Fresh hopes in Joe Lynskey body search probe as human remains found at site previously searched for Disappeared victim
The development comes less than two months after investigators announced that remains exhumed from the cemetery site in Annyalla, Co
2
The remains were recovered from the grave in the village of Annyalla
The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR) said other remains have now been found after it received information about a different area of the cemetery that does not incorporate any family graves.
The commission stressed that the information did not directly relate to the disappearance of Mr Lynskey.
However, investigators said they were keeping an 'open mind', pending the results of tests to determine whether the remains do belong to the
Mr Lynskey, a former monk from Belfast who later joined the
Read more in News
He was one of 17 people who were Disappeared by republican paramilitaries during the Troubles in
The ICLVR did not become aware that Mr Lynskey was one of the Disappeared until 2010. A number of searches since then have all failed to locate his remains.
The commission was set up by the UK and Irish governments during the peace process to investigate the whereabouts of the Disappeared. Thirteen have been formally found.
As well as Mr Lynskey, the commission is also tasked with finding three other Disappeared victims – Co
Most read in Irish News
The commission opened a grave in November last year after it received information related to 'suspicious' historical activity during the 1970s at a grave in Annyalla cemetery.
It instigated the exhumation operation to establish whether Mr Lynskey had been secretly buried there by the IRA.
In March, the commission said tests had confirmed that the remains did not belong to Mr Lynskey.
It said the remains recovered from the grave also did not belong to any member of the family who own the plot.
The ICLVR further confirmed that the remains were not those of any of the three other Disappeared victims the commission continues to search for.
LATEST DEVELOPMENT
Eamonn Henry, lead investigator at the ICLVR, announced the latest development at the Annyalla site in a statement on Friday.
He said: 'Following the recent exhumation at Annyalla Cemetery in relation to the search for Joe Lynskey, information came to the ICLVR indicating another small area of interest within the confines of the cemetery.
'This was not another family grave site.
'I want to emphasise that this information did not relate directly to the disappearance of Joe Lynskey and so until we have a positive identification or the elimination of the remains as those of Joe Lynskey or any of the other of the Disappeared, we have to keep an open mind'.
He said Ireland's State Pathologist had been notified and the remains have been taken away for technical examination.
Mr Henry added: 'We know only too well that the Lynskey family have had hopes raised before only to be bitterly disappointed and so, as ever, expectations have to be managed.
'The process of identification could take some time and we will continue to offer the family what support we can'.
APPEAL RENEWED
Mr Henry renewed the appeal for information on all of the remaining Disappeared cases.
He said: 'Regardless of the outcome, this work at Annyalla shows that where we have credible information, we will act on it.
'This week also marks the 48th anniversary (15 May) of the murder and secret burial of Robert Nairac.
'We need information on his and the other outstanding cases and anyone with information can be assured that it will be treated in the strictest confidence.
'Our humanitarian work is entirely information-driven to get us to the right places where we can use the considerable technical expertise at our disposal to locate the remains of those disappeared and to return them to their loved ones for Christian burial.
'Anyone who helps with that will be doing a great service to families who have suffered so much for so long.'
2
Remains previously exhumed from a grave in Co Monaghan are not those of Joe Lynskey
Credit: PA:Press Association
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
2 hours ago
- The Journal
Why has Sally Rooney been warned over supporting Palestine Action - and why did the UK ban it?
AUTHOR SALLY ROONEY could face prosecution in the UK if she delivers on promises to support Palestine Action, a group that the British government has proscribed as a terrorist organisation. Palestine Action is a direct action group that was founded in 2020. It has been protesting the UK's export of arms to Israel, as well as Israel's war on Gaza and treatment of Palestinians, through actions like demonstrations, building occupations and vandalism of properties it believes to have links to arms sales to Israel. Hundreds of people have been arrested in the UK since last month for showing their support for Palestine Action since it was designated as a terrorist association. The move by the government and the plethora of arrests that followed have sparked debate within the UK and internationally about the differences between a social movement versus a terrorist organisation, and about freedoms of expression and assembly. Rooney, the author of novels including Normal People and Intermezzo hailing from Co Mayo, has indicated that she intends to use proceeds from her work to support Palestine Action, but has been warned she could face consequences. What did Rooney say, how has the UK government responded, and why did it ban Palestine Action in the first place? What did Sally Rooney say about Palestine Action? Writing in the Irish Times at the weekend, Rooney said that she supports Palestine Action and its protesting of Israel's violence against Palestine, and that she would use proceeds from her work to support the group. 'If this makes me a 'supporter of terror' under UK law, so be it,' Rooney said. 'My books, at least for now, are still published in Britain, and are widely available in bookshops and even supermarkets. In recent years the UK's state broadcaster has also televised two fine adaptations of my novels, and therefore regularly pays me residual fees,' she wrote. 'I want to be clear that I intend to use these proceeds of my work, as well as my public platform generally, to go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide in whatever way I can. 'If the British state considers this 'terrorism', then perhaps it should investigate the shady organisations that continue to promote my work and fund my activities, such as WH Smith and the BBC.' She also criticised the Irish government for not standing with Irish activists arrested for supporting Palestine Action in the UK. Rooney has been an outspoken critic of Israel's war on Gaza and a supporter of freedom for Palestine. Advertisement Nearly two years since October 2023, Israel has around 62,000 people in Gaza, displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and flattened countless homes and buildings. With Israel strictly limiting the amount of aid allowed in to Gaza, many people are now dying of starvation, including young children. How has the UK government responded to Rooney? A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was asked in Westminster about Rooney's comments. They would not comment on her remarks specifically but set out the position that there 'is a difference between showing support for a proscribed organisation, which is an offence under the Terrorism Act, and legitimate protest in support of a cause'. Asked what Downing Street's position is in relation to anyone considering making donations to Palestine Action, the spokesperson said: 'Support for a proscribed organisation is an offence under the Terrorism Act and obviously the police will, as they have set out, they will obviously implement the law within the law as you'd expect.' Why has the UK banned Palestine Action? Among countries in Europe, the UK has been one of Israel's staunchest allies, including through being an exporter of arms to Israel, though it has also recognised the scale of devastation Israel has created in Gaza. In June, British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation under the UK's Terrorism Act. It followed members of the group allegedly breaking into a military airfield and vandalising Royal Air Force (RAF) aircrafts. Announcing the decision to proscribe it as a terrorist organisation, Cooper said that Palestine Action's activity has 'increased in frequency and severity since the start of 2024 and its methods have become more aggressive, with its members demonstrating a willingness to use violence'. The UK's Terrorism Act makes it an offence for a person to belong to a proscribed organisation, to show or invite support for such an organisation, to express an opinion or belief that is supportive of it, or to arrange or manage a meeting that involves supporting the organisation, furthering its activities, or hearing from a member belonging to it. A person found guilty of an offence under the relevant legislation can face imprisonment or a fine, or both. The UK's decision has received criticism internationally. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said that by international standards, understandings of terrorist acts should be 'confined to criminal acts intended to cause death or serious injury or to the taking of hostages, for purpose of intimidating a population or to compel a government to take a certain action or not'. 'It misuses the gravity and impact of terrorism to expand it beyond those clear boundaries to encompass further conduct that is already criminal under the law,' Türk said. Additional reporting by Press Association Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Adams donates BBC defamation damages to 'good causes'
Gerry Adams has said he has made donations to "good causes" after the BBC paid the former Sinn Féin leader €100,000 in defamation damages. The British broadcaster lost a defamation case earlier this year after Mr Adams took them to court over a 2016 episode of its Spotlight programme and an accompanying online story. They contained an allegation that Mr Adams sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Féin official Denis Donaldson. Mr Adams denied any involvement. In May, a jury at the High Court in Dublin found in his favour and awarded him €100,000, determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article. Johnsons Solicitors, which represented Mr Adams in his action, confirmed that the BBC has discharged the order of the court in relation to the compensation to their client. Mr Adams said he intended to donate any damages awarded to good causes. The law firm said donations have been made to "Unicef for the children of Gaza", local GAA organisations, a support group for republican prisoners and their families called An Cumman Cabhrach, to the Irish language sector, to the "homeless and Belfast based youth, mental health and suicide prevention projects" and others.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Gerry Adams donates to ‘good causes' after BBC pays €100,000 damages
Gerry Adams has said he has made donations to 'good causes' after the BBC paid the former Sinn Féin president €100,000 in defamation damages. The broadcaster lost a defamation case earlier this year after Mr Adams took them to court over a 2016 episode of its Spotlight programme and an accompanying online story. They contained an allegation that Mr Adams sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Féin official Denis Donaldson. Mr Adams denied any involvement. In May, a jury at the High Court found in his favour and awarded him €100,000 after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article. Johnsons Solicitors, which represented Mr Adams in his action, announced on Tuesday that the BBC has discharged the order of the court in relation to the compensation to their client. A BBC spokesperson said: 'We can confirm the BBC has now paid Gerry Adams €100,000 in damages as required by the court.' Mr Adams said he intended to donate any damages awarded to good causes. The law firm said donations have been made to 'Unicef for the children of Gaza', local GAA organisations, a support group for republican prisoners and their families called An Cumman Cabhrach, to the Irish language sector, to the 'homeless and Belfast based-youth, mental health and suicide prevention projects' and others. The BBC, which was found by the jury not to have acted in good faith nor in a fair and reasonable way, was also ordered to pay the former Sinn Féin leader's legal costs, potentially in the order of millions. However, it is understood the final amount of costs have yet to be determined.
