Gardaí seek help identifying body found in 1986 in Leitrim

Gardaí have issued a renewed appeal for help to identify human remains discovered on the Leitrim coast in 1986.

The body of a man was discovered at Knockbrack, Tullaghan, on May 1st, 1986.

At the time of the discovery a postmortem was done, but the body was never identified. The man was later buried at St Clare's Cemetery, Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim.

In their appeal, gardaí at Manorhamilton on Sunday said the man was thought to be aged 30 to 50 and about 5ft 4in to 5ft 7in height.

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“He had two very distinctive tattoos on each arm. On the right upper arm there was a green shamrock,” gardaí said in a statement.

“On the right forearm there was a dagger with a red handle in a green scabbard. On the left upper arm two thin rapier-like swords with red handles crossed in front of a green heart-like or shield shape. On his left forearm the word EIRE was tattooed in front of a green coloured shape.”

Exhumation

When found, the man was wearing blue Wrangler jeans and a dark-coloured leather belt with a silver buckle with the words Malt Liquor and Schlitz or Schlutz and a picture of a dog or bull.

He had brown shoes – of JBees or B. Jees make, with rubber soles and leather uppers – and grey socks.

In 2021, the Garda Missing Persons Unit arranged for an exhumation to obtain a DNA sample to check against the Missing Persons Database.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Manorhamilton Garda station (071) 982 0620, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.