Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
A FORMER UNDERCOVER British soldier and colleague of murdered officer Captain Robert Nairac has appealed to the IRA to return his body.
Robert Nairac was abducted and murdered in May 1977 while working undercover in Co Armagh.
His colleague, who has since become a priest, told RTÉ’s Prime Time last night that he was glad that the bitterness of the Troubles was over, but that Robert Nairac’s family and friends wished for his body to be finally returned.
When asked what he wished to say to the IRA members who took Robert Nairac’s body from the murder scene at Ravensdale in Co Louth, Father William Burke said
Please may we have him back, may we have his remains for a Catholic funeral mass. For his family and his friends.
Father Burke travelled from England to visit the murder scene for the first time.
As an undercover officer in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, William Burke operated in west Belfast, while his fellow intelligence officer Robert Nairac operated in Co Armagh.
In his first ever interview about his work in Northern Ireland, Father Burke said he had left the British Army and became a priest as a result of Robert Nairac’s murder.
Robert Nairac was abducted after being attacked in the car park of the Three Steps Inn in Drumintee, Co Armagh.
At the time of his abduction he was armed but in plainclothes and was pretending to be ‘Danny from Belfast’.
He was forced into a car and driven by a gang across the border, and shot dead in a field. But by the time the murder scene was located, members of the IRA had removed his body, and there has been no trace of his remains.
The lead investigator with the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains, Geoff Knupfer, said last night that he was convinced that Robert Nairac’s body could be found.
He dismissed as myth, a rumour that has circulated that Robert Nairac’s body was put through a meat processor.
“It was a story put about by those personally involved. It was really about distracting attention from this area after the murder scene was found. We believe he is buried somewhere in north Co Louth,” he said.
Knupfer also described as ‘wild allegations’, stories which have previously circulated about Robert Nairac which allege his involvement in certain killings and atrocities down the years.
The Commission for the Location of Victims Remains said it had investigated details of Robert Nairac’s military service and it had not found ‘one shred of evidence’ to support the allegations.
“We’ve tried to undertake a degree of research into his background because of these stories and really to find out if they were fact or fiction. We’ve done a lot of work on them.
“And we’ve not found a shred of evidence anywhere to support what are effectively wild allegations that he was involved in murder and mayhem and atrocities.
He wasn’t even in the island of Ireland when some of these events took place. And on other occasions he was elsewhere.
It’s sad really because it’s because of that alleged reputation we just do not get any support from people who are probably in a position to help.
Geoff Knupfer said he believed false stories about Robert Nairac had led to people not coming forward with information.
The programme also heard from a brother of IRA member John Francis Green who was shot dead in a cross border attack in Co Monaghan in 1975 that the Green family believed Robert Nairac was involved in some way in his brother’s killing.
Leo Green, himself a former IRA member, said his family did not bear Robert Nairac any acrimony and that his body should be returned.
“My brother’s death was not investigated north or south. There was a minimalist investigation. We know in our heads and hearts what happened. We would like some acknowledgement by the British state of their role or not.
“That’s what we are looking for. Although my family have a view that Robert Nairac was involved in my brother’s death, there is no feeling of acrimony towards him.”
The Nairac family entitlement to truth and Robert Nairac’s entitlement to a proper burial, his sibling’s entitlement to give him that proper burial, it’s up there with all the questions that IRA members families have.
To this day there have been no searches for the body of Robert Nairac, as the Commission don’t know where in Co Louth to excavate.
Burke said he was speaking out in support of his murdered friend, and that he would like to one day attend Robert Nairac’s funeral.
“I accept that all sides made mistakes, that includes British army as well as other side, but Robert didn’t do what he was accused of.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
40 foot swimmers jeez they’re tall
@Alison Maguire: The Nephilim are back! . . . And this time, their pissed.
@Alison Maguire: Brilliant comment. .. You’re very quick..
Time to have all boats carrying a registration number like the US
Otherwise the rules are a waste of time
No accountability for reckless use of water crafts
Jet skis are particularly dangerous and many clowns own one
What do the coastguard do, issue a set of regulations . These rich kids owners of those crafts should be charged with endangerment to swimmers.
@Just Me: only if they are rich? Or was that a redundant adjective?
@Just Me: eh it was Conor McGregor not some rich kid.
That place is Notorious….
@Brian O’Faolain: those responsible obviously liked the may weather
@Ian Ó Grèachaín: Don’t think many will get that.
@….: who da fook is that guy?
@Ian Ó Grèachaín: there’s been a floyd of complaints
@….: I get it!
Foreign nationals on jet skis we get them from time to time in Tramore no idea of any rules or regulations.ps get pc about my comment we watch them launch their jet skis from pier
@Gerard Heery: I won’t get PC about your comment, but some punctuation wouldn’t go amiss.
@Gerard Heery: it was Conor McGregor, unless you consider Tallaght foreign!
@Neal Ireland Hello.: Will you have a word with Brian MacCartaigh please
@Ian Murphy: Is he not from Crumlin? Bleeding tallafornians trying to claim
Everyone as theirs
@Neal Ireland Hello.: It’s computer predictive text sometimes changes after I post don’t know y
And the would of got away with it, if it wasn’t for those pesky kids.
Kirsty MacColl was decapitated be a death , sorry, jet ski. These idiots should be seriously penalized for endangering lives.
Spoilt brats on their power toys with no respect for others. Typical establishment behaviour
@Roger Clarke: it was Conor McGregor, so you’re right about the spoilt brat bit
@Sam Harms: was it really???
@Deborah Behan: yep lovin dublin had an article about it
@Roger Clarke: one things for sure Conor’s not part of the establishment
A, the forty foot, brings back memories albeit the only thing that raised alarm back in the day was old fellas crinkly dangly bits on full view
You should be allowed shoot Jet Ski riders.
@William Grogan: with a blunderbuss to ensure maximum spread
Drug dealers
Gobmight’s Ted
If the yellow marker marks a swimming zone and they are on the far side of the marker what’s the problem?
@David Hanks: scratch that. Just had a look at the chart and that bouy is about 200m from shore so they were too close
Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig says it beautifully in “Ode to a jet ski person” https://www.google.ie/amp/s/homepaddock.wordpress.com/2009/01/30/ode-to-a-jet-ski-person/amp/
The only thing I took from that was the weather was so nice you could go swimming in the sea and now I want to cry.
That’s all we need boy racers in the sea, spoilt lowlifes knew they were in the wrong
This is not national news
Bloody fools!
Surely the time rules are arse ways?
@Derek Brian Griffin Cooper: why do you think that? It’s to accommodate swimming hours, it’s also a massive ocean and there’s plenty of other places jet skis etc could go.
have your say