Murder of Mary Travers

Mary Travers (Irish: Máire Ó Treabhair), born 1962, was a teacher living in Belfast. On 8 April 1984, she, her parents and siblings left St Brigid's Catholic Church on Derryvolgie Avenue in south Belfast after Mass when two gunmen opened fire. The attack was aimed at her father, Thomas Travers, a Catholic magistrate. Mary was shot once through the back and killed; her father was shot six times but survived. One gunman pointed his weapon at point-blank range at Mary's mother's face and attempted to fire twice, but the gun jammed.

In a letter published in The Irish Times in 1994, Thomas Travers described the attack in detail, stating that his daughter died in her mother's arms and describing the look on the gunman's face before he was shot. The Provisional IRA initially claimed the killing was accidental, asserting that the fatal bullet had passed through Thomas Travers's body before striking Mary. A post-mortem examination found she had been shot directly in the spine, contradicting this account. Sinn Féin spokesperson Danny Morrison called Mary Travers's death "tragic and regrettable" while defending the targeting of her father as related to "the political situation in Ireland." The guns used had previously been used in the killing of Judge William Doyle in January 1983.

Mary McArdle, then 19, was arrested shortly after the attack; two handguns, a wig, and a sock concealed in bandages were found strapped to her thighs. Two months later, Joseph Patrick Haughey, 33, was arrested and charged in connection with the attack. At trial two years later, McArdle was convicted and given a life sentence for her role in the murder of Mary Travers, plus an 18-year concurrent sentence for the attempted murder of Thomas Travers. Haughey was acquitted due to lack of forensic evidence and doubts over identification, despite Thomas Travers having positively identified him. McArdle served 14 years before being released early under the terms of the Belfast Agreement.

The case resurfaced publicly in 2011 when McArdle was appointed Ministerial Special Adviser to Sinn Féin Culture Minister Carál Ní Chuilín. This appointment prompted criticism, including from retired detective superintendent Alan Simpson, and calls from Mary Travers's sister, Ann Travers, for McArdle's resignation. McArdle described the killing as "a tragic mistake," a characterization Ann Travers publicly disputed. Mary's brother, Paul Travers, appealed to Sinn Féin to cooperate with the Historical Enquiries Team to establish full accountability for the killing. In June 2013, the Northern Ireland Assembly passed legislation, associated with Ann Travers's campaign and proposed by Jim Allister, barring individuals with serious convictions from serving as special political advisers.