The search for the body of a British soldier thought to have been killed by the IRA in 1977 is set to begin in remote farmland, a victim’s commission has said.
Captain Robert Nairac is part of a group of 16 people known as the Disappeared – those who were killed and secretly buried by paramilitary groups.
The British army officer is thought to have been abducted by the Provisional IRA while working undercover in a pub in south Armagh in 1977.
He was taken across the border to Flurry Bridge, County Louth, where he was killed, it is believed.
The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR), which has located the remains of a number of the Disappeared, has said it will soon begin its first search for Captain Nairac.
It comes after a preliminary examination of a site was previously carried out at Ravensdale Forest, County Louth, in 2019.
The new search is set to take place in remote farmland in the Faughart area, also in County Louth.
Jon Hill, lead investigator for the ICLVR, said that while Captain Nairac was one of the highest profile of the Disappeared, they had “very little to go on”.
“We believe that we do now have sufficient credible information to warrant a search,” he said.
The search will be carried out on private land and Mr Hill stressed neither the landowner nor tenant had any connection with the investigation.
He added that the search will also differ from the organisation’s last, which was for County Tyrone teenager Columba McVeigh.
“The area itself is relatively small, less than one acre, and farmland is inherently more stable than the bogland we have had to work on in other searches for the Disappeared,” Mr Hill said.
“And so, while the weather is always a factor we have to deal with, I would hope that we will get a relatively clear run at this one.”
The search is on the site of a 14th century battle and is being supported by Ireland’s National Monuments Service in case they find any historic remains.
The commission will keep searching until it finds the officer’s remains, or are satisfied there is nothing to find at the site.
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Mr Hill added: “We are not time-limited but given the relatively small area, by our standards, I do not anticipate a protracted search period of many months.
“The Nairac family have been told that a search is about to commence and we will of course keep them informed of any developments.
“I am not going to put a number on the degree of confidence that we have that we will find the remains of Robert Nairac but what I can say is that if they are there we have the skills, ability, and experience to find them.”
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The ICLVR has also reissued an appeal for information about other remaining Disappeared cases, including Joe Lynskey, Columba McVeigh, and Seamus Maguire.
