The acclaimed FX series "Say Nothing" has been on a roll during awards season, amassing accolades such as a Peabody Award, a USC Scripter Award, and an Emmy nomination. However, the shine on its success has been tarnished by a defamation lawsuit filed by Marian Price, portrayed in the series by Hazel Doupe as one of the former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteers.
On July 2nd, Price's complaint was lodged in the Dublin High Court, specifically targeting the ninth and final episode of the series. She alleges that the episode incorrectly depicts her as executing a Belfast mother of ten in a cold-blooded manner, by shooting her in the back of the head. Price is seeking monetary damages and a court order to prohibit Disney and Minim UK Productions Limited from further disseminating the same or similar defamatory statements. Additionally, she demands the removal of a crucial scene in the ninth episode that shows her, now known by her married name Marian McGlinchey, carrying out the alleged execution.
This lawsuit comes as no surprise, given Price's threat to sue in late 2024, roughly a month after the series premiered. An attorney from Price's law firm, Phoenix Law, stated at the time, "Given the context, it is difficult to envisage a more egregious allegation than the one leveled against our client."
The FX series is an adaptation of Patrick Radden Keefe's 2019 nonfiction book of the same name, which delves into a tumultuous period of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland known as "The Troubles." The book explores the murder of Jean McConville, abducted from her Belfast apartment by Irish Republicans in 1972 and killed after being accused of informing for the British Army. McConville's body was later added to the list of the "Disappeared," individuals presumed murdered by Republican militants.
Radden Keefe chronicles McConville's orphans' quest for justice and the radicalization of sisters Marian and Dolours Price, who became Provisional IRA volunteers. Ultimately, the author alleges that Price pulled the trigger that ended McConville's life. McConville's remains were discovered on an Irish beach in 2003, and a subsequent investigation by Northern Ireland's police ombudsman concluded in 2006 that she had not passed information to the British Army.
According to Radden Keefe, Price declined to comment for the book, despite her denial of its allegations. When "Say Nothing" premiered in 2024, it stirred considerable controversy in Northern Ireland, earning praise from some and criticism from others for revisiting a still-sensitive subject. Sectarian divisions remain deep-rooted in Northern Ireland, which is still part of the UK, and the remains of four of the "Disappeared" have yet to be found. Earlier this year, The Belfast Telegraph reported that the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains had received new information on the Disappeared as a result of the series.
Price infamously served time for her role in the 1973 Provisional IRA bomb attack on London's Old Bailey. Along with her sister Dolours, she went on a hunger strike while imprisoned in England, demanding transfer to a Northern Ireland prison. After her release in 1980, Price pled guilty in 2013 to purchasing a cellphone later used by Real IRA members to claim responsibility for the shooting of two British soldiers.
