Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I thought I’d never come back to Rouen ...I’d given up then I got a call .... It was overwhelming
Ruddy’s sister urges other relatives to keep going after remains found
THE sister of Seamus Ruddy has urged the three remaining Disappeared families to keep going. Anne Morgan is in France with hope building her brother, who was murdered by the INLA in 1985, has been found after confirmation that human remains were discovered in a field on Saturday. She said: “I was leaving on the train and I was despondent and I thought that I would never come back to Rouen. “I’d probably given up hope on Friday so I was leaving Rouen on my way to Paris and then on home when I got the phone call to say that remains had been found. “I was completely taken by surprise and very emotional. I could hardly speak and was not controlled. It was overwhelming. “But within the hour I was back in the centre again and things had completely changed – my life had completely changed.” Formal identification has yet to take place and a forensic tent remains in place at the site where human remains were found in Foret Domaniale at the weekend. But it is believed the remains are likely to be those of Mr Ruddy, 32, who was shot dead and secretly buried in a make-shift grave. Anne said: “It will be just absolutely wonderful to bring his remains home and give him a Christian burial. “We have dreamt about this day and it has now come hopefully. “We will be ready to take him back to Newry. “It has taken a lot of effort by the ICLVR but we did not give up hope. Through the years I’ve always been hopeful. “But I probably gave up hope on Friday because I was leaving Rouen on my way to Paris and then on home when I got the phone call to say that remains had been found. “I was completely taken by surprise and very emotional. I could hardly speak and was not controlled. It was overwhelming.” Anne had been in France twice before as searches were carried out for her brother. The first search in 2000 lasted six hours, and in 2008 the diggers were back for another search which last four days. She said: “On two occasions I was in France when the results where negative and I had to return home without him. “This is more joyful in one respect because I will get to take Seamus home. “It has been very, very difficult from the very beginning. “When we started asking questions we were given a death threat from the INLA and were told that we were not allowed to speak about it and the family had to be quiet. “It meant we had to be quiet and probably people were wondering why we weren’t talking about it but we were living under the threat. The first 10 years were very difficult. But the peace process came about and Seamus’ name was on the list of the Disappeared – and that’s when it came out in the open.” Anne said despite confirmation by the INLA that Seamus had been killed, the family still lived in hope. She explained: “It was difficult. We were in Newry and he was in Paris teaching and it was his colleagues who first informed us he had not turned up for work. “They had gone to his flat and he wasn’t there and his passports were still at the flat. “There were signs he had just gone out. But we lived in hope, definitely. I was always hoping and searching for him.
On two occasions I had to go home without him ANNE MORGAN FRANCE YESTERDAY
When I’d go out I’d always be looking in crowds for his face and that may sound strange but I never gave up hope.” And she explained that while his family was aware of his passion for politics, no one was aware that Mr Ruddy had become involved with paramilitaries. Anne explained: “He lived his life the way he wanted to live his life. “What he did, he did in a private manner. “The family was totally unaware of what Seamus did. “He was committed to that life and it ended tragically in a forest in France and we would prefer that he was here with us of course but that wasn’t the case and we just had to get on with it. “It was only after Seamus died that we began to realise about his other life which we had no control over. So during the 32 years I was always saying, even to the INLA, I’m looking for my brother. “I maintained that because that’s what he was to me, that’s the reason I looked for him, he was my brother.” Anne said her family will be satisfied to close the heartbreaking chapter of their life if the remains prove conclusively to be those of Seamus. She told the BBC’S Vinny Hurrell: “In 1999 the families of the Disappeared agreed the price we’d pay for our justice, for the return of our loved ones was to stand by the commitment that we would not look for apologies or court justice. “It was a big price to pay, a big compromise. “Being a member of a family of the Disappeared is a very complicated area and I would never have got Seamus back if I had been looking for prosecution. It was very difficult but it was the best way and we needed to let the men of violence know that we were not going to take them through the courts if we got the information we needed to get our loved ones home. “The people who came forward and gave the information as to where Seamus was are the people I want to thank. “The families of the Disappeared need some relief and they need to get their loved ones home. “As a society we need to be working towards more reconciliation and helping those who have information to come forward. These families need support. I appreciated the help and support I received while we waited for Seamus, and a lot of that help came from the other families and the WAVE trauma group who were instrumental in keeping our spirits up. “Now we will be with the other families in spirit – encouraging them to keep going.” If the remains are confirmed to be those of Mr Ruddy that will leave three victims still to be recovered – Columba Mcveigh, Joe Lynskey and Robert Nairac.
They need relief and they need to get their loved ones home ANNE MORGAN FRANCE YESTERDAY