Remains could be those of missing nurse

THE remains of an unidentified woman found dead on a beach 12 years ago are to be exhumed, it emerged last night.

Her skeletal remains were found washed up on Balinamona Beach, Wexford, onDecember 12, 1995.

It’s believed that the remains are those of 25-year-old Louth nurse Priscilla Clarke, who went missing after being swept away by swollen river waters while out horseriding in July of 1988.

Gardaí have now asked north Wexford acting coroner Dr Sean M Nixon for the body to be dug up to allow samples to be taken for DNA tests.

Justice Minister Brian Lenihan authorised the move despite previous appeals being refused by his office.

In a statement the Department of Justice said DNA that tests had been requested.

“The exhumation order was made on foot of an application to him from the Garda authorities that the body be exhumed to enable samples to be taken for the purpose of DNA comparison.”

The unidentified woman’s body was buried in Crosstown Cemetery in Co Wexford six months after her skeletal remains washed up on Balinamona Beach.

Priscilla Clarke had been horseriding near the river Dargle at Powerscourt, Co Wicklow with Lynda Kavanagh, the wife of high-profile property developer Mark Kavanagh, when gardaí believe swollen waters swept them away.

It’s believed that they tried to ride across the River Dargle at a recognised crossing point near Enniskerry when the river was in flood after heavy rain.

A postmortem was carried out by the then-state pathologist Dr John Harbison but no identification was made.

The family of Ms Clarke have previously made appeals to have the body found at Balinamona beach exhumed.

They have said that the remains matched Ms Clarke’s height, 5’7”, as did a set of car keys found in a pocket.

She was employed as a live-in nursery nurse by the Kavanaghs at their home in Ballyorney House, Enniskerry.