REMAINS discovered in a makeshift grave in Co. Monaghan in 2024 are not those of Joe Lynskey according to the Disappeared commission. Mr. Lynskey was abducted in 1972 whereupon it is believed that he was murdered by the IRA.
The remains were exhumed from a family grave in the village of Annyalla near Clontibret, Co. Monaghan in November last year following a tip-off. More than four months on, the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR), or ‘the Disappeared Commission’ as it has become known, has confirmed that the remains do not belong to Mr. Lynskey.
The Commission has also stressed that while the remains do not belong to anyone associated with the family whose name is on the grave, they do they belong to any of the remaining members of the so-called ‘Disappeared’. The Garda Síochána conducted DNA testing on the remains and confirmed that they are now making inquiries to establish the correct identity of the remains.
Mr. Lynskey was a former Cistercian monk and suspected member of the IRA. His name was added to the list of Disappeared in 2010.
The Disappeared Commission’s lead investigator Jon Hill said that the removal of the remains in question was carried out on 26th November 2024, after which they were taken away for DNA analysis by a specialist team with the Gardaí.
He said: “The results of the DNA examination of the remains have now eliminated them as being those of the family to whom the grave belongs and now also eliminated them as being those of Joe Lynskey or any of the Disappeared. All the interested parties including the Lynskey family have been informed.
“We know that this news is deeply disappointing for the Lynskey family and the thoughts of everyone in the Commission are with them at this most difficult time. We are also conscious that this was a distressing experience for the family whose grave was opened to facilitate the exhumation.”
Of the 18 Disappeared who have been acknowledged, there are four remaining bodies yet to be found including Columba McVeigh, Seamus Maguire and Robert Nairac.