Funeral planned for Disappeared victim
Charlie Armstrong’s family have paid tribute to their loved one on the day his remains were returned home to Crossmaglen.
Kathleen Armstrong and her family said they could now prepare to give Charlie the Christian burial he was denied 29 years ago.
Charlie will be buried on Saturday following Mass in St Patrick’s, Crossmaglen.
On Wednesday, DNA testing confirmed the human remains found in Co Monaghan in July were those of the Disappeared victim.
Mr Armstrong was abducted in south Armagh in 1981, while on his way to Mass. The 57-year-old Crossmaglen man was never seen again.
In July 2009, forensic experts searching for Mr Armstrong’s remains were handed a map which was thought could provide vital clues.
The fresh information was sent anonymously and indicated a previously unsearched area in Co Monaghan. Digs were carried out and human remains were found.
On Wednesday, the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR) confirmed DNA testing “positively indicate that the remains are those of Mr Charles Armstrong.”
In a statement, the family thanked all those who had helped end their years of pain.
“We have longed for the day when we can bring Charlie home to give him a Christian burial,” they said.
“We now need time to grieve and to come to terms with our loss.
“We would like to thank all those who have brought us to this day – the Commission for the Disappeared, the forensic team, the Garda Siochana, and Wave Trauma Centre, who have supported us over the last 15 years.
“We also wish to thank the many people who have supported us on our journey including our good friends and neighbours in Crossmaglen and the surrounding county; those in public life in the United States of America, Ireland and England; and those in the media who have aided us in highlighting the disappearance of Charlie and our need and wish to find his body and bring him finally home.”
They went on: “Charlie was a caring and loving husband and a devoted father.
“He instilled in us all a respect for life, a respect for others and the importance of helping those less fortunate.
“We now need time to pay our respects and give him a rightful Christian burial in order that he may rest in peace.”
A total of 15 people ‘disappeared’ during the Troubles.
The IRA has never claimed responsibility for the disappearance of Mr Armstrong, but the father-of-five was always believed to be a victim of a republican murder.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said in July that there was no evidence of IRA involvement in the killing of Charles Armstrong.
In 1999 the IRA claimed that it murdered and buried nine of the Disappeared – Seamus Wright, Kevin McKee, Jean McConville, Columba McVeigh, Brendan Megraw, John McClory, Brian McKinney, Eamon Molloy and Danny McElhone – in secret locations.
The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains was set up by the British and Irish Governments in 1999 and reports to the Northern Ireland Office in Belfast and the Irish Justice Department in Dublin.
The bodies of Mr Molloy, Mr McKinney, Mr McClory, Ms McConville and Mr McElhone – and now Mr Armstrong – have been found.
