The IRA is coming under growing criticism for its claim that it has given all the information it can to locate the bodies of eight people it abducted and killed more than 20 years ago. The United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights and former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, said that the IRA may have given too little factual evidence. The daughter of one of the victims, Jean McConville, said that the IRA had been insincere. The family have left flowers at the location where Mrs McConville is believed to be buried. The searches at Templetown in County Louth, and near Blessington in County Wicklow, have been suspended for the night, but will resume in the morning.
Earlier today, IRA sources told RTE News that the IRA had made every attempt to establish the exact locations of the bodies of victims. They said that had they been able to recover all the bodies they would have done so. They maintained that in some instances it had proved impossible to establish the exact location, but in the one instance where they had definite information and were able to pass on a body, they had done so. They said the IRA leadership approached this issue in good faith, but that the investigation had been hampered by the lapse of time, changes of leadership and the deaths of members and former IRA members. Yesterday the family of Jean McConville demanded that the IRA provide further information pinpointing exactly where her remains can be found.
A preliminary search for the remains of IRA murder victims also began today at Oristown, outside Kells in County Meath. Gardaí are using ground radar penetration devices to assist them in the search.
