Gardaí investigating the disappearance of Michael ‘Tony’ Lynch from his home in Clones, County Monaghan 18 years ago say a car has been found at the bottom of Lough Erne.

This development arose after members of the public uncovered an anomaly in the water near Corradillar Quay in Lisnaskea yesterday (Monday).

The men who raised the alarm were aware of An Garda Síochána’s renewed appeal for information regarding the location of Mr. Lynch’s car earlier this year and made contact with Clones Garda Station.

In a statement a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said the force "was liaising closely with our colleagues in the PSNI",

"Shortly after 2pm on Monday (May 18) police divers carried out an underwater search of the lake and discovered that a car was submerged. The vehicle has been recovered for examination and is believed to be the Mitsubishi belonging to Mr. Lynch who was reported missing 18 years ago.

"As part of the renewed appeal into the disappearance of Michael ‘Tony’ Lynch in January of this year An Garda Síochána conducted searches at 10 lakes in County Monaghan. These searches were to continue and were to include lakes in and around the border region, however the searches were suspended in March 2020 arising from the Covid-19 pandemic."

Inspector Graham Tolan of Monaghan Garda Station said: "An Garda Síochána will continue to investigate missing person’s cases for as long as it takes. In this case An Garda Síochána have been searching for Mr. Lynch for 18 years.

"We are grateful to the members of the public who alerted us to this anomaly in the water. I’d like to remind the public that small pieces of information, no matter how insignificant they may seem, can often prove vital, as is the case today”.

"We will continue to work with police in Lisnaskea who are investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery," he said.

A family liaison officer attached to An Garda Síochana has been appointed and is liaising with Mr. Lynch’s family.