Former Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteer Marian Price has taken initial steps to sue Disney over her portrayal in FX‘s acclaimed limited series Say Nothing.
Price’s lawyer Peter Corrigan announced on Wednesday that his client was “forced to initiate legal proceedings” in Ireland against Disney over the show, an adaptation of New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe’s eponymous 2019 book, after it portrayed his previous reporting on her role in the 1972 death of Belfast mother Jean McConville. Radden Keefe argued in his book that Price, who now goes by her married name Marian McGlinchey, fired the shot that killed McConville, one of Northern Ireland’s “Disappeared.” The series depicted this reporting in its finale, with Price played by Hazel Doupe and McConville by Judith Roddy.
“Given the context, it is difficult to envisage a more egregious allegation than the one to which has been levelled against our client,” said Corrigan in a statement. Corrigan previously defended a separate former Provisional IRA volunteer accused of involvement in McConville’s murder, whose case was dismissed based on the inadmissability of recordings from an oral history project conducted by Boston College. Corrigan continued, “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.”
The lawyer added, “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.”
In Northern Ireland, plaintiffs must first issue a notification to a potential defendant if they intend to bring a case against them. The defendant then has 21 days to respond. FX declined to comment.
Facing accusations of informing for the British army during the period of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland known as the “Troubles,” McConville was abducted and killed by Republicans in 1972, leaving her 10 children orphans. Her remains were finally uncovered on a beach in Ireland in 2003. There is no evidence that McConville ever passed information on to the British army, according the 2006 results of an investigation conducted by the police ombudsman for Northern Ireland.
Price did not comment for the book Say Nothing, Radden Keefe has said, though after its publication she stated that she “vehemently denies” the allegations. When asked by THR about the scene in question, showrunner Josh Zetumer said the series’ depiction of the killing was not “speculative.” Noting that Radden Keefe’s conclusions were fact-checked by multiple sources, Zetumer added, “The ending is meant to be definitive: This is the killer of Jean McConville. If Patrick didn’t feel that way, he wouldn’t have printed it. And if we didn’t feel way, we wouldn’t have put it on TV.”
Say Nothing‘s release in the U.S. and English-speaking countries on Nov. 14 was followed by both wide acclaim and some controversy. The show has landed on several prominent lists of the year’s best shows, in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Vulture. It also tread sensitive territory for many in Northern Ireland by depicting such recent history, prompting a fiery statement in November from one of McConville’s sons, Michael. Noting that he hasn’t watched the series, Michael called the fact that his mother’s murder is depicted in the show “horrendous.” He added, “Unless you have lived through it, you will never understand just how cruel it is.”
On Monday, the Belfast Telegraph published a letter written by the parents of a British soldier who was killed in a 2009 Real IRA attack. Price pleaded guilty to buying a cell phone that was used by Real IRA members to call the media and take responsibility.
The mother responded to Price’s lawsuit in her letter. “We know very well from bitter personal experience what ‘immeasurable harm’ really looks like because that is what happened to us when our son was murdered,” Geraldine Ferguson told the Telegraph. “Perhaps Marian Price is genuinely offended by her portrayal in the series; perhaps she is genuinely innocent of this crime — that’s between her and her conscience — but I get a big whiff of hypocrisy here and it doesn’t sit well with us at all.”
