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Columba McVeigh

Columba McVeigh
Born1956
Disappeared1 November 1975 (aged 19)
StatusMissing for 49 years and 21 days
NationalityIrish

Columba McVeigh (1956 – 1 November 1975) was a youth from Northern Ireland who was abducted and most likely murdered by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).[1] He was listed as one of the "Disappeared" by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains.

Disappearance

A nineteen-year-old from Donaghmore, County Tyrone, McVeigh disappeared in November 1975.[2] The IRA claims he confessed to being a British Army intelligence agent ordered to infiltrate the IRA's ranks,[3] but have never indicated what specific act prompted McVeigh's murder.[4] Unsuccessful searches were carried out for the location of his body in 2003, 2011, and 2012.[4] In September 2018 forensic archaeologists started searching Braggan Bog, near Emyvale.[5] That search ended without success in September 2019, having paused between November 2018 and June 2019. Senior investigator Joe Hill said, "If Columba had been here we would have found him."[6]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Columba Mcveigh · TheJournal.ie". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Columba McVeigh". The Department of Justice and Equality. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  3. ^ Rosie Cowan, "Adams 'at heart' of IRA's most shameful killing campaign", The Guardian, 30 September 2002.
  4. ^ a b "Search for teenage IRA victim resumes at Co Monaghan bog". The Journal. 18 September 2012.
  5. ^ Carroll, Rory (17 September 2018). "Columba McVeigh: fresh search for remains of IRA victim". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  6. ^ "Columba McVeigh: Search ends for disappeared teenager". BBC News. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2020.