Sinn Féin has been embarrassed by a call from the family of a man murdered by the IRA in Co Louth 10 years ago for information about the "cowardly and brutal" killing.
In a letter to local newspapers, Eugene Oliver, one of seven children of Tom Oliver, of Castlecarragh, Riverstown, asked Sinn Féin's candidate in Louth, Mr Arthur Morgan, what he had to say about his father's death in July 1991.
Although written three weeks ago, the letter appeared in the The Argus and the Drogheda Independent along with a local opinion poll which showed Mr Morgan taking a seat in the four-seat constituency.
The killing of Mr Oliver, whose body was found near Belleek, Co Armagh, 15 miles from where he lived, created outrage in his home area, and a number of locals who were believed to have been implicated in his killing were ostracised by the local community.
In his letter, Mr Oliver jnr said that Sinn Féin had rightly campaigned for a full judicial inquiry into the brutal murder in 1976 of a Dundalk man, Seamus Ludlow, who is now believed to have been killed by members of the Ulster Defence Regiment.
"Arthur Morgan is rightly encouraging people to assist in every possible way to bring Seamus Ludlow's killers to justice. What does Mr Morgan, as the Sinn Féin candidate, have to say about another cowardly, local, brutal, kidnapping and murder, that of my father?"
Mr Morgan was not available for comment yesterday.
A Sinn Féin spokesperson said that the party did not want to "get into public debate" with the Oliver family.
She added: "They suffered a tragic loss and our sympathies go to them and to all those who were bereaved in the conflict."
