Mother's hope fades as search ends

Police are searching a specific area of a Monaghan bog

The mother of IRA murder victim Colomba McVeigh has said she has given up hope of ever finding her son's remains.

Vera McVeigh was speaking as the latest search for his body was coming to an end in the Irish Republic on Sunday.

Columba McVeigh, 17, from Donaghmore in County Tyrone - one of the so-called Disappeared - was kidnapped and killed in 1975.

Mrs McVeigh said those responsible for his murder have no intention of disclosing where Colomba is buried.

Police completed their excavation of the main site at a bog at Bragan near Emyvale, County Monaghan, on Saturday afternoon.

We were quite optimistic that we would be successful but as the days went by, our hopes were dashed Pat Morrow Garda inspector

On Sunday, they extended the search to include two more smaller sites in the area.

Over the last 14 days they have sifted through an extra acre of ground, trying to locate the remains of Mr McVeigh.

Garda inspector Pat Morrow said his officers had done their best.

"We were quite optimistic that we would be successful but as the days went by, our hopes were dashed," he said.

"As we finish up here this evening, our hopes are with the family and how they are feeling.

"We have been quite emotional in the last few days having met the family and realising the expectations that they have."

Columba McVeigh: Disappeared in 1975

The operation is the third dig in the area and follows new information passed to the Irish Government by the IRA.

The latest dig concentrated on an area about the size of a football field, adjacent to where previous searches took place in 1999 and 2000.

The Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains said the search was concentrating on a more specific area than the previous digs.

News of a third dig at the same location came a little more than a week after the IRA said it had given new information about his grave to the Irish Government.

Mrs McVeigh and her son Eugene, visited the dig scene last week.

Agnes McConville, the daughter of Jean McConville who was murdered by the IRA in 1972, also visited the scene to show solidarity with the McVeigh family.

In 1999, the IRA offered to help locate the bodies of the nine Disappeared but the remains of Mrs McConville and Mr McVeigh were not found, despite extensive excavations. Only three bodies were found.

It is thought remains recovered from a beach in County Louth last month were Mrs Conville's.

DNA tests are currently being carried out to establish if the remains are those of the Belfast mother of 10.