The Disappeared (Northern Ireland)
The Disappeared were 17 individuals from Northern Ireland who are believed to have been abducted, killed, and secretly buried during the Troubles, primarily by Irish republican paramilitaries. On 27 April 1999, the British and Irish governments established the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains to recover their bodies. The Commission operates on a confidential basis and focuses solely on locating and returning the remains to victims' families.
While the ICLVR investigates only the 17 individuals formally designated as the Disappeared, other cases with similar characteristics have been noted in public discourse. These include Lisa Dorrian and Gareth O'Connor, whose disappearances occurred after the Troubles and fall outside the Commission's official mandate.
Background
During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, a number of individuals were abducted, killed, and secretly buried by paramilitary groups — a practice that came to be known as "disappearing". While some groups have acknowledged responsibility for certain cases, others remain unresolved, with no formal admission and only circumstantial evidence suggesting involvement. In 1999, following the Good Friday Agreement of 10 April 1998 and its implementation on 2 December 1999, the British and Irish governments established the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains to recover the bodies of those who had been secretly buried. The Commission operates on a strictly confidential basis, relying on information provided by members of the public and former paramilitary groups. Its findings cannot be used in legal proceedings, and its sole purpose is to locate and return the remains of the Disappeared to their families.Of the 17 individuals investigated by the ICLVR, all were Irish Catholics. McConville was the only woman among them; the rest were men. Most are believed to have been abducted and killed by Irish republican paramilitaries. While the Provisional IRA admitted responsibility for several cases and provided varying levels of information about burial sites, one case, that of Seamus Ruddy, who was abducted in France in 1985, was attributed to the Irish National Liberation Army, a separate republican paramilitary group. As of March 2025, the remains of four victims had yet to be recovered.
Victims
1970s
Joseph Lynskey, a veteran Irish republican paramilitary and IRA member from Cavendish Street in Belfast, disappeared during a violent internal IRA feud in the city in August 1972. In 2009, Dolours Price, a former IRA member, stated in a newspaper interview that she had driven the car that took him out of Northern Ireland to an IRA safe house in County Monaghan shortly before his disappearance. In January 2010, the IRA issued a statement confirming that Lynskey had been killed as part of an internal disciplinary process and buried in an unmarked grave. The Irish Indo Daily podcast on 3 December 2024, entitled Joe Lynskey: The monk who joined the IRA and was 'disappeared’ over trying to kill his love rival, provided an update on the case. Human remains found at a cemetery in Annyalla, County Monaghan, in November 2024, were subsequently confirmed not to be his. Further remains discovered in another part of the same cemetery in May 2025, were also found not to be his.Seamus Wright and Kevin McKee were members of the Provisional IRA who were abducted together in October 1972, suspected of being informants for the British Army's Military Reaction Force. After interrogation, they were executed and secretly buried in County Meath. Their remains were discovered on 25 June 2015 in a single shallow grave. Their funerals were held in Belfast in September. McKee's funeral took place on 14 September at St Peter's Cathedral on the Falls Road; following the service, he was buried beside his mother in Blaris Cemetery in Lisburn, with his family releasing doves in his memory as a symbol of peace and closure. Wright's service was held the next day, on 15 September, at St Agnes' Church in Andersonstown, where mourners learned that he had been buried with rosary beads, a programme from the 1968 All-Ireland Football Final, and an autograph from Manchester United manager Matt Busby, items found in his pocket when his remains were recovered. He was cremated afterwards at Roselawn Crematorium in Belfast.
Jean McConville, a widowed mother of ten, disappeared in December 1972 after being abducted from her home in Belfast by the Provisional IRA, who accused her of acting as an informer for the British Army. This allegation was later found to be unsubstantiated by official investigations. She was murdered, executed by a single gunshot to the back of the head, and secretly buried. Her remains were discovered 31 years later, in August 2003, on Shelling Hill Beach in County Louth, Republic of Ireland. On 1 November, a Requiem Mass was held at St Paul's Church in Belfast, followed by a funeral procession that paused at Divis Flats, where she had been taken. She was buried at Holy Trinity Cemetery in Lisburn alongside her husband, Arthur, in a funeral attended by her family and the wider community. In October 2014, a man was arrested in connection with her murder, and two further arrests made in December 2014. Although some suspects, including former IRA member Dolours Price, admitted involvement, no one has been convicted.
Peter Wilson, a native of West Belfast and one of six siblings, was described by those who knew him as a vulnerable individual with learning difficulties. In the summer of 1973, he was abducted by the IRA in the St James area of Belfast, a neighbourhood then marked by intense conflict during the Troubles. He was suspected by the IRA of acting as an informer for British security forces. He was killed following his abduction, and his body was secretly buried at Waterfoot, County Antrim. His remains were discovered there in 2010, approximately 37 years later. A funeral service was held on 11 December 2010 at Holy Cross Church, Belfast, near his home on St James Road, after which he was buried at Milltown Cemetery beside his parents. An inquest held on 11 March 2011 at Belfast Coroner's Court concluded that Wilson had died from four gunshot wounds to the back of the head.
Seamus Maguire, was officially added to the list of the Disappeared in 2022, marking the first new case in more than a decade. He was last seen leaving his home in Aghagallon, near Lurgan, sometime between 1973 and 1974, although later investigations suggest he may have been killed in 1976 after returning from Manchester. His death is believed to have resulted from republican paramilitary activity, though it remains unclear which wing of the IRA was responsible. The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains has been investigating his case since it was referred by the PSNI in 2022, but no burial site has been identified. It is suspected that Maguire was secretly buried in the Aghagallon/Derryclone area, though searches have yet to yield results.
Eamon Molloy, from north Belfast, was abducted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on 1 July 1975, after being accused of acting as an informant. His remains were recovered on 28 May 1999 at Old Faughart Cemetery, near Dundalk, County Louth, following information provided to the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains. He was found clutching a small cross in his hands. After the recovery was reported in the media, a Catholic priest, Father Eugene McCoy, came forward to say that he had been brought by the IRA to pray with Molloy shortly before his execution, after the young man requested a priest to hear his confession. Molloy, who was bound and distraught, asked the priest to ensure that his wife and mother received two letters he had written during his captivity, and to tell his family that he was not an informer. He was buried on 21 July 1999 following a Requiem Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Belfast, with mourners including relatives of other Disappeared victims.
Columba McVeigh, from Donaghmore, County Tyrone, disappeared on 31 October 1975 while living in Dublin, where he was abducted by the Irish Republican Army. He was suspected of acting as an informer for British security forces. After his disappearance, McVeigh was killed and is believed to have been secretly buried in Bragan Bog, County Monaghan. Six significant search operations have taken place since 1999, covering more than over 26 acres, but his remains have yet to be recovered. The most recent search, which concluded in November 2023, was hindered by challenging terrain and unfavourable weather conditions. His sister, Dympna Kerr, continues to seek information that might lead to the discovery of his remains, allowing for a proper burial alongside their parents in Donaghmore. On 18 August 2025, excavation resumed at Bragan Bog, focusing on an area not previously examined. The operation, delayed by nesting hen harriers, continued earlier excavation work; his remains had still not been found as of October 2025.
Brendan Megraw, was abducted by the Irish Republican Army from his home in Twinbrook, Belfast, on 8 April 1978. At the time, he was newly married, and his wife was expecting their first child. On the morning of his abduction, a group of men entered his home, restrained his pregnant wife, and administered an injection they claimed would keep her calm. When he returned home, he was taken by the men and never seen again. On 1 October 2014, remains discovered in a drainage ditch at Oristown Bog, County Meath, were confirmed through DNA testing in early November 2014 to be his. His remains were returned to his family for burial. A funeral service was held on 14 November at St Oliver Plunkett Church, West Belfast, after which he was buried alongside his parents at St Joseph's Cemetery in Glenavy, County Antrim. An inquest held in December 2015 determined that he had died from a gunshot wound to the forehead.
Captain Robert Nairac was a British Army officer serving in the Grenadier Guards during the Troubles. On 15 May 1977, while working undercover, he was abducted outside the Three Steps Inn in Dromintee, South Armagh. He was taken across the border to Flurry Bridge, County Louth, where he was beaten and shot by the IRA. His body is believed to have been secretly buried, and despite multiple searches, his remains have never been found. The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains has conducted investigations, but efforts to locate his burial site have been unsuccessful.
John McClory and Brian McKinney were abducted and killed by the Provisional IRA on 25 May 1978. Their remains were discovered in Colgagh Bog, County Monaghan, on 29 June 1999, having been secretly buried for more than two decades. McKinney had allegedly stolen IRA weapons for use in robberies, and his parents made him return the money, believing the matter resolved. However, he was abducted days later, followed by McClory, who was taken because of his association with McKinney. McClory's funeral took place on 3 September, with several hundred mourners attending a Requiem Mass at the Holy Spirit Church on Glen Road, where Father Gordon McKendry condemned the killings as a "crime of satanic proportions". McKinney's funeral followed the next day, on 4 September, and he was buried near his friend, McClory, in Milltown Cemetery, Belfast.
Gerard Evans, from Crossmaglen, South Armagh, disappeared while hitchhiking home from a dance in Castleblayney, County Monaghan, in March 1979. He was thought to have been abducted and murdered by the Provisional IRA, though no group ever publicly accepted responsibility. According to a masked man identifying himself as a former member of the Provisional IRA South Armagh Brigade, Evans was abducted and executed shortly afterwards. The same source told the Sunday Tribune that Evans had been killed for being an informer, though this claim was never publicly acknowledged by the IRA. In March 2008, Evans' aunt received an anonymous map indicating a possible burial site, prompting the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains to launch a search. The lead eventually resulted in the discovery of human remains in a bog at Carrickrobbin, near Hackballcross in County Louth in October 2010. Forensic examination confirmed in November 2010 that the remains were those of Evans. His funeral took place at St. Patrick's Church in Crossmaglen on 4 December, after which he was buried in the adjoining graveyard. A coroner's inquest held on 21 September 2011, returned a verdict of unlawful killing, confirming that Evans had died violently at the hands of a paramilitary group.