Columba McVeigh: New search for remains of IRA victim

The first day of a sixth search for the remains of a man the IRA abducted, murdered and secretly buried almost 50 years ago has ended in County Monaghan.

Columba McVeigh is one of the so-called Disappeared.

Investigators are at Bragan Bog, near Emyvale, in County Monaghan.

There have been five previous searches of the area since 1999. However, the search is taking place in a part of the bog that has not been excavated before.

Two mechanical earth movers have been scraping back the top of a two acre area within Bragan Bog under the watch of forensic archaeologists.

The dig could go on for a number of weeks, but experts are convinced Mr McVeigh was secretly buried here in 1975.

Mr McVeigh's brother Oliver said the family had had "five disappointments" in the past but they were trying to remain hopeful.

"This time for some reason gives me some added sort of hope. I know it's close to where it was before," he said.

"We just have to wait and see."

The actor James Nesbitt was also at the scene of the fresh search.

Mr Nesbitt, who is patron of the victims charity Wave, said he was asked to come by the McVeigh family.

"It is horrific that the family is being made to suffer," he said.

"They are victims and they just want to bring Columba home.

"Their mother's dying wish was that they would find his body so Columba could come home and be put in the grave beside his daddy.

"The wish is now that his body may be brought home and be put in the grave beside his mummy and daddy".

The new search, conducted by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR), concentrates on a two-acre site, part of which is covered by forest.

It involves a highly experienced team of contractors and archaeologists.

Jon Hill, the ICLVR investigator who will co-ordinate the operation, said: "I can't put a timeframe on the search but obviously we would hope to see success in phase one.

"In terms of how the search will progress, much will depend on the weather and the state of the bog as we move through the autumn."

The bogland has been lashed by heavy rain and you sink into it as you walk out from a stone road to the area being excavated.

Two diggers are resting on huge metal plates to avoid their tracks becoming trapped in wet earth.

They are working the soil under the watchful eye of forensic archaeologists hired for the job.

This part of the bog has never been excavated in any of the previous five searches and the work could go on for several weeks - but it's very dependent on the weather.

There is confidence that Mr McVeigh's remains lie somewhere within this land, but finding them is not a straightforward exercise.

The last search for Mr McVeigh took place in 2019 and so far a total of 21 acres has been examined.

Mr McVeigh, from Donaghmore in County Tyrone, was 19 years old when he disappeared in 1975.

His family has strongly rejected the IRA claim that he was an informer.

Geoff Knupfer, the ICLVR's lead forensic investigator, said: "We would not be searching unless we believed that there was a credible reason for doing so.

"We remain convinced that Columba was buried in Bragan Bog.

"The fact that we have not found his remains after a number of searches is deeply disappointing and frustrating especially for the McVeigh family."

Oliver McVeigh again appealed for anyone with information to come forward and said he was "not going away".

"I will keep fighting... it's more for my mother who always wanted this to happen and made me promise when she was dying that I would make this happen."

Mr McVeigh is one four unresolved cases being looked at by the ICLVR - other victims still to be located are Joe Lynskey, Seamus McGuire and Army officer Robert Nairac.

The ICLVR has so far located the remains of 13 people since it was established by the British and Irish governments in 1999.

The majority of the murders took place in the 1970s, with victims abducted in Northern Ireland and mostly killed and buried at locations in the Republic of Ireland.

The Provisional IRA has admitted responsibility for 13 of the murders and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) one.