The veteran republican Marian Price is taking legal action against Disney+ after she was depicted killing Jean McConville in its show Say Nothing. The historical drama series, which is based on the book by the award-winning writer Patrick Radden Keefe, portrays the murder and secret burial of McConville by the IRA in 1972.
McConville is known as one of the Disappeared, a group of 17 people who were abducted, killed and secretly buried by republican paramilitaries during the Troubles.
Her remains were found in 2003 at Shelling Hill Beach in County Louth in the Irish republic by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains. No one has ever been prosecuted over her death, which left 10 children orphaned.
The decision by Price, who is also known as Marian McGlinchey, to initiate formal legal proceedings against Disney was first reported by the Irish News.
In a statement, her solicitor, Peter Corrigan, said: “The publication in question depicts our client, Marian Price, as the person to whom was responsible for murdering Ms Jean McConville. Given the context, it is difficult to envisage a more egregious allegation than the one to which has been levelled against our client. As someone who has been involved at every level of the related Boston College criminal proceedings, it is clear that the instant allegation is not based on a single iota of evidence.
“Such allegations published on an international scale are not only unjustified, but they are odious insofar as they seek to cause our client immeasurable harm in exchange for greater streaming success. Our client has now been forced to initiate legal proceedings to hold Disney to account for their actions.”
Disney+ has been contacted for comment.
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