A new Disney series about the 1972 IRA abduction and murder of Belfast mother Jean McConville has sparked outrage from her family, who call the dramatization “horrendous” and “cruel”. The show, titled “Say Nothing” after the book it’s based on, is forcing the McConville family to relive the trauma of their mother’s disappearance and murder over 50 years ago.
Jean McConville, a 38-year-old widowed mother of 10, was dragged from her home in Belfast’s Divis Flats by IRA members in December 1972, never to be seen alive again. Her body was discovered on a beach in County Louth in 2003, after the IRA admitted to her murder. The case has haunted Northern Ireland for decades, with allegations that Gerry Adams, former Sinn Féin leader, ordered her killing – an accusation he vehemently denies.
Son Condemns “Cruel” Dramatization of Mother’s Murder
Michael McConville, who was just 11 when his mother was taken, slammed the Disney series in a recent interview:
“The portrayal of the execution and secret burial of my mother is horrendous and unless you have lived through it, you will never understand just how cruel it is. Everyone knows the story of Jean McConville; even Hillary Clinton knew my mother’s story when I met her. And yet here is another telling of it that I and my family have to endure.”
– Michael McConville
McConville emphasized that his mother’s murder is not entertainment, but a painful reality his family has grappled with for over half a century. Her 1972 disappearance, leaving behind 10 children aged 6 weeks to 16 years old, is one of the most notorious crimes of the Troubles.
IRA Denied McConville Murder for Decades
Despite her children’s pleas, the IRA denied involvement in Jean McConville’s disappearance for 30 years, claiming she had abandoned her family. Only after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement did the paramilitary group admit to abducting, killing and secretly burying the widowed mother, claiming she was an informant – an allegation her family denies.
Jean McConville’s remains were finally located on a beach in 2003 by a passerby, and given a proper burial, but with no justice for her murder. The Police Ombudsman found no evidence she was an informer. Her case highlighted the tactic of “disappearing” victims during the Troubles, leaving families in anguish.
Dolours Price Implicated Gerry Adams in Murder
In a posthumous interview, former IRA militant Dolours Price alleged Gerry Adams, then her commander, ordered McConville’s murder and disappearance. Price, part of a secret IRA unit called “The Unknowns,” claimed she drove McConville across the Irish border where the widow was killed. However, she didn’t reveal who pulled the trigger.
Adams has consistently denied being in the IRA or involved in McConville’s death. Each episode of “Say Nothing” features a disclaimer that Adams rejects allegations of IRA membership, which author Patrick Radden Keefe calls “the whole premise of the series.”
Unanswered Questions Persist in McConville Case
Jean McConville’s murder remains controversial due to lingering questions about why she was targeted, and who bears ultimate responsibility. Was she really an informant, or a victim of circumstance as a Protestant woman wed to a Catholic man? Did Gerry Adams order her killing, as Dolours Price alleged? And who fired the fatal shots?
Her shocking story illuminates the human toll during the dark years of the Troubles, and the cruel and lasting legacy for families of the “disappeared.” As the Disney series reignites interest in the case, the McConville family’s wounds are reopened once more in a very public way.
“What happened to my mother did not just affect her own children, it affected their children and grandchildren. Not one of us has ever got over it.”
– Helen McKendry, eldest daughter of Jean McConville
While the creative team behind “Say Nothing” says they approached the story with great sensitivity, consulting with some victims’ families, the McConvilles believe their mother’s murder should not be entertainment. For them, Jean McConville isn’t a character – she’s the irreplaceable center of their family, stolen forever on that December night in 1972.
Troubles Dramas Spark Backlash Over Insensitivity
The “Say Nothing” controversy reflects broader concerns about media depictions of the Troubles, particularly projects made by outsiders perceived as exploiting trauma for entertainment. Recent backlash against other dramas, such as “The Crying Game” and “Belfast,” underscores the rawness of emotions a quarter-century after the conflict largely ended.
With living victims and eyewitnesses to Troubles-era violence, dramatizations can cause very real distress to those still processing what they endured. While artists argue such stories provide vital insight and empathy for a global audience, victims’ families may feel their pain is being mined for voyeuristic thrills and ratings.
Jean McConville’s Story Emblematic of Troubles’ Legacy
Beyond her individual tragedy, Jean McConville’s story encapsulates key aspects of the Troubles that still reverberate today:
- The particular vulnerability of women to violence by paramilitaries on both sides
- The brutal tactic of “disappearing” victims, denying their families closure
- The targeting of civilians based on their background or relationships
- Allegations of senior political leaders directing violence behind the scenes
- The shortcomings of reconciliation without full truth or accountability
Her case remains a touchpoint in the ongoing debate over how to ethically depict, investigate and reckon with the human rights abuses of the Troubles. The “Say Nothing” series has brought those underlying tensions over historical memory back to the surface.
For the McConvilles, who lived this history, the show’s good intentions are overshadowed by the family’s very personal pain. No retelling, no matter how nuanced or well-meaning, can capture the magnitude of their loss. Perhaps what’s needed most is not entertainment, but continued efforts toward truth, accountability and healing — offscreen.
