The burial of Disappeared victim Charlie Armstrong today gives hope to others still searching for loved ones who vanished during the Troubles, his funeral Mass heard.
Charlie Armstrong was buried in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, 29 years after he is believed to have been abducted and murdered by the IRA in south Armagh.
The remains of the Crossmaglen man, one of the “disappeared”, were discovered in a Co Monaghan bog in July.
It was confirmed this week by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains that DNA evidence established the remains were those of Mr Armstrong.
Mr Armstrong ( 57) went missing on his way to Mass in August 1981. His funeral Mass is taking place this morning at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Crossmaglen with burial afterwards in the adjoining graveyard.
Bishop Gerard Clifford, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Armagh, said the Armstrong family's long, anguished wait for a Christian burial had finally come to an end.
"Oftentimes their hopes were shattered," he said.
"But for 29 years the Armstrongs persisted in their demands that a husband, a father, would be given a proper burial, a place where they could gather and remember, a dignified place, a dignified burial.
"Today the family's search has ended."
Bishop Clifford appealed to anyone who "might have a shred of information" on the remaining Disappeared to share it with the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR).
"Time is moving on. There may be people who have some indication of where a body is placed," he said.
Additional reporting: PA