Anthony McIntyre wants remaining Belfast Project interviews destroyed
A journalist involved in the Belfast Project archive at Boston College has said the remaining interviews in the controversial project should be destroyed to prevent them being released for use in a PSNI investigation.
Anthony McIntyre said he would not now reveal what republican Dolours Price, who died last week, had said to him during her interview for the project.
Mr McIntyre was speaking on RTÉ’s This Week programme.
He said he would not reveal any information about the interview because of the ethical obligation that journalists or academics have to ensure that the material collected will not be used to harm the people who helped in the construction of the archive.
Asked if the destruction of the archive should be considered, as he had previously suggested given the difficulties, he said “absolutely”.
Journalist Ed Moloney, who headed the project, said it was never intended that the interviews would be released to “gawkers”.
He said the oral history project was intended for use by academics and journalists and it was never intended that interviews would be “put up in a shop window” following the death of contributors.
Mr Moloney revealed today that other people who contributed to the archive have died and their contributions have not been released.
The New York-based journalist said that Ms Price’s interview was very different to previous interviews that were released, because she had not made known her express wish to have the interviews she gave released.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has said his sense of the passing of Ms Price is one of loss and solidarity with her family.
Speaking on the same programme, Mr Adams said that none of what had occurred in terms of a parting of ways between Ms Price and Sinn Féin had changed that.
Mr Adams acknowledged the allegations that Ms Price made about him during interviews as part of the Boston College project.
He reiterated that he had denied the allegations linking him to the death of Jean McConville.
Mr Adams also rejected any suggestion that he would be relieved at her death.
He said Ms Price’s sister Marian, who is in prison in Northern Ireland, should not be held without trial and he called on Northern Ireland Justice Minister David Ford to bring about her release.
