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Minister Flanagan comments on the conclusion of the search at Bragan Bog for the remains of Columba McVeigh
The Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan, TD, has expressed his regret that the latest search by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) for Columba McVeigh has now concluded without success.
Minister Flanagan said
I am very disappointed that despite the very significant efforts of the Victims’ Remains Commission, the remains of Columba McVeigh have not been located at Bragan in Co. Monaghan. Today, my thoughts are with the family of Columba who have endured this particular cruelty for 44 years.
The Minister added
At this time we think also of the other families who still await the return of their loved ones’ remains. The work of the Victims’ Remains Commission is a humanitarian task to support the families of the disappeared who have suffered so harshly from the loss of their loved ones. The Commission will continue its work and I appeal to anyone with any information that could help, to make the information available to the Commission without delay.
Note for Editors
Columba McVeigh was a single man from Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone who had moved to Dublin. He disappeared on 31 October 1975 and is believed to have been secretly buried at Bragan bog in Co. Monaghan. Four previous searches of the area have not succeeded in locating his remains.
The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) was established by an Agreement between the Government of the Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom signed on 27 April 1999, and by legislation enacted in both jurisdictions. The ICLVR is responsible for facilitating the location of the remains of victims of paramilitary violence who were murdered and secretly buried.
Information about the missing victims is fundamental to the ICLVR’s work. The ICLVR needs further information to be able to progress its investigations into the remaining disappeared victims - Joe Lynskey, Robert Nairac and Columba McVeigh.
The ICLVR can be contacted by telephone: 00800-55585500 International: +353 1 602 8655. E-mail information to: Secretary@iclvr.ie By post to: ICLVR PO Box 10827
All information provided to the Commission is legally privileged. It can be used only to try to locate the remains of the Disappeared and cannot be passed on to other agencies or used in courts.