'They won't silence us': Family defiant after UDA victim's mum (82) threatened

NIAMH CAMPBELL, Belfast Telegraph, March 27th, 2026

An 82-year-old woman from Co Antrim campaigning for justice for her murdered son has been warned she could be shot.

Glenn Quinn, who was terminally ill, was beaten to death in his ground-floor flat in Carrickfergus by members of the South East Antrim UDA.

Glenn's sister told the Belfast Telegraph her family will never be silenced after both her brother and pensioner mother received threats this week.

Glenn (47) was found dead in his home on January 4, 2020.

He had no connections to any criminal activity or paramilitary gang, but was threatened after he privately made a throwaway remark when he criticised an attack by the South East Antrim UDA on a friend's business.

Despite extensive investigations, no one has yet been brought before the courts.

On Wednesday, Glenn's brother Martin and 82-year-old mother Ellen were visited by PSNI officers, who informed them that “elements of a serious criminal gang are planning on carrying out some form of violent attack upon you” and that “the use of firearms cannot be ruled out”.

“My mum has lost a son. She's lost a child,” Glenn's sister Lesley Murphy said.

“When does she get peace?”

She added: “What sort of lowlife scum threatens to shoot an 82-year-old woman? How much lower can these depraved rats crawl?”

It's understood the threat is linked to a former member of the South East Antrim UDA.

SEA-UDA under pressure

“We're pretty sure we know where it's come from. This has come from the people who murdered Glenn and it's come from desperation,” she said.

“These aren't the big, hard, paramilitaries that they once were. They're nobodies now, they're absolute nobodies.

“They obviously think that we're getting closer to justice… they think we're getting closer and we're getting stronger and, you know, we can only keep pushing forward.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Lesley made clear the family will not be intimidated.

But she also stressed that her family cannot afford to dismiss the threat, recalling that Glenn himself had been warned shortly before he was brutally killed.

“My mum's made of stern stuff… this won't falter her, it won't put her off and it doesn't frighten her,” Lesley continued.

“But we have to take these threats seriously… Glenn had a threat against him a few days before he was murdered.

“If these people were shameful enough to attack a man who was physically vulnerable — we've no doubt that given the opportunity they would do the same to an 82-year-old pensioner.”

Police arrived at Martin Quinn's door first before warning his mother.

“Martin was absolutely shocked and he was just astounded that, you know, that this was coming to mum as well,” Lesley said.

She also praised their local community for rallying behind them.

“The backing that we have from our own community within Carrickfergus is second to none. The phone calls and support that we've had over the last 24 hours has just been overwhelming,” she said.

“We will make this public and make it as public as we can. Why should we cower down and be afraid?”

“At some point, someone will come forward and say, 'This is what I know, this is what happened'.”

In January of this year, six years on from Glenn's death, the PSNI issued a renewed appeal for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for his murder, backed by a £40,000 reward.

A PSNI spokesperson said last night: “Police do not discuss the security of individuals and no inference should be drawn from this.

“However, if we receive information that a person's life may be at risk, we will inform them accordingly.”

Legacy cases draining PSNI resources, says DUP leader and failing to protect women 

By Iain Gray, Belfast News Letter, March 26th, 2026

The PSNI is struggling to police the present while also tackling legacy issues of the past, Gavin Robinson has said, after the chief constable raised concerns about the force’s capacity to deal with violence against women and girls.

The DUP leader’s comments came as female victims of violence were at the forefront of people’s minds in Northern Ireland. In a little more than a fortnight two women have been murdered in the province, as well as this week seeing the conviction of YouTuber Stephen McCullagh for the horrific slaying of his pregnant partner, Natalie McNally, in 2022.

The violent deaths of 23-year-old Ellie Flanagan in Enniskillen and 28-year-old mother of two Amy Doherty in Londonderry have horrified people across Ulster. They’re two of the 30 women murdered here since 2020; as Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has highlighted, statistically Northern Ireland is the “most dangerous” part of the UK to be a woman.

During an appearance in Westminster yesterday, PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said that while violence against women and girls is a priority for him, he has “significant concerns about [the force’s] capacity” to deal with it.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson signs a book of condolence for murder victim Amy Doherty in the Guildhall, Londonderry.

Today Mr Robinson pointed to drains on police finances; although a recovery plan to boost recruitment numbers is on its way, the DUP leader stated, the PSNI’s funding had “flatlined” for around 16 years, while the cost of Troubles legacy investigations is, he maintained, having a definite impact.

“They are trying to police today, whilst also dealing with difficulties from the past,” he told Radio Ulster’s Nolan Show.

“It’s a challenge for the British government; they’re funding to the tune of £250m a legacy body, the ICRIR [Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery], they are putting tens of millions of pounds into two specific inquiries into incidents of the past.

“In all of those circumstances, in the 1,100 cases that are sitting there on civil liability, the PSNI has to respond to those – but they are not funded to respond to issues of the past, issues that arose before the devolution of policing and justice. And that is an impairment on their ability to police today, because they are having to dedicate resources to issues of the past.”

Meanwhile fellow DUP politician, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, said she is horrified by rates of violence against women in Northern Ireland, adding: “It should anger all of us.”

Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster, she said “we should all be” ashamed of the figures, adding: “This is not just an issue for government, it’s an issue for us all.”

Values must be taught “in every home, in every school” to tackle the violence, she said.

Tributes paid to McConville family as siblings mourn Jean’s son Jim

PAUL AINSWORTH, Irish News, March 37th, 2026

THE bullet that took the life of IRA murder victim Jean McConville “never stopped travelling”, a victim’s campaigner has said following the death of another of her children.

James McConville, known to friends and family as Jim, died on Monday in hospital, following a battle with illness.

He is the sixth child of Jean Mc-Conville to have died, following his brother Thomas, who died last year.

Ms McConville, a mother-of-10, was abducted from her west Belfast home and murdered by the IRA in 1972.

Her remains were eventually recovered in 2003 at Shelling Beach in Co Louth, and an autopsy found she had been shot in the head.

The murder was one of the most notorious carried out by the IRA during the Troubles. In 2024 the story of her brutal abduction and death was portrayed in the award-winning Disney Plus drama Say Nothing.

A funeral for Jim McConville, a father-of-three, will take place tomorrow in north Belfast’s Holy Family Church.

In a short statement, his sister Helen McKendry said: “Another one of the family going to their grave not knowing the full truth or seeing justice for our mother. There were 10, now just four.”

Among those to pay tribute to Mr McConville was victims campaigner Kenny Donaldson, of the South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) group, who said he was “deeply sorry” to hear of his death.

“Jim is the sixth sibling to die a premature death, and the fifth to pass away in the last decade,” he said.

“This is the painful legacy of Provisional IRA terrorism within the Mc-Conville family. The bullet fired that stole away Jim’s mother’s life never stopped travelling.

“The devastation experienced by the McConville family is replicated across so many families impacted by terrorism and other Troubles-related criminal violence.”

Mr Donaldson said the McConville family is “deeply respected across the community for their humanity and dignity”.

“The terrorisation of a family does not end at the point of the murder of someone, it signals the beginning of remaining connected lives forever changed, riven with trauma.”

One of Lyra McKee murder accused 'part of shooting party', court hears

ASHLEIGH MCDONALD, Belfast Telegraph, March 27th, 2026

CROWN CONCLUDES CLOSING SUBMISSIONS IN LONG-RUNNING TRIAL OF NINE MEN

A Derry man charged with murdering journalist Lyra McKee was “part of the shooting party”, a court heard yesterday.

Peter Cavanagh is one of nine men charged with offences arising from a riot in the Creggan area of the city, which claimed the life of the 29-year-old.

As the Crown concluded its closing submissions to Mrs Justice Smyth in the long-running trial at Belfast Crown Court, the hearing was adjourned until April 13, when the defence is due to present its arguments on behalf of all nine defendants.

Ms McKee died after being struck by a bullet fired at police during serious unrest on April 18, 2019.

Three defendants have been charged with murdering Ms McKee, possessing a firearm and ammunition and other linked offences, including rioting and both possessing and throwing petrol bombs.

They are not alleged to have fired the gun used to kill Ms McKee, but with intentionally encouraging or assisting the gunman on a joint enterprise basis.

The trio are Paul McIntyre (58) from Kells Walk, 25-year-old Jordan Devine from Bishop Street and Peter Cavanagh (37) from Mary Street — all of whom deny the charges against them.

Their co-accused were charged with offences, including rioting and throwing petrol bombs.

They are Christopher Gillen (45) from Balbane Pass, Joseph Campbell (25) from Gosheden Cottages, 33-year-old Patrick Gallagher from John Field Place, Jude McCrory (28) from Gartan Square, Joseph Barr (37) from Sandringham Drive, and 57-year-old Kieran McCool from Ballymagowan Gardens.

A tenth defendant, 58-year-old William Elliot, from Ballymagowan Garden in Derry, passed away in England last February.

All the accused have denied the charges levelled against them.

A Crown barrister spent two days setting out the prosecution's case against the accused and footage of the gun attack which claimed Ms McKee's life was played in court again yesterday.

Peter Cavanagh, the Crown say, is 'Person G' in the footage who was wearing “distinctive” clothing, including a camouflage mask and who walked towards the corner of Central Drive and Fanad Drive behind the gunman.

Prosecuting barrister David McDowell KC said it was also Cavanagh on the footage facing the crowd and “stewarding them in an official capacity” and that after the gun attack, he “made his way directly to where the gunman was standing” to assist co-accused Devine and McIntyre.

The prosecutor added that Cavanagh then “walked off in the same direction as the gunman... he did so briskly, with purpose. He was, in our submission, part of the shooting party”.

Saying it was the Crown's case that Cavanagh was “not accidentally present at the scene”, Mr McDowell said the gun attack “was not a surprise to Person G.”

The prosecutor told the judge: “He didn't just happen to walk to that corner and look aghast as a gunman started to shoot at the police.

“He was there with him, supporting him and playing a role, which he considered was required.”

Lethal intent

Regarding the intent of the gunman, Mr McDowell said that firing a “lethal weapon” at police indicated there was an intention to kill or cause serious injury and there was “no evidence” to suggest otherwise.

Mr McDowell added that the shots fired at police were “deliberately aimed” and “not fired wildly”.

He also spoke of Cavanagh's DNA being present on the zip pull of a burned item of clothing, found close to where a car, hijacked during the riot, was later abandoned.

In addition, the prosecutor said cell site evidence showed his movements in the area shortly before he first appeared in the footage.

Pointing out Cavanagh did not give evidence, Mr McDowell said the case against him “calls for an answer and no answer has been given”.

The Crown say another of the masked men, 'Person F', is Joseph Campbell.

Mr McDowell said the clothing worn by Person F, including Adidas tracksuit bottoms, was similar to clothing worn by Campbell when he was unmasked, including earlier that day in the Saoradh office.

Saying Person F/Campbell was younger and larger than others present, Mr McDowell said this male was “particularly distinctive in his appearance and shape”.

Before concluding the Crown's submissions, Mr McDowell also spoke of the case against four 'unmasked men' — Joseph Barr, Patrick Gallagher, Jude McCrory and Kieran McCool.

Mr McDowell said it was Gallagher and McCrory who liaised with Reggie Yates and the MTV production crew, who brought them to Creggan shops and who gave them assurance there would be no issue with the camera.

Yates and the TV production crew were in the area filming a documentary when police were attacked with petrol bombs, but left before the shots were fired.

The prosecutor said part of the footage looked as if McCrory “was marshalling the crowd”.

Regarding Barr, Mr McDowell said he was “busy from his arrival” at the scene, that he was in phone contact with “convicted terrorist” Thomas Ashe-Mellon during the riot and that he appeared to have “authority”.

At the conclusion of the Crown's closing submissions, Mr Justice Smyth was addressed by defence barrister Mark Mulholland KC, who is representing McIntyre.

Mr Mulholland said the defence's closing submissions for all nine defendants would take two days to complete and suggested that this start after the Easter recess.

The senior judge agreed to this request and the case was re-listed on Monday, April 13.

Forget the DUP: learning Irish is liberating for young people like me

STEPHANIE CHASE, Irish News, March 27th, 2026

IF you grew up in the 1990s or 2000s, you may have heard the term ‘dead language’ used when talking about Irish. While Irish speakers have always existed, they became harder to find in the 20th century as the language seemed increasingly less relevant in the modern world.

If Irish wasn’t fully dead, it was certainly on life support.

But in recent years the language is enjoying a boom in both the north and south of Ireland, particularly among young people.

While some in the DUP try to paint Irish as threatening or a weapon in a culture war, for many young people learning the language has become liberating.

The younger generation’s respect for Irish was exemplified when, last week, Queen’s University Students’ Union voted overwhelmingly to reinstate bilingual signage.

The result backed up a recent survey on behalf of Údarás na Gaeltachta, which showed that interest in learning Irish is highest among adults aged under 35, with women particularly enthusiastic.

I myself am a testament to these findings, having first felt the urge to learn Irish two years ago when I was living away from home in Toronto.

By the time I moved back to Belfast, ready to take classes, I arrived in a city filled with dual-language signs, soundtracked by Kneecap, and with young social media Gaels acting as ambassadors for a language that feels alive again in three-minute videos that reach far beyond our small island.

Indeed Ireland’s size has never prevented it from having huge cultural impact across the globe and an understanding of Gaeilge is the key to unlocking the secret of our success in exporting music, art, and storytelling.

An ancient language that is poetic and beautiful allows for deeper self-expression in a world where thoughts and feeling are often watered down to soulless captions and tweets.

On TikTok, my page is flooded with young Irish-language creators speaking in, and teaching, Irish with passion and reverence for every word.

For these Gaels, rote learning is less important than connecting to the language as a form of enhanced prose you can use every day.

They will tell you how Irish emotions are ‘on you’: ‘Ta brón orm’, literally meaning ‘sadness is on me’, suggests it is a temporary state that will pass.

They will gleefully share that a bat can be called ‘sciathán leathair’, which translates to ‘leather wing’. The poetry writes itself.

Tik Tok On You

“ On TikTok, my page is flooded with young Irish-language creators speaking in, and teaching, Irish with passion and reverence for every word

Their enthusiasm for showing Irish at its most elegant exemplifies the emotional bond they’ve formed with the language and how reclaiming this part of the past is an important element of their modern identity.

The reasons for this recent boom run deeper than Ireland’s ever-rising cultural capital.

It is not just what we could call the ‘Kneecap affect,’ although their music has certainly given Irish a ‘cool factor’ that isn’t in any school textbook.

For those who learnt Irish in dark classrooms, advocacy for the language from younger Millennials and Gen Zs may seem perplexing.

But while they have both grown up with the world at their fingertips, they have also endured isolation and emerged from a pandemic into a world where war and genocide dominate the news.

This ever-connected world is darker still for women, who can find simply going online to be an act of self-harm, as Manosphere influencers and right-wing pundits try to take over social media.

Of course the Irish language boom cannot be allowed to happen in the north of Ireland without controversy.

Here, speaking Irish can be considered a political act, rather than celebrated as an educational endeavour.

But this generation of ‘ceasefire babies’ aren’t deterred by those seeking to keep the language suppressed.

They know that making it modern, through sharing words or phrases that will resonate with the young, is an act of quiet resistance and personal enrichment.

Instead of wielding Gaeilge like a weapon, they use it as a paintbrush to bring colour and vibrancy to every sentence they speak.

The survival of the Irish language will not come through enforced learning in schools but younger generations cultivating an interest and using their passion to pass it on.

The joy they’ve found within a language more ancient than English helps centre them in a society that is fast-paced and ever-changing, where the threat of AI looms as large as that of war or fascism.

Bringing Irish into the modern world has allowed young Gaels not to simply raise it from its deathbed, but to let it breathe new life into a country so often choked by the weight of its own history.