THE family of an Irishman who disappeared in Holland two years ago are disappointed that no major leads have emerged after they offered a €10,000 reward a week ago for information about his whereabouts.

The family of James Patrick 'JP' Grealis believe the reward for information about his disappearance is their last hope of finding out what happened.

The last reported sighting of JP, then a 24-year-old carpenter, was when he checked out of a bed and breakfast in the town of Breda on 23 October 2008, saying he was going to find work in another town. His sister Helen said a media campaign in the Netherlands offering the reward has not resulted in any concrete leads.

"It's quite worrying," she said. "It's been a week since the campaign began in the Netherlands... A few people have got in touch but there's been nothing solid. I know I need to be more patient but we are disappointed."

The Grealis family, from Tonragee on Achill Island, have hired a team of Dutch experts to investigate. The team includes a Dutch retired detective, a criminal psychologist and a well-known crime journalist who investigates cold cases, or those the police are not treating as crimes. The team are handling tip-offs received as a result of the reward offered last week.

JP had been living in Holland for 18 months when he went missing. He had been laid off from his job the month before he disappeared.

"He was not depressed at all that we know of. He was in regular contact with my parents or myself and my sisters. It is very out of character for him to disappear," Helen added. "It is possible he could have got into a row with someone but we really don't know."

The day he disappeared, JP collected money that his parents wired to him and used his mobile phone.

"After that, we don't know what happened. We have been disappointed with how the police have handled it. He is on a missing persons list but they are not out looking for him. As far as they're concerned, he is an adult and he could have just gone somewhere and hasn't kept in touch," she added.