A family who are campaigning for an investigation into the death of their sister in Co Donegal in 2003 said yesterday senior gardaí had agreed to meet them later this week.
Derry academic Mary Reid (49) died on January 29th, 2003. Her body was found on a beach and the inquest in September of that year recorded the death as a result of drowning.
Her brother Joseph Reid and sister Anne Ward said representatives of the family and gardaí would meet on Friday in the Irish Embassy in London.
Mr Reid said the family had been requesting the meeting as they were concerned the investigation into the death of their sister was not comprehensive enough.
He said Ms Reid was a political activist and at the time of her death was involved in a legal action in the French courts exposing alleged activities of a French government agent. This was the first time that gardaí had been prepared to meet them since Ms Reid's inquest.
He said last night the meeting was in London as his sister Ms Ward lived there and gardaí had agreed to go there. Ms Reid worked as a poet, lecturer and writer, and was also a former member of the Irish Republican Socialist Party. Her body was discovered on the shoreline at the Isle of Doagh in Co Donegal.
After the inquest Robert Eager, the solicitor representing relatives of Ms Reid and her partner, issued a statement expressing dissatisfaction with the nature of the Garda inquiry into her death.
The Garda Press Office said it was unable to confirm last night whether a meeting would take place this week.