Boston College has publicly condemned any death threats made against writer and interviewer Anthony McIntyre.

McIntyre was a former IRA prisoner in Northern Ireland and an "informed" source warned him that there was a threat to his life.

McIntyre said that the death threats stem from former members of the Provisional IRA.

"People have been telling me that the talk in the undergrowth is that they want to stab me or run me over by car," said McIntyre.

A Sinn Fein spokesperson denied that there was any threats made against McIntyre and said that the IRA had dissolved.

"There are no threats against Anthony McIntyre or against anyone else, emanating from republicans. The IRA has left the stage," he said.

It is widely believed that the threats were made after it was revealed that McIntyre conducted interviews on behalf of Boston College with the now deceased UVF member and Progressive Unionist Party leader David Ervine, and the now deceased and former IRA commander Brendan "The Dark" Hughes.

The interviews were used in the book, "Voices From the Grave" by Ed Moloney.

Hughes accused Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams of been a former commander in the IRA and said that he orchestrated the murder and disappearance of Jean McConville.

The interviews were carried out on the condition that the content of the interview would only be released after the interviewees died.

McIntyre is a former resident of Belfast and he now lives in Drogheda, County Louth.

McIntyre told the The Sunday Times that his neighbours house was daubed with excrement. McIntyre believes that he was the real target of the attack and said his neighbours were mistakenly targeted.

McIntyre is married and has two young children, he believes that a disgruntled republican will attempt to kill him.

"When you hear these things you have to be cautious without being alarmist," he said.

McIntyre's home was picketed by Sinn Fein in 2000 after he claimed that the IRA was responsible for the murder of dissident republican Joe O'Connor.

McIntyre is now a critic of Sinn Fein, the Provisional IRA and Gerry Adams.

"We affirm our support for, and confidence in, Anthony McIntyre, a skilled reporter and trained historian, whose own assignment was simply to record recollections of the Troubles voluntarily afforded by IRA participants, including Brendan Hughes,"said Professor Thomas E Hachey, Boston College's executive director of its Center for Irish Programs.