A Garda presence was evident at the removal in Athlone on Sunday night of Barney McGinley (63) who was shot dead at a family wedding in Fermanagh on Wednesday. The burial is scheduled on Monday.
Gardaí had previously stated that they were planning a major security operation for the ceremony, given that the chief suspect in Mr McGinley’s murder and his accomplices were still at large. The Public Order Unit, the Garda Dog Unit and the Garda helicopter were all set aside for the ceremony.
Mr McGinley died after he was shot in the chest outside the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Newtownbutler, Co Fermanagh. He had been attending the wedding of two young people from the Traveller community aged 16 and 17 years old.
The couple are from Dublin but travelled to the North to get married because the State’s laws prohibit marriage for those under 18 years.
Mr McGinley was shot in front of his wife Brigid and some of their grandchildren as he was about to walk down the aisle.
The murder was allegedly the result of a feud between the deceased and former close family friend.
Speaking on Garda preparations ahead of the removal, a source said: “A man has been killed and there is a division in a large group.
“You may have people who would be regarded as being close to either side turning up and that has the potential to cause problems.”
The PSNI and An Garda Síochána are collaborating closely on the case. The PSNI said that it knows the identity of the murderer and his accomplices and appealed to them to come forward.
