The anguish of families of missing people
CAN you help find a missing person?
WHILE watching Britain’s Got Talent with my children last week, the programme took a very sad turn.
The Missing People Choir made up of the relatives of people who have gone, brought a tear to my eye and admiration to my heart. These extremely strong men and women have been looking for their loved ones, some for over twenty years, and are still filled with hope of their return.
You couldn’t help but marvel at their strength, as they sang about hoping to see them again one day, as pictures of those missing and the date they went missing on appeared behind them on a large screen.
Last year 9,819 people were reportedmissing in Ireland. Of this 21 are still outstanding. On first read it seems like a positive statistic until you sit back and take stock that 21 families are still in turmoil as they face the daily battle of living with fear and uncertainty.
Closer to home this year marks the 40th anniversary of the disappearance of Mary Boyle from her grandmother’s house in Ballyshannon. Just shy of her seventh birthday, no trace has been found of the beautiful little blonde girl.
As the mother of a seven year old blonde girl I cannot imagine the sickening fear that her family have faced every day since then.
Her mother Ann Boyle has shown incredible strength and continues her search for her little girl. I was appalled to read that in the midst of her turmoil she has been receiving hate mail and even a bogus Christmas card from someone pretending to be her daughter.
Gardai are asking anyone with information on Mary’s disappearance to contact the Incident Room in Ballyshannon at 071 9858530 or the Garda Serious Crime Review Team on 01 6663444.
There are currently over 220 missing people listed on the Garda. ie website. For the families of those, each day must be a living nightmare.
At least with a death, while tragic and soul destroying, there is a closure, the ability to grieve.
But how do you grieve for someone if you hold out hope that they are still alive?
It’s something you would never think to do; to sit down and look through pages of missing people but maybe it is something we should think about doing.
Most of us are very smartphone savvy and it would only take a few minutes to know if you recognise someone or not.
A few minutes to us could end the eternal worry of relatives living with not knowing.
The Garda website for missing people can be accessed on www. garda. ie/ missingpersons.