remains found shergar

The horse was much-loved and a celebrity in itself, and was a five-year old embarking on his second year out to stud when three armed men wearing masks burst into Ballymany threatening the head groom Jim Fitzgerald and his family. In coldly commercial terms, Shergar was an international commodity: breeding fees went for 80,000. But the end of the case did not deter others on the hunt. of Shergar. The abduction sparked a massive hunt, but, according to a former IRA terrorist, Sean O'Callaghan, Shergar was killed within days. Negotiations were conducted with the thieves, but the gang broke off all communication He opened it to find two men wearing balaclavas wielding guns - one of them said, We have come for Shergar. Irelands economy was ransacked. From there, the scene moved to Maxwells farmhouse, at a remote location outside Belfast. At gunpoint, Mr Fitzgerald, a quietly spoken father of six, was forced to lead the gang to Shergar's stable and load the horse into a stolen horsebox that they had brought with them. However, Nicky Kehoe, who was also named by O'Callaghan in his book as a member of the IRA kidnap gang, denied any involvement. The organisation would never admit culpability but Sean OCallaghan, the IRA commander and police informer, in interviews named those he said carried out the act. Stud fees were set at around 80,000 for each time it covered a brood mare. Police said the kidnappers did just that after driving away with their prize. The stallion had a white blaze mark on his face, four white "socks" and a distinctive racing style of running with his tongue hanging out - he was gentle, calm and kind. There was lots of cursing and swearing because the horse wouldnt die. "Conway was able to confirm to me that these were not coincidental events, but part of a strategy by the Provisional IRA to raise much-needed money for arms. WebShergar No one has ever admitted responsibility for the incident, and the remains of the horse have never been found. After Shergar won the 202nd Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby in 1981, the five-year-old Irish-bred retired. An Irish councillor claims he had discovered the head of horse racing legend Shergar. Forty years on, the taking of Shergar remains such a bizarre and shameful episode in Irish history that it only makes sense when set against the lush scenes and ecstatic cheering of his immortal season. Shergar's memorable ten-length Epsom Derby victory of 1981. Another would not cause any attention. The man who made Shergar a superstar appealed to the kidnapperslast night: "For God's sake, don't harm him. The bronze, a replica of a statue at Aintree, is worth pounds 10,000. The Unsolved Mystery of Shergar According to the BBC, The body has never been found. Secretariat was buried in a 6 by 6-foot oak casket lined with orange silk, the color used by Claibornes racing stables. The kidnap strategy was divided into three parts. The question you have to ask is: why else would anyone use a pistol to shoot a racehorse? But on that day in June 1981, the pair owned the day. A common belief is that Shergars remains are buried somewhere in that region of the country. He was thought to have a long and distinguished stud career ahead of him. Chief superintendent James Murphy, who is leading the kidnap hunt, said last night: "It was unbelievably easy. One group took the horse. 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. Once targets had been attacked, active service units would then slip back to the "safe houses" of the south to prepare for their next mission. On Monday, August 8, 2022, an inmate in the Polk County Detention Center led the Polk County Sheriffs Office to skeletal remains in a shallow grave west of He became a breeding stallion in Ireland with an impressive fertility rate, and still attracted crowds. The Sunday Telegraph also tracked down Kevin Mallon to his seafront home in Howth, eight miles from Dublin city centre. "We are keen to find Shergar. Shergar won at a canter and the chief anticipation at Epsom was whether the sensational three-year-old and his young jockey would handle the enormous expectation. But having established beyond doubt that the horse was killed by the IRA - though Alison is unable to confirm some reports which said that it was machine-gunned to death after breaking a leg and becoming unmanageable - there remained the question posed by the title of the documentary, Searching for Shergar. Olly Murs breaks down on stage over Caroline Flack 'regret', Fulham's Pereira stretchered off with suspected broken leg in worrying scenes, One dead and seven injured as knifeman goes on bloody rampage near club, 'Meghan killed me - then she mourns me', says estranged dad Thomas Markle, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. He received a rapturous welcome on his homecoming to the Curragh for the Irish Derby. Once back home, Mr Fitzgerald found his family unharmed. That is something we haven't got," he once said. In a neat turn of phrase, Alison says: "They thought this horse would be their cash cow.". I never at any stage thought he was worried. Tommy Foley, from Tralee in Co Kerry, said he found the remains of the stallions skull last Saturday during an annual clean up of a glen outside the West Ireland town. I found that really hard to understand. Cosgrove didnt doubt this was Shergar but it was impossible to tell if the horse was even alive. An armed gang who stole Shergar, winner of the 1981 Derby from the Aga Khan's Irish stud on Tuesday night told a captive groom at the time that they would be demanding 2 million for his safe return. It was left to each member to insure his own share. Secretariat Maybe the most well-known racehorse of all time was the first in racing history to be awarded the Horse of the Year Award. By now there were up to eight gunmen on the scene. Shergar and Mr Fitzgerald were put inside. As his second season approached, Shergar was expected to cover at least 55 mares throughout 1983. His owner Le Mare always had the dream of winning the Grand National, so Red Rum began training for his new career in steeplechasing. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. File photograph: The Irish Times. 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Physically, he was a distinctive beauty: the white blaze on the nose, the four white socks. Already, however, there were problems: the kidnappers mistakenly believed that Shergar belonged solely to the Aga Khan when, in fact, the horse was owned by 34 members of the syndicate, who had to agree tactics. His peerless season, remember, coincided with the dark, muggy summer of the Hunger Strikes. He said the scene that greeted him at Belfast airport was unreal: "It was like being a film star. Scientific tests on a skull of a horse found in Ireland have ruled out the possibility that it was the remains of kidnapped racehorse Shergar. It couldnt have happened in a worse country in that we are the kingdom of the horse here, says racing historian Guy Williams. Here is Shergar winning the Epsom Derby in 1981: Discover the real Ireland, how you can travel slow around the island, Dubliner adopted to New York at birth reunites with Irish family 63 years later, Catholic Church launches initiative encouraging young Irish men to consider priesthood, Killarney National Park in "terrible state" after years of neglect, conference hears, Great Famine Voices 2023 Launch New Season of Films, Ireland of the Welcomes' hot hotel: The Savoy Hotel Limerick, WATCH: 1916 Easter Rising footage featured in British Path online archives, Mustard and herb lamb chops with honey dressing recipe. The dark humour disguised the less palatable truth that Ireland, the Banana Republic, couldnt even cherish and safeguard one of the most gorgeous animals the world had seen. But perhaps its greatest mystery is what happened to Shergar, the racehorse once regarded as the nearest real-life equivalent to Pegasus, the winged horse from Greek mythology. Some said it was the Mafia in retaliation for a horse deal with the Aga Khan that had gone wrong. Shergars owners reportedly refused to give in to the two million pound ransom demand for fear of setting a precedent. Alison, who has been fascinated by the disappearance of Shergar since her early years, researched the existing material meticulously and found some of the so-called 'exclusives' less than accurate. Red Rum did not have any foals. 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. This process is referred to as a caricature of police bungling, as the actual police werent notified until 8 hours after Shergar was taken and the men were long gone from the area. Revered Irish racehorse Shergar was taken at gunpoint from Ballymany Stud in County Kildare on February 8, 1983, and never seen again. He had a lot of confidence in Shergar. He then hung up. He proved infertile as a stallion, as none of the 34 mares bred to him became pregnant. Desert Orchid (11 April 1979 13 November 2006), known as Dessie, was an English racehorse. This was it and it was approved by the IRA army council, according to our sources.". File photograph: Matt Kavanagh. 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. Shergar was born in Kildare, Ireland in 1978. 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. Shergar amassed 295,000 in prize money in 1981 under Stoute's careful handling. I set out thinking surely after all this time, there will be somebody wholl say, Ach yeah, he was buried in such a such a place. I received various messages after the film and all sorts of controversial theories afterwards that I was emailed. "Thirty-five years after the horse was taken from its stable in Kildare, I wanted to do my own documentary, and the letters proved invaluable in pointing me in certain directions. 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. But there was an important difference between the two. "We decided to go into the extreme end of the glen this year where there was a lot of dumping taking place. "I can still remember that night in that car with them lads. But I couldnt get my head around the horse, and it brought it back to the fact that there is a fear of somebody saying something that would get them in trouble. It is also widely believed his kidnappers buried him in a bog in Co. Leitrim, though some think they dumped him into the sea of Irelands south coast. Shergar won the Espom Derby in England in 1981, romping home by ten lengths, which still remains the record for the longest margin of victory in the famous race. 1: First Down Dash, $89,707,366. Native Dancer became so popular that his blood began to dominate the Thoroughbred breed. 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. What Colors Can Rocky Mountain Horses Be? Negotiations with the kidnappers continued for four days and a Polaroid photograph was provided, showing Shergar and an up-to-date copy of the Irish Times before the kidnappers suddenly fell silent. Some horses are treated similar to pets, kept for their companionship and entertainment value. Walter Swinburn on Shergar after his runaway victory in the Epsom Derby in 1981. The Sunday Telegraph reported that four days after Shergar was seized, the Army Council realized they would never collect a ransom. Those who looked after and rode Shergar agree that he was one of the kindest, gentlest racehorses ever to grace the racetrack. The search for the last resting place of Shergar It was the world's most famous racehorse when it was kidnapped by an armed IRA gang in 1983 and And I wanted to capture this love story that Ireland had with this beautiful beast. An Irish councillor claims he had discovered the head of horse racing legend Shergar. According to OCallaghan, Shergar had become agitated during transport, badly damaging a leg. Part of the mythology of Shergar is that he descended upon flat racing like a comet. No one has ever admitted responsibility for the incident, and the remains of the horse have never been found. At gunpoint they led Mr Fitzgerald's wife and their five children into one room and locked the door. There was lots of cussin' and swearin' because the horse wouldn't die. View our online Press Pack. Stan Cosgrove, now 81, who spent more than 80,000 trying to get the horse back and, later, in trying to prove that Shergar was dead, has never received a penny. The sinister end to a beautiful episode in Irish sport; the freakish clash of paramilitarism and high-end horse breeding and the abrupt and sudden silence has made Shergar seem like a symbol of everything that was warped about Ireland on both sides of the Border. O'Callaghan suggested the horse had thrown itself into a frenzy, injured a leg and that it was put out of its misery and "was killed within days even though the IRA kept up the pretence that he was alive". However, it is still possible to see, hundreds of feet below and stretching to the horizon, the most sparsely populated terrain in all of Ireland. The next day, another call came through with the following message: The horse has had an accident. In an interview given to the Telegraph in 2008, a source claimed that Shergar was machine-gunned to death by the IRA. 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. When she spoke with people, she found them friendly but reticent It was not until about 4am that the Garda was alerted - and one of the biggest security operations in the Republic's history swung into action. In June 1981 he threw his stable lad and bolted during a workout at Newmarket. Just sort of go out there and do your best. Now a new BBC One Northern Ireland documentary reveals the thoroughbred is likely buried in a desolate bog in Co Leitrim. It is 25 years since a world-famous racehorse was kidnapped by the IRA, never to be seen again. He was caught five miles away by fireman Andy Sheldrick. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. 19-year-old English jockey Walter Swinburn on Shergar, after winning the Derby at Epsom, 3rd June 1981, Walter Swinburn wins the Derby on Shergar in 1981, Shergar, ridden by a 19-year-old Walter Swinburn, wins the Derby by 10 lengths at Epsom, 3rd June 1981, The Aga Khan leads Shergar in after his Derby win, Portrait of Shergar at his stables in Newmarket, England, taken in 1980, Walter Swinburn and Shergar made a formidable partnership. "I can tell you, I didn't look around once - I was happy to be on the ground," he said in a broad Co Kildare accent. Police have now passed the skull to the Garda team at Naas, in Co Kildare, which is responsible for the The gang struck as stud head groom Jim Fitzgerald and his family were relaxing after dinner at their home in Ballymany, near Newbridge in County Kildare. Thats it.. Did They Trade Horses In The Columbian Exchange? "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. They forced him to release the horse, before they also took him away with them. "No horse deserves an ending like that - let alone one as special as Shergar.. Well, I would say, somebody knows. But he wanted his champion to stand at his Irish stud. but he had a great head that way. His reluctance to talk is understandable. One of the most famous animal kidnapping cases the in the world took place in Ireland thirty years ago this Thursday. His five victories that season included the Irish Derby and Ascot's prestige King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. What happened next is not for the fainthearted. His US Triple Crown performances ingrained his place in history. WebShergar's remains have never been found and the thieves have never been officially identified. Piggott was not a man given to excessive emotion but of Shergar he said late in his life: He was one of the best horses of the last hundred years. He was a very kind horse. The most valuable horse in the world disappeared without trace. He refused to entertain the idea of bowing to the kidnappers' demands. "I was there with a farmer's son and he said it was not an ordinary horse.". The mystery man who went to Ireland to disappear. Four hours later he was released, still blindfolded but unharmed, near Dublin. The other IRA figure was Kieran Conway, a one-time intelligence chief of the organisation, who had rejoined the organisation after the 1981 hunger strikes. In this case, the Read more. Derby winner Shergar was kidnapped by an IRA gang from a stud in Co Kildare 17 years ago. He said: "If Shergar is harmed in any way it will do untold damage to the whole bloodstock industry. Or the detective who did his best in a situation that became crazy. Searching For Shergar will be on BBC iPlayer (Northern Ireland section) from Thursday night. It is then believed, and the claim is repeated in a documentary on BBC One in Northern Ireland on Thursday night, that the remains were buried in a bog. The incident has inspired several books, documentaries, and a film starring Mickey Rourke. In an apparent bid to receive a pay out, jailed IRA But I honestly don't think Shergar's grave will ever be found.". This vivid image of how Shergar died confirmed the worst fears of one of the most senior figures in Irish racing. He flew to Belfast to negotiate at the Europa Hotel. A quarter of a century ago, the Ballymany Stud was shielded from the outside world by a five-bar wooden gate with a latch. He was born in Kildare in 1978 and kidnapped by an armed gang in 1983. Police were checking on reports that a car and horsebox were seen heading towards the Ulster border at dawn yesterday. They are expected to carry out DNA tests. Alison adds: "The letters also set the context for the period, and when we were fitting the jigsaw together, we never found a piece missing. 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. The horse had retired from racing and had recently embarked on a lucrative career at stud with racehorse owners paying for Shergar to cover their mares in the hope the resulting foal would be another champion. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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. But he had his first budget to deliver the next day, so he "passed the buck" to the justice minister. Others said he had been seized for Colonel Gaddafi of Libya in return for arms to the IRA. They were so lovely and they went through such trauma. It was the time of horse sales in the area and the roads were full of horseboxes. More are on the way. 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. 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. I think Wally and [trainer] Michael Stoute not me, I can assure you, I was the one who was in bits were very good with him. The kidnappers are widely thought to have been IRA members but much less is known for sure about subsequent events, and Shergar's remains have never been found, while the IRA have never admitted any role in the theft or its aftermath. Shergar, scheduled to cover up to 55 mares a year, has put 42 of his first 44 mares in foal. Shergar became a father for the first time a week ago when a bay colt [pictured top left on the newspaper page above] who looks remarkably like him was born at the Irish stud. 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. Shergar was a legend long before his unfortunate end, winning Irish and English Derbys - the latter by a record margin. The bay colt was owned by the Aga Khan, the billionaire spiritual leader to 15 million Ismaili Muslims, was trained by Sir Michael Stoute at Newmarket and was ridden by the "choirboy", an angelic looking 19-year-old jockey called Walter Swinburn, who now trains in Britain. The disappearance of the iconic racehorse, suspected to be the work of the IRA, has fascinated people for more than three decades. But his disappearance remains a mystery. The gang had chosen the time for the snatch carefully. August 26, 1984. What is known, however, is that the horse was a star on the track and at the center of one of the biggest crime mysteries in Ireland during the 1980s. WebShergar has never been found. Lawyer Owen Tebbs, who organised the syndicate for the Aga, said: "It is quite likely many have not taken out insurance. Its impossible to buy. Along with triple Grand National winner Red Rum, it remains probably the most famous horse to come out of Europe in the last century. What did Cleo sMITHs abductor do to her? The most valuable horse in the world disappeared without trace. Nobody has ever been charged with the theft. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Remains were never They lived in that other world.. Published by Jennifer Webster on November 28, 2022. "I would love to see this mystery resolved so that we all knew what happened to the horse's remains. Alison has no doubt. This meant there were two parallel inquiries, with the two forces refusing to share information. A former IRA member told the Sunday Telegraph: "Shergar was machine-gunned to death. 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. There was blood everywhere and the horse even slipped on his own blood. Now, chief reporter Andrew Alderson has solved the mystery of Shergar's final hours, why his remains have never There was lots of cussin' and swearin' because the horse wouldn't die. The brass nameplate on Secretariats stall door will remain there. There was a lot of shrugging and shaking of heads, while Martin Kenny, a Sinn Fein councillor for the town, said: "I have never heard anyone say they knew where Shergar was buried or what happened to him.". A gorgeous few minutes of television interview exists with Walter Swinburn, utterly unflappable and just 19 when he rode Shergar to victory. Walter rode horses as he found them and that won him many races. Shergar was voted European Racehorse of the Year, but he never raced again and was retired to stud. The failure to find Shergar's body meant that only members of the syndicate who had insured the horse for theft - as well as death or an accident - were compensated by their insurance companies. Shergar, a beloved thoroughbred The man, who asked not to be identified, said only an expert should kill a horse - there is a spot the size of a thumb nail on the animal's head which the bullet, or humane killer, has to hit to prevent suffering.
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