They all suffered in some way. Watch: Irish enjoy a trad session in 1988, in Paddy Reillys pub, NYC, How you can learn Gaelic literature and culture online with a top Irish university, The story behind Ireland's favorite song, The Cranberries "Zombie", How the Irish (and Welsh) invented romantic love. Were William Butler Yeats alive, his passion for Celtic myth and legend would seize upon the story of Shergar. The 10-length winning distance has never been bettered in a race that dates back to 1780. It was believed Shergar valued at 10m was taken by the IRA, which was short of money and looking for new sources of funding. When she spoke with people, she found them friendly but reticent to speak about her chief subject. Although there was some dissent, the members of the syndicate owning shares in Shergar refused to countenance paying over any money and, shortly afterwards, all contact was ended and the mystery deepened. WebShergar has never been found. Yes. The kidnappers had also failed to anticipate the reaction of the people of Ireland - a horse-loving nation - to Shergar's abduction. Because it was that spirit that haunted those people. Another engaged a trio of racing correspondents from London to travel to the Europa Hotel in Belfast to await further instructions. "We want 2 million if you want the horse back in one piece," they said. Instead, they were dealing with a syndicate, most of whose insurance policies covered theft. His 306 foals went on to produce such legends as 1964 Derby and Preakness winner Northern Dancer, who himself sired 645 named foals; Mr. A source told the paper: "Shergar was machine gunned to death. John Waynes Monument Valley Horseback Ride, Wyatt Earps Vendetta Ride Tombstone Arizona Territory. All that energy, all that life. By David Remnick. Unlike today, there were no electronic security gates, CCTV cameras or an intercom to gain access - even though the horses inside were sometimes worth millions of pounds each. Last night police chief Mr Murphy appealed to the gang to return Shergar unharmed. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? However, she has happier memories of making the documentary. File photograph: Matt Kavanagh. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. However, Nicky Kehoe, who was also named by O'Callaghan in his book as a member of the IRA kidnap gang, denied any involvement. 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He proved infertile as a stallion, as none of the 34 mares bred to him became pregnant. They found the horse just as they imagined. With an intense garda hunt taking place across the country and the ransom process now a shambles, a decision was made to end the operation. He opened it to find two men wearing balaclavas wielding guns - one of them said, We have come for Shergar. Mr Cosgrove, in turn, rang his friend, former Army officer Captain Sean Berry. Capt Berry, now 78, who at the time was the chairman of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, revealed last week that he had been working with senior police officers from Dublin on the case - and those officers felt themselves to be in direct competition with the local police in Co Kildare. She spent months getting to know them. It is almost impossible now to watch the footage of Shergar striding away from the field, 10 lengths clear in the Epsom Derby no horse has won it by such a margin before or since without thinking of the cruelty and lonesomeness of his last hours. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Thompson believed he kept the call going long enough to trace the location only to be told by police that the man who did their tracing had clocked off and headed home at midnight. Now, chief reporter Andrew Alderson has solved the mystery of Shergar's final hours, why his remains have never been found and uncovered the truth about the bungled ransom attempt that led to his demise. The Irish Sea Helped And when he was released, he spent two of three weeks with us.". Most domesticated horses in the world today are used to ride and to do farm or ranch work. I never at any stage thought he was worried. But last night, more than 24 hours after the raid, they had made no contact. "He was a gentleman and he even gave us his mobile telephone number. The kidnapping became one of the great mysteries of the 1980s, with constant reports of sightings, but despite a nationwide search no trace of him was ever found. At his home, Jim Fitzgerald was dismayed when I broke the news about exactly how the horse he had cared for had died. Shergar, scheduled to cover up to 55 mares a year, has put 42 of his first 44 mares in foal. The groom was blindfolded and forced to lie on the floor as the gang drove away. Insurers refused to pay out without proof of the horse's death. Certainly, the operation bore the hallmarks of an IRA plan in that it relied upon immaculate planning, thuggery, ruthlessness and the usual fetish for hokey codenames, delivered tersely down telephones. A week later, The Irish Times reported that a loaded magazine from a semi-automatic rifle was found near the outside wall of Ballymany Stud and recognised as the kind used by the Provisional IRA in south Armagh. Alison has no doubt. He refused to entertain the idea of bowing to the kidnappers' demands. Searching for Shergar, BBC One Northern Ireland, Thursday, June 7, Receive today's headlines directly to your inbox every morning and evening, Please check your inbox to verify your details, I thought Id be hauled over the coals, but my boss suggested I see a doctor. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, 5% off all bookings with this Travelodge discount code, Save 200 on 2023 holidays with this TUI discount code, Save 5% on hotel bookings with this Barcelo promo code, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Get up to 10% off using the Booking.com app, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK April 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this April, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. "There Was Blood Everywhere": What Really Happened to Shergar Infamous Shergar-kidnapping case closes After driving him around for three hours, the kidnappers dumped Fitzgerald out of the car. No-one has ever admitted the theft of Shergar. How much should we talk about our private life at work? Rumors abound that the horse was killed just a few hours after the abduction, but the true fate of the horse remains unknown. The Aga Khan, Shergars owner, sent the horse for training in Britain in 1979 and 1980. A series of phone calls was made, ultimately to Stan Cosgrove, the renowned equine vet and a shareholder in Shergar and to Alan Dukes, the Kildare TD and then minister for finance. Ill never forget it. Now, chief reporter Andrew Alderson has solved the mystery of Shergar's final hours, why his remains have never been found and uncovered the truth about the The Irish horse breeding industry was one of the few bright spots, with 20,000 associated jobs. Far from having one owner to get the ransom from the IRA had to deal with the multiple owners of shares in the horse some of whom did not want to set a precedent by paying a ransom. On the night of February 8th masked gunmen invaded the family home of Jim Fitzgerald, the retired chief groom at Ballymany and a father of six children, took him hostage and brought him to Ballymany. One idea is that the horse did have some sort of accident while in a frenzy, and the men killed him because they couldnt handle his crazed manner. That is certainly not the case around Ballinamore. It was left to each member to insure his own share. The gang had chosen the time for the snatch carefully. Mr Foley, who still has the head, said he had not yet been to the police about the discovery, but planned to do so soon. From revolutionaries to royalty, Toby covers the Horses are often Read more, Horsehair is used for the crafts of horsehair hitching, horsehair braiding, pottery, and in making jewelry items such as bracelets, necklaces, earrings and barrettes. And he came up to Walter and he grabbed his jacket. It was several minutes before Shergar bled to death. 1 Ruffian. Those hairs would be invaluable DNA evidence if any remains of the animal are ever found. Shergar was stolen from Ballymany Stud in Co Kildare on the night of February 9th, 1983. The horse was the easiest modern-day winner of the Epsom Derby. The IRA has privately tried to blame renegade members for the kidnap, but Kevin O'Connor, a historian and journalist with top Republican contacts, dismisses this idea. He was stolen at night along with his groom, who was held at gunpoint in the horse van before being released 20 miles away. A TERROR chief who was publicly accused of being behind the Shergar kidnapping nips down to the bookies on the anniversary of the legendary racehorses disappearance. The remains of a Cherry Hill man reported missing by his family earlier this year were found by a hunter this week in a state park, authorities said.. Peter Myers, 68, Then, pointing their guns at 58-year-old Mr Fitzgerald, they marched him across the road to the luxurious stud. In coldly commercial terms, Shergar was an international commodity: breeding fees went for 80,000. He was bred by the Aga Khan and sold for 10 million to an international syndicate when he was retired from racing. Bank robberies, or hold-ups of cash in transit, was becoming more and more difficult and a new strategy needed to be found. She says: "He would have been in the middle of it.". Jockey Walter Swinburn, who rode Shergar in most of his races, was in India yesterday and had not been told about the horse's disappearance. But there was an important difference between the two. Who was the greatest racehorse sire of all time? Fitzgerald was then forced into their car at gunpoint. Or the detective who did his best in a situation that became crazy. What happened to Shergar, when was he kidnapped and where There was widespread relief when at the end of his career, instead of being shipped to one of the large American studs as expected, Shergar was returned to his birthplace of Ireland. Now a new BBC One Northern Ireland documentary reveals the thoroughbred is likely buried in a desolate bog in Co Leitrim. You can call me Arkle from now on, a voice told ITVs Derek Thompson when the phone eventually rang at 1.15 in the morning. When proof was eventually presented, it was flimsy: a photo of Shergars head with a copy of a Belfast newspaper from February 9th held against it. The lad with me is a farmer's son, and he knew immediately that the skull came from a racehorse. It was shortly after 8 pm when the son of Jim Fitzgerald, Shergars head groom that lived at the stud, heard a knock at the door. Irelands economy was ransacked. Lord Lucan and the Mafia In 2008, the Sunday Telegraph took a closer look at the cold The IRA's operations were heavily disrupted as every known Republican stronghold and safe house was raided in the hunt for the horse which, in turn, led to the seizure of several arms caches. In an apparent bid to receive a pay out, jailed IRA informant Seon O'Callagan claimed the horse died within 24 hours. Tests carried out at the Irish Equine Centre, in County Kildare, found the skull belonged to a much younger horse than the racing legend was when he was abducted. Even though the Troubles ended a decade ago we were advised "not to spend more than an hour there if you are asking awkward questions". In 1981 he ran in six races, winning five of them. One said it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. It couldnt have happened in a worse country in that we are the kingdom of the horse here, says racing historian Guy Williams. Man o War. He was thought to have a long and distinguished stud career ahead of him. The incident has inspired several books, documentaries, and a film starring Mickey Rourke. Many in the Republic, including broad Republican sympathisers, would never have forgiven the IRA and its political wing, Sinn Fein, for machine gunning the equine pride of the nation in cold blood. An astonishing lack of security made it equally simple for a four-man gang to steal him from the Aga Khan's stud farm in Ireland. His peerless season, remember, coincided with the dark, muggy summer of the Hunger Strikes. Furthermore, by contacting leading IRA men in Co Leitrim the leadership had guaranteed the horse "safe passage" to a remote farm close to the border. "He has always refused to speak openly about his time in the IRA, but he spoke to me as an 'expert' on the IRA's kidnapping strategy," says Alison. In 1999, former IRA gunman Sen O'Callaghan published his memoirs, The Informer. And they would go: yes, somebody knows, but we have to move on, love, we dont want to talk about it. But detectives believe he is hidden away in an isolated spot. Mallon is described by those who know him, including former paramilitaries, as a "head case". The Unsolved Mystery of Shergar According to the BBC, The body has never been found. WebShergar's remains have never been found and the thieves have never been officially identified. He was born in Kildare in 1978 and kidnapped by an armed gang in 1983. . and the rest are nowhere. Shergar was five years old and preparing for his second season as a breeding stallion when he was snatched from the Ballymany Stud in Co Kildare - just a stone's throw from The Curragh racetrack - on a foggy winter's evening. In a neat turn of phrase, Alison says: "They thought this horse would be their cash cow.". View our online Press Pack. "An operation of this intensity requiring this amount of manpower would have to have been authorised at a high level," he said. I received various messages after the film and all sorts of controversial theories afterwards that I was emailed. There were cameras all around." And finally being able to touch all that remains of the wonder horse apart from memories - a little bunch of hairs plucked from its mane and tail shortly before it was kidnapped and given to two young visitors who came to photograph Shergar one day.