Disappeared (Northern Ireland)

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The Disappeared are people believed to have been abducted, murdered and secretly buried in Northern Ireland, [1] the large majority of which occurred during the Troubles. The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR) is in charge of locating the remaining bodies, [2] and was led by forensic archaeologist John McIlwaine. [3]

Contents

Background

Of the sixteen people investigated by the ICLVR, all were Irish Catholics (Jean McConville was a convert), all except Jean McConville were male, and all are believed to have been abducted and killed by Irish Republicans. [4] [5] [6]

The Provisional IRA admitted to being involved in the forced disappearance of nine of the sixteen – Eamon Molloy, Seamus Wright, Kevin McKee, Jean McConville, Columba McVeigh, Brendan Megraw, John McClory, Brian McKinney, and Danny McIlhone. British Army officer Robert Nairac, who disappeared from South Armagh, was a Mauritius-born Roman Catholic. [7] [8] The organisation said they could only accurately locate the body of one of their victims, but gave rough ideas for the remaining eight. [9] [10] As of September 2017, the remains of three of the victims have still not been found.

History

1970s

Joseph Lynskey (40), a veteran Irish Republican paramilitary and IRA member from Cavendish Street in Belfast, disappeared during a violent internal IRA feud in the city in August 1972. In 2009 Dolours Price, a former IRA member, stated in an interview with a newspaper that she had driven him in a car out of Northern Ireland to an IRA safe house in County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) shortly before his disappearance. In January 2010 the IRA issued a statement that Lynskey had been killed as part of an internal disciplinary process, and his body had subsequently been buried in an unmarked grave. In December 2014 a specialist team from the Garda Siochana was reported to be carrying out a search of an area of Coghalstown Bog in County Meath, ROI, for Lynskey's body. [11]

Jean McConville, a widowed mother of 10, disappeared in December 1972. Her body was found on a beach in County Louth, ROI, in 2003; in October 2014 a man was arrested in connection with her murder, [12] and two further men were arrested in December 2014. [13]

Peter Wilson, 21, a native of West Belfast, with five siblings, was described as "a vulnerable man with learning difficulties". [14] He was abducted by the IRA in the summer of 1973, somewhere in the St James area of Belfast, killed and secretly buried at Waterfoot, County Antrim. [15]

Columba McVeigh, a 19-year-old from Donaghmore, County Tyrone, disappeared in 1975. The IRA allege he had confessed to being a British Army agent, instructed to infiltrate the IRA. [16]

Brendan Megraw disappeared in 1978. In August 2014 a bog in County Meath was searched for his body, [17] with human remains discovered in September. [18]

Gerard Evans, 24, was a man from Crossmaglen, South Armagh, who disappeared while hitchhiking in County Monaghan in March 1979. [19] In March 2008 a map was given to Evans' aunt. In 2008, the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains appealed for more information regarding his disappearance. [20] Remains were found in County Louth in October 2010, [21] which were later confirmed as being Evans' in November 2010. [22] An alleged member of the Provisional IRA South Armagh Brigade told the Sunday Tribune that Evans was executed for being an informer. [23]

1980s

Charles Armstrong was a 54-year-old father-of-five who went missing in Crossmaglen while walking to Mass in 1981; his car was later found in Dundalk, County Louth. [19] The IRA denied any involvement in his disappearance at the time. Armstrong's family began a fresh, private search for his remains in October 2003. [24] They were located in County Monaghan, Ireland in July 2010. [25] No reason has ever been publicly given for Armstrong's abduction and murder.

2000s

In September 2015 the bodies of Seamus Wright and Kevin McKee were found in a bog in Coghalstown, County Meath. [26]

In May 2017 a body was found in a forest in northern France identified as that of Seamus Ruddy. [27]

There were two further disappearances in the 2000s. Gareth O'Connor, believed to have been a member of the Real IRA, disappeared while driving from Armagh to Dundalk in 2003. His body was discovered in Newry in 2005. [28] [29] In March 2005, Lisa Dorrian disappeared after attending a party at a caravan park in Ballyhalbert. She is believed to have been kidnapped by loyalists. [28] [30] [31]

List of Disappeared

NameLocation [lower-alpha 1] AgeYear of disappearanceYear of body being foundSuspectsReference(s)
Charles Armstrong Crossmaglen5419812010Republicans [32]
Gerard Evans County Monaghan, Ireland2419792010Republicans [32]
Joe LynskeyBelfast401972Still missingRepublicans [19] [33] [34] [35]
John McCloryBelfast1719781999Republicans [19] [36]
Jean McConville Belfast3819722003Republicans [19] [37]
Danny McIlhoneBelfast2119812008Republicans [19] [38] [39]
Kevin McKeeSouth Armagh1719722015Republicans [19] [40] [41]
Brian McKinneyBelfast2219781999Republicans [19] [42]
Columba McVeigh Dublin, Ireland171975Still missingRepublicans [19] [43] [44]
Brendan MegrawBelfast2419782014Republicans [18] [19]
Eamon MolloyBelfast2219751999Republicans [19] [45] [46]
Robert Nairac Dromintee, South Armagh281977Still missingRepublicans [19] [47] [48]
Seamus RuddyParis, France3219852017Republicans [19] [49] [50]
Eugene SimonsCastlewellan, County Down2619811984Republicans [19]
Peter Wilson Belfast2119732010Republicans [19] [51] [52] [53]
Seamus WrightSouth Armagh2519722015Republicans [19] [40]

Disappearances since 1999

NameLocationAgeYear of disappearanceYear of body being foundSuspectsReference(s)
Lisa DorrianBallyhalbert252005Still missingLoyalists [28]
Gareth O'Connor Newtownhamilton2420032005Republicans [29]
  1. Location of disappearance; in Northern Ireland unless otherwise stated

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