THE family of a former monk whose remains are believed to have been found after a 43-year wait are said to be shocked but relieved at the discovery.
Joe Lynskey, from west Belfast, one of the Disappeared, was abducted and murdered by the IRA in August 1972 and his body dumped in a bog in Co Meath.
After months of painstaking searches the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains said human remains had been found on farmland in Coghalstown, Co Meath.
The dead man's niece Maria, who thanked the commission in a brief statement, was expected to visit the site sometime last night.
The family, who said their thoughts will with other victims whose remains have not yet been found, appealed for anyone with information about other bodies to contact the commission.
Mr Lynskey, a former Cistercian monk from Beechmount, Belfast, was one of 17 people abducted, killed and clandestinely dumped or buried by republicans.
The IRA only admitted his murder after details of his disappearance were revealed in The Irish News in December 2009.
The discovery, the 11th by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR), was made near the centre of the six hectare site which was reclaimed from bogland for a farm in the 1980s and used as pasture since.
Priest John O'Brien was called to the scene after the discovery. The office of Ireland's state pathologist will carry out examinations at the scene before the remains are removed for a post mortem.
The ICLVR brought in a sniffer dog late last year as part of efforts to try to detect signs of human remains on the land and teams have been carrying out more detailed surveys and digs since March.
Jon Hill, senior investigator with the ICLVR, spoke with Lynskey family members following the discovery.
"They were shocked but in a way pleased," he said. "They are always hopeful of course but they are prepared to not find their loved ones as well.
"It's such a difficult process. There are no guarantees, it's something that we always try to impress on the families.
"But when it does come around it's a great shock and a great relief at the same time."
Maria Lynskey spoke on behalf of the family and said they needed privacy but would discuss the discovery publicly at another time.
Frances Fitzgerald, the Republic's Minister for Justice, said she hoped the discovery will allow another of the families of one of the Disappeared to give a loved one a proper burial.
"I hope the discovery of remains in Co Meath will allow another chapter to be closed in the tragic saga of the Disappeared," she said.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said he welcomed the discovery and reiterated appeals for anyone with information on the Disappeared to come forward.
An inquest will take place several months from now.
The list of Disappeared includes Gareth O'Connor who was murdered in 2003. His body was recovered on June 11 2005 at Victoria Quay, Newry Canal, Co Louth.
The Commission has investigated 16 abductions and murders. To date the remains of 10 of the Disappeared have been recovered, the most recent being Brendan Megraw, whose remains were found in Oristown bog, also in Co Meath, last October.
