Families of 'disappeared' reject IRA apology

Relatives of alleged informers murdered and secretly buried by the IRA tonight rejected an apology from the Provisionals for their suffering.

The terrorists pledged to do everything possible to end decades of anguish for families still waiting to hear where their loved ones’ remains are buried.

But as arrangements were finalised for the funeral of one victim, Jean McConville, her daughter branded the IRA statement worthless.

Helen McKendry said: “It’s just meaningless words.

“For the IRA to apologise after almost 31 years, they could have ended this a long, long time ago.

“They just put the family through sheer hell. The McConville family will never ever be right again.”

The remains of mother-of-ten Mrs McConville were recovered from a beach in Co Louth in August, more than 30 years after she was seized and shot in the back of the head.

She was one of the so-called Disappeared who were murdered by the IRA and secretly buried during the 1970s.

The bodies of three other IRA victims have also been found, but at least six more have still to be located.

The murders, particularly that of Mrs McConville, is causing the IRA leadership enormous embarrassment.

The Provisionals claimed the deaths of IRA men has hampered attempts to locate more bodies.

Their statement said: “We are sorry that the suffering of those families has continued for so long. We wish to apologise for the grief caused.

“We will do all we can to bring closure to the other families.”

The organisation claimed one of their men is heading up its own inquiries, but admitted there were difficulties in the attempts to end the families’ anguish.

It added: “Many complicating factors have both hampered and protracted our investigation, established under the command of one of our most senior volunteers.

“These include the lapse in time, changes in leadership and the deaths of both members and former members of Oglaigh na hEireann (the IRA) who were involved.”

Mrs McConville, a widow, was kidnapped from her home in west Belfast in December 1972 after she went to the aid of wounded British soldier.

Even though extensive searches were carried out at a desolate stretch of beach just across, her remains were only found by a man out walking his dog.

Her funeral procession, through the streets where she was abducted from, is due to take place next week.

The IRA insisted it had re-examined all available information, and even revisited each site, in a bid to find all of the bodies.

Further information on the locations where both Mrs McConville and another of the so-called Disappeared, 17-year-old Columba McVeigh from Co Tyrone, were buried had been passed to the authorities. The teenager’s body is yet to be found.

Her elderly mother, Vera McVeigh, insisted she was not looking for the IRA to say sorry.

“The McConville’s, thank God, got their mother’s remains and I’m delighted at that,” she said.

“I would be delighted if I got my own son’s remains but apologies are no good to me.”

Along with Mrs McConville’s remains, the burial sites of Eamon Molloy, who was abducted in 1975, and John McClory and Brian McKinney have all been located.

But Seamus Wright, Kevin McKee, Columba McVeigh, Brendan Megraw, Danny McIllhone and British soldier Captain Robert Nairac are still missing.

It is believed the IRA murdered three others whose bodies were never found, including Armagh man Gareth O’Connor who vanished in May this year.

His father, Mark, vowed to dig for his son if the terrorists told him were to look.

“The IRA know where he is but they are not telling us,” he claimed.

“It’s only five months (since he disappeared). If they can give me or a clergyman an area I will personally undertake to dig myself.”