Ann Doherty, Mary Boyle’s twin sister, pictured at Stormont with the campaign group
THE twin sister of missing girl Mary Boyle has met unionist and nationalist leaders in the north as part of a Families For Justice campaign.
Ann Doherty insisted more could have been done to find her sister Mary after she disappeared at Cashelard in March 1977.
Mary was visiting her grandparents, with her parents and siblings when she disappeared without a trace.
“She was bubbly, she was kind. You know she would stand up for herself but she was just a lovely young one,” said Ann after the Stormont meeting.
“More could have been done, definitely more could have done. I believe enough hasn’t been done that she hasn’t been given the justice that she deserves.”
Ann says she knows her twin sister is dead and feels anguish at the thought of how she died. However she just wants her body back to give her a Christian burial.
“It would mean everything, I don’t want my kids in years to come to have to be away searching for Mary the way I am and trying to get answers. I want to be able to lay Mary to rest,” said Ann.
“I don’t know how anyone can sleep in their bed at night knowing that they’ve caused harm to a little girl of six. I can’t understand how you could sleep.”
She also made a public plea to Mary’s killer: “Would you just give us back her body so that we can bury her in consecrated ground and we could have closure as a family?”
The group members, who have all lost loved ones in violent circumstances, claim they have been let down by the justice and political systems and they want to widen awareness of their campaign.
Among those helping to coordinate the group’s campaign are journalist Gemma O’Doherty, Limerick-based Catherine Costelloe, a former London Metropolitan police officer, and garda whistleblower John Wilson.
The group held discussions with the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Mike Nesbitt, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness and Jeffery Donaldson of the Democratic Unionist Party.
Families for Justice say they intend to take their campaign to the European Parliament.
They also claim that so far they have failed in their attempts to get a meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
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