Charles Armstrong (Northern Ireland)

Charles Armstrong was a 55-year-old labourer from Crossmaglen who disappeared on 16 August 1981.[1][2]

It is suspected that he was abducted and killed by the Provisional IRA,[1] a victim of enforced disappearance, the reason for which is unclear. Armstrong and his wife Kathleen had five children.[1] Armstrong's body was retrieved in 2010 and his funeral took place on 18 September 2010.[3][4]

Disappearance

On the day Armstrong disappeared, his wife walked with their daughters to Mass, where they had planned to meet him after he drove a friend to it.[1] He did not appear and it was only when they got home that they discovered that he had not met their friend. Initially, it was thought that he had had an accident, so his family and friends searched the area, but there was no sign of him. The next day, a friend phoned the family to tell them that his car had been found outside a cinema in Dundalk.[1]

His name did not appear on a list of nine people whose disappearances the Provisional IRA admitted responsibility for in 1999. Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Féin, denied that the IRA was responsible, but journalist Suzanne Breen said that she had been contacted by a member of the IRA who said that it was.[5]

Searches

In 2001 a search for his remains produced no results.[1] In July 2010, a group searching for Armstrong announced that they had found human remains in County Monaghan.[6] The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains said that it had found the remains early on the afternoon of 29 July 2010 in the townland of Aughrim More, on the County Monaghan side of Cullaville.[7]

This search was carried out after the Commission had received anonymously a map indicating an area which had not been searched before for Armstrong's remains.[7] In September 2010, the Independent Commission confirmed that the remains found were those of Charles Armstrong.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rosie Cowan (3 June 2002). "Looking for Charlie". The Guardian.
  2. ↑ Suzanne Breen (18 January 2009). "Republicans disappeared at least 13 people in the Troubles". Sunday Tribune.
  3. ↑ "Armstrong funeral takes place in Armagh". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. 18 September 2010.
  4. ↑ Gerry Moriarty (18 September 2010). "Armstrong buried in Armagh". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  5. ↑ Suzanne Breen (18 January 2009). "'Put that family out of its misery'". Sunday Tribune.
  6. ↑ "Human remains found in Monaghan search for 'Disappeared'". BBC News. 29 July 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Remains found near Border thought to be those of Troubles victim". The Irish Times. 30 July 2010.
  8. ↑ Gerry Moriarty (16 September 2010). "Body of 'disappeared' identified". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
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