Five white lilies mark 20 years of searching for the Disappeared
Families gathered at Stormont for the annual All Souls Day walk to remember the four victims still buried in unmarked graves.
By James Anderson ·
Five white lilies were placed on the steps of Stormont on Monday to mark the victims of the IRA who remain missing. The flowers represented the four people whose bodies have not yet been recovered from secret burial sites in Northern Ireland.
Relatives participated in the 20th annual All Souls Day silent walk. Dympna Kerr carried a black wreath alongside Maria Lynskey, the 78-year-old niece of Joe Lynskey. Lynskey used a walking stick to reach the steps as they laid the tribute.
Kerr spoke about her brother, Columba McVeigh, who was 19 when he was abducted on Halloween night in 1975. He was from Donaghmore in County Tyrone. His body has never been found. Kerr said, “There’s not a day passes that I don’t think of him and don’t pray for him.”
The families remembered four specific individuals during the event. These were Joe Lynskey, Robert Nairac, Seamus Maguire, and Lisa Dorrian. A new appeal for information was issued to help locate their remains. Joe Lynskey was a former Cistercian monk and IRA intelligence officer from west Belfast. He was killed in 1972 and is considered the first of the Disappeared.
In 2025, a search in a cemetery in County Monaghan raised hopes for the Lynskey family. Human remains were exhumed, but they were not identified as Joe Lynskey. Maria Lynskey noted that this year marks 55 years since her uncle’s disappearance. She said the loss remains difficult after the recent unsuccessful search.
The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains, or ICLVR, was represented at the walk by lead investigator Eamonn Henry. The ICLVR was established during the peace process to locate the victims. It can only investigate cases that occurred before April 10, 1998. Lisa Dorrian disappeared in 2005, outside this timeframe, but is included in the count by the Wave Trauma Centre.
Sandra Peake, chief executive of Wave, joined the families on the walk. Her organization has run the event since its start. Peake stated that the process through the ICLVR has worked, bringing hope with each successful search. She noted that the families remain determined to secure Christian burials for all the Disappeared. The ICLVR can be contacted by phone at 00 353 1 602 8655 or by email at secretary@iclvr.ie.
