The children of IRA murder victim Jean McConville hope to start their search for her remains on Thursday. They will continue the excavating begun by the Independent Commission for Victims Remains that was called off after three weeks on Saturday.
Yesterday Mrs McConville's six sons gathered at Templetown beach near Carlingford, Co Louth, to protest at the decision to stop the searches for the six disappeared.
The sites were excavated by gardai, who last year searched the same sites for seven weeks, at which stage only two bodies had been uncovered. The resumed searches were based on fresh IRA information.
"We want the commission to continue the digs. The intermediaries believe the IRA and if the commission believe the intermediaries why do they not keep even one of the digs open to give the families hope?" asked Robert McConville.
Mr Brendan McGahon, a Fine Gael TD, said he wants to see the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, as well as the three Sinn Fein councillors in Louth, "digging with a shovel for her remains". He said that if the IRA was sincere it would have people digging for Mrs McConville's remains.