Gerard Evans (1955–1979) was one of the "Disappeared" of

the Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

. Having gone missing in March 1979, his body was recovered 31 years later in October 2010.

Early life

Gerard Evans, known as "Gerry", was a 24-year-old painter and decorator from

Crossmaglen Crossmaglen (, ) is a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,610 in the 2011 Census and is the largest village in South Armagh. The village centre is the site of a large Police Service of Northern Ire ...

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of an ...

, in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

Disappearance

Evans was kidnapped by the

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...

in March 1979 whilst

hitch-hiking Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads hav ...

in the

Castleblaney Castleblayney (; ) is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town had a population of 3,607 as of the 2016 census. Castleblayney is near the border with County Armagh in Northern Ireland, and lies on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry and ...

neighbourhood in

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County C ...

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...

. After a lengthy questioning involving a party of twelve local PIRA members on the accusation of being an

intelligence agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

for the

British Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

in the Armagh/Monaghan district, Evans was taken at night into the

County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, M ...

landscape, where, after pleading for mercy from his kidnappers, and being permitted to make a last prayer, he was shot in the back of the head. His body was afterwards illicitly buried in an unmarked grave in a

peat bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

at Carrickrobbin, near Hackballcross in County Louth, five miles from his home in Crossmaglen, the decision having been taken by the Provisional IRA to deny involvement with his disappearance and conceal the evidence of his murder to avoid alienating the community of the village of Crossmaglen, where the surname of Evans was common.

Recovery of the body

In October 2010 the ''

Sunday Tribune The ''Sunday Tribune'' was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to ta ...

'' journalist

Suzanne Breen Suzanne Breen (born 1967) is an Irish journalist. Career Suzanne Breen, a native of Ulster, has been a journalist for several Irish newspapers including ''The Irish Times'' and ''The Belfast Telegraph''. She has also contributed to several Irish ...

published a story that she had received information about the location of Evans' body from an ex-member of the Provisional IRA's "South Armagh Brigade", the source also giving the details of Evans' kidnap and murder. After an extensive search of the vicinity indicated the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gove ...

located Evans' body on 15 October 2010. The source stated that their decision in coming forward with the information was influenced by the 2007 murder of Paul Quinn. Evans' funeral took place at St. Patrick's Church in Crossmaglen on 4 December 2010; he was buried in the church's graveyard.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Gerard 1955 births 1970s missing person cases 1979 deaths British people murdered abroad Enforced disappearances in Northern Ireland Deaths by firearm in the Republic of Ireland House painters Kidnapped people from Northern Ireland Missing person cases in Ireland Murder victims from County Armagh People declared dead in absentia People from Crossmaglen People killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army Terrorism deaths in the Republic of Ireland 1979 murders in the Republic of Ireland

Early life

Disappearance

Recovery of the body

See also

References