Families of disappeared people cry out for help to end their pain

Families of the disappeared victims of Northern Ireland’s Troubles have called on those who know where they are buried to help end their pain.

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

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

They were among seventeen people kidnapped, murdered and secretly buried by republican paramilitaries during the Troubles.

Aided by a committee set up by the British and Irish governments to investigate their whereabouts, thirteen have been found over the past thirty years.

The remains of Mr McVeigh, Captain 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 the Remains of Victims (ICLVR) continues to appeal for information to help find their burial sites.

Co Down hairdresser Lisa Dorrian, who disappeared from a caravan park in Ballyhalbert, Co Down in 2005 in the post-Troubles era, is now believed to be one of the missing victims.

Republican paramilitaries were not suspected in her case. Finding her remains is outside the committee’s remit, but is instead being led by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

At the end of Saturday’s moving walk, a wreath in honor of the five disappeared was laid on the steps of the parliament buildings.

Earlier, Father Father Joe Gormley led the families in a special prayer for the disappeared.

Dympna Kerr, Mr McVeigh’s sister, said her family just wanted to bury her brother next to her late parents.

“We are all gathered here again on All Souls’ Day, once again striving for the recovery of our loved ones who are still missing,” she said.

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

“In the case of my brother Columba, he disappeared almost fifty years ago.

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

“Last year the search ended without success. Finding his body and finally bringing him home for a Christian burial at St. Patrick’s Church in Donaghmore (Co Tyrone) and placing him in the grave next to our father and mother is our only wish. We want him brought home.”

Dr. Sandra Peake, from the WAVE Trauma Center – an organization that supports the families, said they are in “constant pain” because they do not know where their loved ones lie.

“We can only hope that they can take some comfort in 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 extremely important and that is why events like the Silent Walk, where they can come together in mutual support, are so important.”