Virtual event to mark National Missing Persons Day

A special virtual ceremony will be held this morning to remember loved ones across Ireland who are missing.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee will host an online commemorative ceremony to mark the ninth annual national Missing Persons Day.

Speaking ahead of the virtual event, Minister McEntee said:

 “While it saddens me greatly that another year has passed and we are not able to come together safely in person on this important day, I know that Missing Persons Day provides families and friends affected by the ambiguous loss of a loved one with comfort, hope and a sense of unity, no matter what the setting.

 “National Missing Persons Day provides an important platform to raise awareness of Ireland’s missing men, women and children. But it is also about ensuring that Ireland’s missing people are never forgotten.

 “I would like to encourage people who may have information about one of our missing people to come forward. Any information, even if it appears insignificant or irrelevant, has the potential to be important and valuable to both those investigating the disappearance of our missing persons, and the families and friends of missing persons.

 “I also want to encourage close family relatives of missing people who have yet to do so to provide a DNA sample for uploading to our national DNA database. The collection and subsequent matching of DNA samples from this database represents a key turning point in the identification of human remains in Ireland and has provided much longed-for closure for an increasing number of families.”

This year’s ceremony will be livestreamed at 11 a.m. at www.justice.ie and via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

The ceremony will also be available to watch back on the Department’s website at any point after the conclusion of the event.