Copyright © Kevin Cooper Photoline NUJ: The 12th annual All Souls Silent Walk for the Disappeared took place at Stormont on Friday 2 November 2018. Members of the Families of the Disappeared walked from Carson’s Statue to the steps of Parliament Buildings where they laid the black wreath with three white lilies representing those who have yet to be found, Joe Lynskey, Columba McVeigh and Robert Nairac. Father Turley from Clonard said prayers. Sandra Peake the CEO of the WAVE Trauma Centre which has supported the Families of the Disappeared since the 1990s said, “As each year passes and the immediate family of those still missing grow older it becomes more difficult for them to take the unimaginable pain of knowing that their loved ones lies in some barren and desolate place when they should be resting in consecrated ground. They draw huge comfort from knowing that they have the continuing support of those families who have had loved ones returned to them for Christian burial and they know that the thoughts and prayers of those who cannot come to Stormont today are with them always. As we gather here today we will be thinking especially of the McVeigh family as the search for Columba continues in Bragan Co Monaghan”. Following the ceremony at Stormont some of the families including Dympna Kerr and Oliver McVeigh the sister and brother of Columba traveled to Bragan. The Archbishop of Armagh and the Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin accompanied by Monsignor Joseph McGuinness the Diocesan Administrator of the Diocese of Clogher met the families and the men and women searching for Columba on behalf of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) at 2.30pm at the search site. Anyone with information about any of the three outstanding cases should contact the ICLVR’s confidential telephone number on 00800-55585500, email secretary@iclvr.ie or write to ICLVR, PO BOX, 10827, Dublin 2.
Location: Stormont
Photographer: Kevin Cooper Photoline