Unsolved Irish Mysteries.

I suppose by this action...the suspects family identification to the public is more apparent now... placing him under more pressure.

What? That the gardai have taken 30 years to conduct a search at this property and after a week have found nothing worth informing the media about? It's fairly clear they decided to conduct this without any specific reliable intelligence. After decades of a wild goose chase up the Dublin mountains the cold case unit are only looking at it now because their criminologist states the obvious - these cases it's usually someone close to the victim.

I'd be absolutely furious if this were my home. Just renovated they then decide it's the time to head in and completely wreck it. That family are paying a high price, for let's call a spade a spade, garda incompetence.

Seems to me, the Gardai can't win (and I'm no AGS lackey)

If we want to get into hypotheticals, if they didn't thoroughly investigate the witness statement, and then decades later remains WERE discovered at this property, people like you would be ranting about Garda incompetence. OHMIGOD, IF ONLY THE GUARDS ACTED ON THE WITNESS STATEMENT PROPERLY AT THE TIME, MAYBE THEY WOULD HAVE SOLVED THE CASE WHILE HER MUM AND FRIENDS WERE STILL AROUND.

Also, if we want to get into hypotheticals, if it was my property, then yes I'd be a little pissed off, but also I'd like to think I'd be happy that I did my bit to assist in solving a unsolved murder case of a young female from relatively recent history (or an unsolved murder case of anyone, frankly). Seems the Irish obsession with land and property is deeply-wired, judging from a few posts I've seen on the thread!

Also, potentially, they may have learnt from other cases abroad (where police giving media too much info led to unfortunate results. I'm thinking specifically Haut de La Garenne/Jersey. The police overplayed their hand, and then had to backtrack. Personally, having lived there (in Jersey), I can understand why they went with that approach, but it was a major tactical error).

First point may be correct.

"Even if they did find any of Annie McCarricks possessions there, it's so long ago it would be nearly impossible to conclusively link them to her and her disappearance."

Second is incorrect as I understand it.

I don't have a time machine. Neither do you or the AGS, as far I'm aware.

But it doesn't really speak to my point, does it? Let's face it, people, maybe not you personally, but people would be complaining if remains were found 30 years into the future, not just in this investigation but others, in the course of some house renovations or new building or plumbing works, and it turned out that AGS had received a tip-off or witness statement, but they hadn't fully investigated it. Do you not see my point, even if you disagree with it?

If the reports are correct she was friendly and in a relationship at one time with the suspect. That would make it plausible that some of her possessions could be found there.

Secondly, the only conclusive evidence of what she was wearing on the day is some grainy CCTV footage from AIB. It would be very hard to link anything found to both her and her disappearance especially given that most textiles readily deteriorate when buried.

Her uncle was FBI I think ... father a parks cop in new York

The AIB CCTV footage was not from the day she went missing.

Was she the one that broke off the original affair, before she went back to the States?

I believe they were together briefly in 89. Annie and Dermot were together for 2 years in 1989 and 1991. Then Annie went back to the US.

Edit. Could have been 87/88

Maybe Annie was still living in the house in Clondalkin when they broke up and when she started to see Dermot Ryan?

That's interesting that he visited Long Island with Annie too.

Edit to say we will never know the dynamic between them all, young people getting together, breaking up, getting with friends ex etc. Happens all the time.

If Annie actually lived at the house in Clondalkin, it rather reduces the value of any evidence found there, doesn't it?

(Apart from human remains, obviously.)

They find a necklace of hers in the garden? She just dropped it one day when she was out there. Her shoe? Stolen by a local dog or fox. Etc etc.

Yes those dogs are amazing. I saw a show once where one found remains of a woman who was executed as a witch in America. She was buried over 200 years ago!

Then he has a clear legal remedy.

Plenty of nice chippers around Ringsend way, so he'd have gotten his meal courtesy of the cops while banged up for the 24 hours. You needn't worry about that aspect. Better than prison food too, from what I've heard.

With all due respect, and I didn't see that programme, but some of these shows are based on flimsy science at best.