“Seamus Ruddy Disappears“_

Editorial An tEireannach Vol 1 No 4 ( 1985 )

On May 10th, Seamus Ruddy, a founder member of this Association,

did not arrive to teach at the language school where he worked.

Since then, he has contacted neither family nor friends, no one has

admitted responsibility for his disappearance, and the police

do not seem to have carried out serious investigations.

Seamus, who was born in Newry, came to Paris in Dec. ’83 and

found work as an English teacher. He soon became a prominent and

popular member of the Irish community, working for better conditions

in language schools with the CGT, and being a prime mover in the

founding and initial organisation of the Irish Association.

It was largely thanks to his energy and commitment that this newspaper was conceived, and the Association passed from being just something talked about in the bar, to a reality.

His disappearance has inspired a certain amount of speculation in the Irish press, and an almost complete silence in the French media. Most journalists favour the line that he was killed or kidnapped as a result of an internal feud in the I.N.L.A. Seamus was a member of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, the political wing of the I.N.L.A., for a number of years but grew disillusioned with the leadership, quit and left for Paris. It is certainly true that about the time of his disappearance another I.R.S.P. member was shot in Ireland, an I.R.S.P Councillor received death threats and an ex-member was beaten up in Paris. Whatever the explanation may be the simple fact remains that a man has vanished, and the police have been slow to act. Seamus’ girlfriend, who now lies and works in Ireland, visited Paris and complained to the authorities. She was shown pictures of unidentified bodies in the city morgue, but no public investigation was launched.

The Ruddy family have stated that the attitude of the I.N.L.A. has also been contrary and unhelpful. When challenged with responsibility for his abduction or murder, they first claimed that he had been “taken back to Ireland to face an enquiry”, then issued this disavowal, published in the Irish Times on Aug. 16th: “After exhaustive enquiries in the Newry area we find no evidence to suggest that remembers of the I.N.L.A. were involved. We are issuing this statement to clarify our position I this matter.”

Why the exhaustive enquiries were held in Newry and not in Paris has, however, never been clarified.

It is certainly fruitless to speculate on the reticence of the Police. Do they know what happened to Seamus but do not wish to involve themselves, or have they in fact chosen to ignore the affair? An article published in September’s ‘New ‘Hibernia’ links the official silence with continuing embarrassment felt by the French authorities over the ‘Vincennes Three’ scandal, when three suspected members of the I.R.S.P. were arrested on apparently fabricated evidence, were then released amid considerable publicity. Ever since, the article suggests, the French have been chary of interfering with the Irish community. If they truly fear another scandal, would it not be more logical to start a murder enquiry, rather than face the charge that people can disappear under suspicious circumstances in the capital of France, and the Police do nothing.

Back in Ireland, Seamus’s family and girlfriend believe he is dead. They have asked repeatedly for his body to be returned to them for burial, but they have met with “uncooperative and heartless” refusals to help. For their sakes the truth must come out. We join with them in asking for the return of his body, and demand that the police begin a full investigation or reveal what they know, so that speculation can end, and Seamus’s family and friends can mourn for him properly.