THE sister of a missing man is making an emotional appeal for him to get in touch with his family as they sadly mark the 25th anniversary of his disappearance.

Irishman Michael Farrell was last seen on board the ferry from Rosslare to Pembroke Dock in 1994.

Police are now pursuing new lines of enquiry about his disappearance, said his sister Mary Ramsay, who lives in Dublin.

“His beautiful granddaughter Hannah is now 16, and he has nieces and nephews that would love to know him," she said. "His friends all still talk about him fondly and ask if we ever heard anything of him.

Both our parents are still alive and we would all love to hear from him. I know Michael had a close relationship with our parents. They still live in the same house and have the same phone number.

"We would also like to make him aware of a death in the family.”

Mary, who has released a previously-unseen picture of Michael, said that he has tattoos on his arms, a small stud earring in his left ear and 'smokes a lot of cigarettes'.

Michael is described as white, 5 ft 6 ins tall, with blue eyes, short sandy hair and a moustache, and of a medium build, with a strong Dublin accent.

“Michael loves to laugh and has a great sense of humour, he loves music of all kinds,” Mary said. “He is a very gentle nature and had a lot of friends. He loves to look good and always looked after his appearance.

“We miss him greatly.

“If anyone knows what happened or where he went but was afraid to speak up at that time, they can do so now confidentially.”

Michael was last seen on the ferry at 10.30pm on September 19 1994 by a crew member heading towards his cabin in the bottom of the ship.

In a direct appeal to her brother, Mary added: "It's okay to come home, or to get in touch. We are not angry in any way, we would just love to know that you are okay."

If anyone has seen Michael, they should contact the charity Missing People anonymously by calling 116 000 or by emailing 116000@missingpeople.org.uk or call the police on 101.