Families of the Disappeared appeal for help to end their pain

The bereaved took part in their annual All Souls Day silent walk to Parliament Buildings at Stormont in Belfast on Saturday to commemorate those whose remains have never been found.

Since the last wreath-laying event took place at the start of November last year, fresh searches for two of the Disappeared – Co Tyrone teenager Columba McVeigh and British Army Captain Robert Nairac – ended without success.

They were among 17 people who were abducted, killed and secretly buried by republican paramilitaries during the Troubles.

Aided by a commission set up by the UK and Irish governments to investigate their whereabouts, 13 have been found over the last three decades.

The remains of Mr McVeigh, Capt Nairac, former monk Joe Lynskey and Seamus Maguire, who was in his mid 20s and from near Lurgan, Co Armagh, have never been recovered.

The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) continues to appeal for information to help find their burial places.

Co Down hairdresser Lisa Dorrian, who vanished in the post-Troubles era from a caravan park in Ballyhalbert, Co Down in 2005, is now considered one of the Disappeared victims.

Republican paramilitaries were not suspected in her case. Finding her remains is outside the remit of the commission, with that task instead being led by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

A wreath dedicated to the five Disappeared was laid on the steps of Parliament Buildings at the conclusion of Saturday’s poignant walk.

Earlier, priest Fr Joe Gormley led the families in a special prayer for the Disappeared.

Dympna Kerr, the sister of Mr McVeigh, said all her family wanted was to bury her brother beside her late parents.

“We are all gathered here again on All Souls Day, we once again seek the recovery of our loved ones who remain disappeared,” she said.

“Five of our loved ones have not yet been recovered. My younger brother Columba, Joe Lynskey, Seamus Maguire, Robert Nairac and Lisa Dorrian.

“In the case of my brother Columba, he disappeared nearly five decades ago.

“He was taken from Dublin on Halloween night and brought to Bragan Bog in County Monaghan.

“In the last year, the search ended without success. Finding his body and bringing him finally home for a Christian burial at St Patrick’s Church in Donaghmore (Co Tyrone) and putting him in the grave beside our mum and dad is our only wish. We need him brought home.”

Dr Sandra Peake, from the WAVE Trauma Centre – an organisation that supports the families, said they endure “constant pain” from not knowing where their loved ones lie.

“We can only hope that they can take some comfort from the fact that they do not have to face their plight alone,” she said.

“The unbreakable bond of solidarity with the other families of the Disappeared is immensely important and that is why events like the Silent Walk where they can come together in mutual support is so significant”.