Musician to perform at missing person’s commemoration

Leona Tighe, sister of Cavan woman Jean Tighe, to speak.

Singer-songwriter and Belturbet resident Don Mescall is to perform at the upcoming National Missing Persons' Day commemoration, an all-Ireland event that takes place on the first Wednesday in December each year.

More than 600 Irish people or those with links to the country are currently reported missing around the world.

Don, whose song 'Missing' is used by organisers each year as part of their campaign to appeal to the public for any information that might be of assistance to An Garda Síochána, has been invited to perform in person at the Croke Park gathering on December 6.

The event will be addressed by James Browne, Minister of State Department of Justice with responsibility for International Law, Law Reform and Youth Justice and also Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.

Speakers include the sister of Gerald Mooney, missing in Australia since 1996; the brother of Peter Hyde who has been missing since 1981; the father of Deirdre Jacob who has been missing since 1998; and Leona Tighe, sister of Cavan woman Jean Tighe who was reported missing in Portugal in July 2020.

“My song 'Missing', they've been using it now for about the past eight years, which I'm absolutely delighted and humbled by, and around this time of year they release it with a video showing pictures of all those who are missing.”

Along with 'Missing' Don will perform his hit 'Lighthouse Keeper', conscious of its symbolism in bringing people home safely.

“600 people missing. 600 lives. 600 families. I just find the whole thing very, very tragic, devastating for the families, and I can't even imagine that if you lost a child, how do you get over that?”