Aahana Swrup
Created by Joshua Zetumer, ‘Say Nothing’ is a historical drama show following a narrative spanning decades that centers around the socio-political developments that took place in and around Belfast, Northern Island, during The Troubles. The FX show revolves around a number of historical figures, namely, sisters Dolours and Marian Price, IRA’s Brendan Hughes, and politician Gerry Adams. In the show, the four Irish youths fight for the Irish reunification cause, carrying out dangerous and morally taxing missions for the Provincial Irish Republican Army. Of these missions that protagonist Dolours is a part of, the termination of the IRA’s alleged traitors remains the most haunting of all.
Even though the show is dramatized for television, it remains based on real-life events. As such, it touches upon the true story of Joe Lynskey. In real life, Joe Lynskey was entangled with the IRA, which ultimately drove him to his tragic demise.
Joe Lynskey Was an IRA Member Who Underwent an Execution
Joseph “Joe” Lynskey was a West Belfast native who lived with his parents and a sister in Beechmount’s Cavendish Street. As sources suggest, Lynskey was a part of the Original IRA and campaigned with them between 1958 and 1962, particularly in Operation Harvest, which originated in 1956. Afterward, he left the organization to become a monk of the Cistercian Order briefly. However, it wasn’t long before Lynskey left the order and returned to the Irish reunification efforts. Allegedly, in 1971, he was one of the founding members of the Provisional IRA in Belfast.
Lynskey went missing in August 1972, a time when the Northern Ireland conflict was continuing with particularly significant violence. Initially, when his family started looking for him, they were told he was in America. Even in 1999, when the IRA came forward with the list of “The Disappeared,” people believed to be abducted, killed, and buried in Northern Ireland, Lynskey’s name wasn’t on the list. However, in 2009, Dolours Price revealed in an interview that she drove Lynskey to a County Monaghan safe house, where his execution would have likely taken place.
Afterward, in 2010, the IRA revealed the truth about Lynskey, claiming the former member had been buried after an execution. Consequently, according to the IRA’s claims, Lynskey breached IRA standing orders for which he was court-martialled. Sources claim that the IRA investigation that led to Lynskey’s execution revealed that he had ordered an IRA volunteer to kill a man. Some accounts allege that Lynskey was having an affair with the latter man’s wife, while others claim he was only infatuated with the woman.
Either way, it’s understood that Lynskey was responsible for the death of the woman’s husband. That incident, in turn, led to another, wherein a Republican supporter got shot in West Belfast. As such, these events are believed to have led to Lynskey’s death. After the internal investigation, the IRA covertly drove the unwitting man to his death. Ultimately, after killing Lynskey, The IRA buried him in an unmarked grave.
Joe Lynskey’s Remains Are Still Missing
In 1999, the treaty between the governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland launched the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR). The commission was tasked with finding The Disappeared through information obtained in complete confidence. In 2009, Dolours Price reached out to the ICLVR to share information about Joe Lynskey, which added him to the list of the Disappeared, leading the commission to initiate searches for him. In 2015, the search conducted in Coghalstown, County Meath, led to the discovery of the remains of two other Disappeared, Kevin McKee and Seamus Wright.
Since then, the ICLVR has continued searching for Lynskey’s unmarked grave but hasn’t yet located it. In 2018, the search shifted to the Oristown neighborhood in County Meath. Nonetheless, the specialists made discoveries. Lynskey’s niece, Maria Lynskey, continues to hold out hope that the commission will eventually succeed in locating her uncle’s remains so that he can be given a proper Christian burial. At the time of writing, Lynskey remains one of the four Disappeared, including Columba McVeigh, Seamus Maguire, and Robert Nairac, whose remains are still missing. Geoff Knupfer, the ICLVR’s lead forensic scientist and investigator, has last said that the commission would require more information in order to locate Joe Lynskey’s unmarked grave.
Read More: Jean McConville: Was She a Real Informant? How Did She Die?
