Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said yesterday he had heard no intelligence to suggest that the IRA was involved in the murder of Paul Quinn from Cullyhanna in October.
Responding to criticism of his earlier remarks suggesting the killing was linked to a criminal feud, Mr Ahern said in Lisbon yesterday that the Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern would meet the Quinn family on Monday morning.
Some speakers at a Quinn Support Group meeting in Crossmaglen on Thursday night were critical of the Taoiseach, including Monaghan Fianna Fáil councillor Padraig McNally.
In October the Taoiseach said the killing appeared to be linked "with local criminal activity", while in November, citing Garda and PSNI sources, he told the Dáil the killing "was not paramilitary but pertained to feuds about criminality".
However, the Quinn family and members of the Quinn group insist IRA members in south Armagh were involved while accepting that the killing was not sanctioned at "any organisational level".
Geraldine Donnelly, a local SDLP councillor and member of the Quinn group, said in Crossmaglen on Thursday night that Mr Quinn's murder was "politicised before Paul's broken body was cold". She was "very sad" that the Taoiseach appeared to be supporting Sinn Féin's assertions that the IRA was not involved.
She said Mr Ahern's comments allowed local Sinn Féin MP Conor Murphy say on RTÉ that he "agreed with the Taoiseach about what happened to Paul".
Ms Donnelly said the Government should "adopt a neutral line in this murder inquiry and refrain from saying things which add to the pain of the family".
Several politicians from north and south of the Border attended the Crossmaglen meeting including Fine Gael TDs Fergus O'Dowd and Seymour Crawford, and Labour TD Liz McManus.
Fianna Fáil Monaghan councillor Mr McNally said at the meeting that five Fianna Fáil councillors attended the meeting but queried why no Fianna Fáil TD or senator was present.
Apologies were later read out at the meeting from Dermot Ahern, Rory O'Hanlon, Séamus Kirk and Noel Dempsey.
Of Mr Ahern's remarks about the killing Mr McNally said, "I was somewhat disappointed with the statements made by a number of people, including my leader and Taoiseach, at a very early stage in this whole situation.
"I would feel if people don't know the facts they shouldn't comment."
In Lisbon Mr Ahern was asked had he changed his mind on suggestions Mr Quinn was a minor criminal. "Anything that I said - and I didn't say too much - was based on our security intelligence. So up until the last time I checked, the security intelligence hasn't changed," he said.
"But I have no wish to make life harder for the Quinn family and I certainly don't want to do that. But I haven't had any change in the intelligence reports. So any comments I made were just made on what the intelligence I was given," added Mr Ahern.