Niall Blaney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move:

“That Seanad Éireann:

recognising that: - there were nineteen people who ‘disappeared’ as a result of paramilitary organisations during the Troubles/Conflict;

- of these nineteen, to date fourteen of the victims have been recovered, with five still missing;

- Lisa Dorrian who disappeared in 2005 and Gareth O’Connor who disappeared in 2003 are included in this nineteen;

- their cases were not included in the remit and legislation for the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) which can only work on the cases of those who disappeared up to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998; acknowledging that: - abducted, murdered and secretly buried, their families have struggled with the pain and trauma of bereavement in addition to the agony of not knowing where their loved ones are buried and why and how they were taken;

- in addition, the community has often been silent concerning these cases, with an underlying fear of the consequences of speaking out; and further acknowledging that: - since its inception in 1999 no one has ever been interviewed as a suspect, arrested, charged or convicted as a result of information that was passed to the ICLVR and that such information can only be used to recover and repatriate victims; calls for: - anyone who has information about the Disappeared, however small, to inform the ICLVR families.”

I thank the Minister for joining us and I thank the Acting Chair for reading the names of those in the Visitors' Gallery into the record, which saves me doing so. I want to thank everyone for joining us, especially the victims' families, who have endured heart-breaking losses and long quests for answers on the whereabouts of their loved ones. Following on from the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains, ICLVR, our quest for justice continues in the cases of the disappeared.

This motion that Senator McGreehan and I have tabled is therefore imperative as we call on anyone who has information, however small, about the disappeared to inform the ICLVR. We implore anyone with information to now do the right thing and bring peace to the victims' families who have suffered for long enough.

Some 19 people were disappeared at the hands of paramilitary organisations during the Troubles. Of those 19, 14 victims' remains were uncovered through a lot of pressure and pain that, it has to be said, should not have had to applied. There are still five outstanding. Those who were found include Seamus Wright, Kevin McKee, Jean McConville, Peter Wilson, Eamon Molloy, Brendan Megraw, Brian McKinney, John McClory, Gerard "Gerry" Evans, Eugene Simons, Danny McIlhone, Charles Armstrong, Seamus Ruddy and Gareth O'Connor, who was disappeared in 2003. Gareth's case was not included in the remit of the legislation for the ICLVR, which can only work on the cases of those who were disappeared up to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

All of those were disappeared, it is either suspected or confirmed, by the IRA. As of today, there are still five victims whose whereabouts remain unknown. Joseph "Joe" Lynskey was added to the official list of the disappeared in February 2010. In 1972, at the age of 40, Joe, who was a former Cistercian monk, went missing from his home in the Beechmount area of west Belfast. It is suspected that he was killed by the IRA. Over 50 years later, his body is yet to be recovered.

Columba McVeigh, whose brothers join us in the Gallery, was just 17 years old when he was abducted in Donaghmore, County Tyrone, and killed by the IRA. He had been working as a painter in Dublin and had just returned to Northern Ireland a few days earlier. Extensive searches have been carried out on the Bragan bog near Emyvale, County Monaghan, based on information that has been received. However, as of yet, his remains still have not been recovered.

In 1997, Robert Nairac, was abducted from the Three Steps Inn in Drumintee, south Armagh, by the Provisional IRA. Robert was a 29-year-old officer with the Grenadier Guards, who was on a tour of duty in Northern Ireland at the time of his abduction and murder. An IRA veteran named Kevin Crilly was charged with Robert's murder in 2009, but sadly his body still remains unrecovered. Captain Nairac was recognised and awarded the George Cross after his death.

In February 2022, Seamus Maguire was added to the official list of the disappeared. It was in and around 1973 or 1974 when he vanished at the age of about 26, after leaving his home at Aghagallon, near Lurgan. Based on information that was received by the PSNI, it is believed that Seamus was murdered by republican paramilitaries.

On 28 February 2005, the 25-year-old Lisa Dorrian went missing after attending a party at a caravan site at the seaside town of Ballyhalbert in County Down. It is believed that her killer may have been in association with UVF members. Sadly, Lisa's remains are still yet to be recovered. Like Gareth O'Connor, Lisa's case is not included in the remit of the legislation for the ICLVR, which can only work on the cases that came before the Good Friday Agreement.

These deaths and disappearances are a tragic symbol of the loss of life and the hurt experienced by communities in the North during the Troubles. It has to be said - and I am sure other speakers will say this too - that these cases are seen by many down South as a northern thing, because these victims are in the North. However, it is actually a southern thing, because they were taken south and, in most cases, were tortured and killed in the South and were buried somewhere in the South. Therefore, they are very much for us to deal with. That is part of the reason we have tabled the motion.

The motion acknowledges that communities within Northern Ireland have been silent concerning the cases of these missing people as a result of the fear of the consequences of speaking out. Both Governments, including our own Department of Justice and the Department of Foreign Affairs, need to refocus our efforts on finding the truth so families can find out the truth and can get much-needed closure.

John Wilson was the first joint chair of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains. Deputies like him and Deputy Brendan Smith, along with many others, have consistently raised this issue over the years. In a statement to the Dáil in November 2013, Deputy Brendan Smith said:

We have yet to hear the IRA leadership of that time deal in any appropriate way with a response if there is such a thing when one is dealing with murder. The leadership of that time have very serious questions to deal with arising from this callous murder.

There must be a particular refocus by Sinn Féin to continue this quest for justice and righting the wrongs of the past. We have seen that Sinn Féin is great at glorifying its former leader, Gerry Adams, but his failure to act in these cases leaves a deplorable history in which no organisation should have any part or be proud. In my eyes, until Sinn Féin members deal with the victims they are responsible for, they cannot and should not refer to themselves as republicans. Those actions do not encapsulate the values of republicanism. The attributes of republicanism are not in accord with the manner in which Sinn Féin is currently dealing with these cases. Sinn Féin needs to take the necessary steps and to approach this very differently.

I appeal to the Minister to sit down with the families of victims on a renewed basis, along with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and to listen to their stories. Now that east-west relations are on a better footing there must be a renewed focus on dealing with the final five cases. We must show our strong support for the efforts to recover those persons still missing so the families here with us today, and those who are not here, may finally bury their loved ones in a dignified, fitting manner.