Gerry O’Loughlin distinctly remembers the rap on the door one night in March 1994 at his home in Cahore along the Co Wexford shoreline.
A group of neighbours had called to his house as fears grew about the safety of Pauline Finlay, a Dubliner who, together with her husband Joe, were holidaying on this scenic stretch of the east coast dotted with mobile home and caravan parks.
Ms Finlay (49) had failed to return from a walk with her two dogs along the beach in Kilmuckridge, less than a kilometre away from her mobile home within sight of the long, golden beaches.
“I was in the electrical trade myself and people came up looking for torches and flashlights because by the time it broke it was dark,” says Mr O’Loughlin, who was friendly with both Ms Finlay and her husband.
Neighbours found the dogs on the strand, alone and in a distressed state.
Major search
“At first light the next morning there was a major search organised with fishing boats out of Courtown and pleasure craft out of Cahore, and so on,” according to Mr O’Loughlin.
Other than the two dogs, there was no trace of Ms Finlay ever found, despite a sea search and shoreline search that went on for “weeks, and maybe months”. “They had purchased a property and were planning to build a house here,” adds Mr O’Loughlin.
Some consolation may be taken by Ms Finlay’s’s family from the potential identification of her body by Welsh police. It is now believed, thanks to DNA testing, that a body that washed up near Holyhead about seven months after she went missing may be that of Ms Finlay.
The body is one of 17 that police in Wales are attempting to identify as part of an ongoing operation.
“The focus of the operation is simply to identify, reunite and allow the dignity of a funeral service . . . and help bring some closure to families who have lived with uncertainty for such a long time,” said lead investigator Detective Constable Don Kenyon in relation to another case in 2015. DNA tests using samples from missing Irish women were carried out without match until this summer when Ms Finlay’s family provided a sample which strongly indicates the body may be hers.
Inquest
This breakthrough led Welsh police to bring the case before the coroner for North West Wales Dewi Pritchard-Jones who has called for an inquest at a yet undecided date to formally identify the body.
The bodies of several Irish nationals have been found off the British coast in the past five years, including Breda Delaney (72), whose body was recovered from the sea off Scotland last October. Ms Delaney went missing from her home in Blackrock in July 2015, and was described by her daughter as “thoughtful and generous, with a kind heart and a brilliant mind”.
The body of Finglas pensioner Thomas Kennedy (81) was recovered by police in Blackpool in February 2015. He was last seen putting out his bins on July 29th, 2014.
In September 2011, the body of Karen Coyles was found off the Scottish coast within weeks of disappearing close to Ballycastle Harbour in Co Antrim. The 47-year-old went missing the same day she led her team to victory in the All-Ireland camogie sevens tournament.
Their families all expressed comfort and solace in the knowledge that their loved ones could be laid to rest.
It is believed Ms Finlay’s family will soon travel to Wales to visit the graveyard which may contain her remains. They have asked for privacy and will not make comment until the conclusion of any inquests.
Mr O’Loughlin hopes this new development will finally bring some closure to her husband, extended family and all her friends: “Twenty-two years is a long, long time.”