Exhumation conducted in search for Disappeared victim’s remains

An exhumation has been conducted at a cemetery in County Monaghan by the organization tasked with locating the remains of the Disappeared. The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) stated that it had obtained intelligence regarding suspicious occurrences in the 1970s at a burial site within Annyalla cemetery. An ICLVR statement indicated that “Both the timeframe and the location coincide with the disappearance of Joe Lynskey in 1972.” Mr. Lynskey was abducted and subsequently murdered by the IRA in 1972. The term “the Disappeared” refers to individuals who were abducted, murdered, and interred in secret during The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Jon Hill, the ICLVR’s lead investigator, reported that Mr. Lynskey’s family expressed being “cautiously optimistic.” He conveyed to BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme, “But you have to remember they have been down this road before.” “Sadly this happened back in 2010 when we were undertaking a search for Joe Lynskey and we actually recovered the remains of Seamus Wright and Kevin McKee,” he added. He further stated, “They are cautious, as are we, and it is the right way to be, but of course they are hopeful.” In an interview with BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme, Maria, Mr. Lynskey’s niece, described herself as “very nervous” yet simultaneously “very optimistic” regarding the exhumation. Ms. Lynskey remarked, “These are long journeys for us, for all the families of the Disappeared that have had to go through this,” adding, “I’ve been disappointed before so I’m hoping I’m not disappointed again.” Ms. Lynskey mentioned that her father had passed away 30 years prior and would have greatly desired to know the whereabouts of his brother. She expressed, “When people give information, they don’t realise how humble and how grateful we are that they have given information.” She further stated, “Whoever owns this grave, I thank them from the bottom of my heart that this has come out and hopefully it’s Joe, I hope to god it’s Joe and we can bring him home.” “But we still have four more bodies, three men and one young woman that we need to bring home, too,” she concluded. Describing her uncle, Ms. Lynskey commented, “He was quiet, he was quite gentle and shy in a way. He was the only uncle we had.” Mr. Hill reported that the exhumation at Annyalla cemetery, situated between Monaghan town and Castleblayney, commenced on Tuesday and proceeded for the entire day, involving a forensic anthropologist representing the ICLVR. The ICLVR announced that the official procedure to ascertain the identity of all remains discovered in the grave has been initiated. Mr. Hill stated that the duration of this process “really depends on what we have recovered and we won’t know for some days whilst that is examined by the anthropologist.” He added, “I will be guided by them and the scientists on how long it will take.” “It will take as long as it needs to take,” he concluded. Mr. Lynskey, who was previously a Cistercian monk from the Beechmount area of west Belfast, subsequently became a member of the IRA. Mr. Lynskey disappeared in 1972, with republicans asserting that he was “executed and buried” by the IRA. The most recent search for his remains occurred in 2018, concluding unsuccessfully. Last November, his niece articulated that his body “needs to be brought home.” To date, the remains of 13 individuals among the Disappeared have been located. The four individuals whose remains are still missing are Mr. Lynskey, Columba McVeigh, Seamus Maguire, and Robert Nairac. The ICLVR accepted the disappearance of Mr. Maguire as a new case in 2022. The ICLVR was founded in 1999 by the UK and Irish governments. The situation of the Disappeared has recently gained renewed prominence subsequent to the launch of the Disney+ series, Say Nothing. This drama centers on occurrences during the Troubles, encompassing the disappearance of Jean McConville, a mother of 10, alongside Kevin McKee, Seamus Wright, and Joe Lynskey. Nevertheless, Jon Hill clarified that the exhumation “hasn’t come as a result of that programme going out in the last weeks.” He further elaborated, “This process has been going on for months now if not longer.” Concurrently, Pearse Doherty, a senior Sinn Féin politician, stated that the Lynskey family had “gone through a terrible injustice.” He expressed his hope that the remains of all the Disappeared would be located. Doherty urged anyone possessing information to come forward and grant these families the right “that they should always have had, which is to bury their loved ones.” The WAVE Trauma Centre, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), conveyed that their thoughts were with the Lynskey family as “they face a long wait.” Anthony McIntyre, a former IRA member, also appearing on Talkback, asserted that the “disappearing” of individuals constituted a war crime. Mr. McIntyre remarked, “It’s a horrendous, horrendous series of actions,” adding, “I don’t think the IRA volunteers involved in it at the time appreciated that it was a war crime, but I think on reflection and looking back it very much was a war crime.” He concluded, “I think the IRA collectively has to accept responsibility that there’s no place for us to hide and there’s no one left for us to lie to. We need to admit our role in this.”