Fresh 'Disappeared' search

Charles Armstrong went missing on his way to Mass

The family of a man abducted by the IRA in 1981 has begun a fresh search for his remains along the south Armagh border.

Charles Armstrong, a 57-year-old father-of-five from Crossmaglen in south Armagh, went missing on his way to Mass.

His car was later found near a cinema in Dundalk.

The IRA denied any involvement in his disappearance at the time.

This latest search is being carried out privately by the Armstrong family in bogland near Cullaville, close to the Irish border.

Irish police have been involved in previous searches in the area, but said on Wednesday they were not taking part in this one.

Mr Armstrong's widow, Kathleen, called for anyone who knows anything about her husband's disappearance to contact the family.

"It is terrible and it is only when it happens to you that you can understand it, no-one else can," she said.

"It's been a long 22 years for us. We would like to get this to an end and get him home.

"If there is anybody that knows anything - definitely someone knows where he is and where he is buried. I wish and I plead with them to come forward to let us know."

In 1999, the IRA offered to help locate the bodies of the nine so-called Disappeared but Mr Armstrong's remains were not located.

Gardai recovered the bodies of Eamon Molloy, left in a coffin in a graveyard in County Louth as well as the remains of John McClory and Brian McKinney, whose remains were found after weeks of digging in a bog in County Monaghan.

However, the IRA was unable to give precise enough information to locate the other bodies.

On Monday, police confirmed that the body found on a beach in the Republic of Ireland two months ago was that of IRA murder victim Jean McConville.