Eamonn Henry, a former Garda inspector with three decades of service, is now leading the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR), often referred to as the “Disappeared Commission.”
An Athy man who now heads the search for victims secretly buried during the Troubles says he would never have taken the role if he didn’t believe the mission could be completed.
Eamonn Henry, a former Garda inspector with three decades of service, is now leading the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR), often referred to as the “Disappeared Commission.”
Henry, who grew up in Athy from the age of five, told Kfm how he was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and take over the family farm. But it was his mother who changed things.
After spotting an advertisement in the newspaper, she told her son to consider a more secure path - the Gardaí. “There’s no money in farming,” she told him.
That advice set Mr Henry on a trajectory that eventually led him to the heart of one of Ireland’s most sensitive post-conflict missions.
The ICLVR was established in 1999 by the Irish and British governments to locate and recover the remains of 17 individuals abducted, murdered and secretly buried by republican paramilitaries during the Troubles.
So far, the remains of 13 of the so-called "Disappeared" have been recovered and returned to their families.
Mr Henry served as a Garda liaison officer to the Commission between 2013 and 2017.
In 2023, he rejoined the team as an investigator and was appointed to lead the organisation just last month.
Under his leadership, the search continues for the remains of Joe Lynskey, Columba McVeigh, Seamus Maguire, and British army captain Robert Nairac.
Speaking to Kfm, Mr Henry said he has made a commitment to all families to find their loved one's remains.
"I do believe we are close in a few of the cases, but the exact locations are alluding us at the moment," he said.
He said some listeners may have information and urged them to contact Gardai.
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