the review will not be retrospective.

A mistake, insensitive, but you are not calling for her to resign at

are you? That is not true. I do not know which world you inhabit. We

have already made it clear what our position on this is. She should not

have been appointed and she should not be in her position. She should

resign. She should resign. In the absence of that a review is a set-

up to see what we could do to ensure it does not happen again. It

angers me that you people try to perpetrate this idea that we are

dancing around the issue. We are not dancing around the issue. Peter

Robinson immediately after having a discussion instructed and asked me

to have this review. That review is being done. It is being done

robustly. The outcome will be presented to try and ensure that

the situation is remedied. suspect they are buying time. It

will slip out of this summer. It will make no difference. Sinn Fein

has a veto. The appointment of Mary McArdle cannot be reversed because

they do not have the bottle to do that. What is your expectation from

Sinn Fein if the review says someone with a serious criminal

conviction cannot be a minister. only have a picture of what Sinn

Fein have done so far. I suspect they will not take kindly.

cannot go any further? Again you are jumping the gun. You do not

know what is in this review. We will seek to ensure that it has

mechanisms which try and circumvent that. It has to go to the party and

to the department. BDP has been dodging and ducking and diving.

Their main its preoccupation is staying in government with Sinn

Fein. These files are a reminder that while politics may have moved

on many questions remain about the past. In the case of Mary Travers

there are some unresolved issues concerning Mary McArdle. The

historical inquiries report found one of the guns are carried by a

mayday McCardle has been used in seven aware IRA killings. Mayday

McArdle is named in it their report in connection with one of those

other murders. In 1984 and assistant prison governor was shot

at home by an IRA gang consisting of two men and a woman getaway

driver. It happened one month before the attack on the Travers

family. When it the police arrested one of their gunmen if the name of

mayday McCardle was written on a piece of paper found in his car.

Been there was bought the Historical Enquiry Team say it is

incomprehensible that the police made no attempt to put me the

Cardle in front of an identity parade. We talked to the lead

detective in that case. He is now retired. He said he was unaware of

any piece of paper until we told them. He also said the women

getaway driver was heavily disguised and he looked at mayday

McArdle in custody and did not believe she matched the description

of witnesses. In the report the inquiries team say they requested

help with a review of the case from the Mary McArdle in 1997 but she

never replied. In recent weeks IRA members explained the murders of

two senior RUC officers. Gerry Adams said republicans would help

families where they could but only in some cases. This case is an

early test of that commitment. not interested in prosecution at

this stage. I am not interested in anybody being a martyr. They will

have won a judge in now and that is when they meet their maker. All

they need to do is go into a room that, promised to tell the truth

and nothing but the truth and not leave anything out. That is all we

have to do. Mary Ann McArdle knows who pulled the trigger. They gave

her the guns. She knows who was involved in this. She knows who

planned it. She knows to executed it. She has never once attempted to

explain to our family what happened. I am not a fool. I know that if or

when I ever hear the full story of my sister's murder of course I will

beat Andre. -- I will be angry. But it is like a jigsaw puzzle. There

are bits missing. Those that need to be filled them. The people who

can fill them in are refusing to do so. I spent two weeks trying to get

to speak to me the McArdle. I requested an interview through Sinn

Fein's press office, e-mailed her directly, and delivered a letter to

the department of culture, arts and leisure. Sinn Fein told me she

would not talk. There was no sign of her special adviser when it

Caral Ni Chuilin it did a press conference last week. She told me I

had blotted my copybook but agreed to an interview at the end of the

event. The party appointed myself and mayday McArdle to these

positions. The was consideration given to the family of the victims?

I am sure it was. It is appropriate for people who were involved in

conflict to be part of building peace. I do not feel it is

appropriate to have a veto over who can be appointed. The Ann Travers

family are left with their perception that Sinn Fein is

selective about truth and justice. More people in north Belfast has

lost families in the conflict than anywhere else. Whenever Mary

McCardle says she regrets what happened you obviously believe her.

Of course I do. I have known many Mikado a long time. I have a lot of

respect for Mary the Cardle. Should mayday and the card will not have

co-operated with the inquiry team? No comment. This is finished. Thank

you. Thank you. But Sinn Fein's press office was not happy with my

interview. They sent me an e-mail saying I had hijacked and

Ministerial event. Next I attended a book launch where Martin

McGuinness was in attendance. have had a discussion around how we

deal with the past. There are people in this room today who are

doing a programme. God knows what sort of a programme is will be, but

you can imagine. Nelson Mandela was elevated by the people of South

Africa are to be President of South Africa. Those people who fail to

learn that the lesson in terms of our experience are making a huge

mistake. Mary Ann McArdle eventually gave as a statement. She

repeated that the killing of Mary Travers was a tragic mistake. She

said she has many of -- she is one of many ex-prisoners working in

of many ex-prisoners working in politics. She says she is committed

to the peace process. She did not address our questions about the

murder of the prison officer or murder of the prison officer or

about non-cooperation with the historical inquiries team. Today

Sinn Fein said Mary Ann McArdle had no information to give an that

republicans do not engage with this inquiries team as they do not

regard it as a proper part of the process. Mary Ann McArdle refused

to co-operate with the Historical Enquiry Team it. What does that

tell you? It compounds the situation. It is one of the reasons

why Sinn Fein has to accept that there is public anger. Not only

have they appointed someone of that background, but somebody who

appears to be totally unrepentant. Of the thousands of former IRA

prisoners few going to storm it elected or otherwise. Some

organised political tours. This group of overseas academics is

being hosted by a someone who was jailed three times. I... He

famously read the IRA statement ending its armed campaign in 2005.

He says there would not have been at peace process without the

involvement of former prisoners. Mary-Ann McArdle and people like

her have been central to the wall police source -- to the peace

process within our community. They have helped to create the climate

that is in there today. We are not going to wear sackcloth and ashes

as a result of an hour republican past. That is not going to happen.

I do want to see them involved in the peace process. It is important.

I want to see him being involved in ordinary jobs as well. I am just

saying it works both ways. Victims have got right also. For Northern

Ireland to move forward they must be sensitive to those victims.

you do not think Mary and McArdle should be allowed to do this job?

think this job is a step too far. If she stood for election and get

voted in the so be it. I have to accept that. I feel sad and second,

but I will accept it. It is one year since the most

expensive search for truth in British history. The victims of

Bloody Sunday would indicate that - - were vindicated. Here it is

anniversary event the appreciated what that meant to get answers.

are here to celebrate that but also to remember all those who still

have to search for the truth of how their loved ones were done to death.

Mary Travers family... And all those who have never made headlines

that have died in that their troubles. Dealing with the past is

a delicate issue as this man knows better than most. In 2009 he was

part of a government appointed group which suggested how best to

address the brought legacy of conflict, but the report was

shelved. Some people wanted the pass to go away. This case has

shown that it is not going away. It keeps seeping into a lot of the

institutions that we have already established. This case has brought

it to the heart of Stormont. Beside the new peace bridge I have come up

to meet a man whose brother was killed on bloody Sunday. His

experience has been the opposite of the family of the Travers in that

he has not seen anyone prosecuted that he did get at the truth.

would support Ann Travers wholeheartedly. The more I think

about it, if there war is over is it over for good and if it is over

for a good can we give that information? I think they should

think sincerely about that now. John Travers is the only remaining

survivor of the attack. My mother is now in her eighties. My father

passed away in 2009. How long our victims made to wait? My grief is

not greater than anybody else's grief. There were dreadful things

happened on both sides of the community. I am just saying to them

it plays -- it goes both ways. Please listen to me. I am doing

this for my sister Mary. She was completely innocent. She did not

deserve to be shot in the back in cold blood. People say we are in a

better time now. I wonder sometimes. I sometimes think that half of this

country is still in bits as a result of the Troubles. I do not

really see it coming together again. This is not a one of case. There

will be more cases. It will continue to be difficult for Sinn