Rose Dugdale
Rose Dugdale | |
---|---|
Born | Bridget Rose Dugdale 25 March 1941 Provisional IRA |
Criminal penalty | 9 years' imprisonment |
Spouse |
Eddie Gallagher (m. 1978) |
Children | 1 |
Bridget Rose Dugdale (25 March 1941 – 18 March 2024) was an English
Early life and education
Dugdale was born into a wealthy English family on 25 March 1941.
Later in 1959, Dugdale began reading
Early political activity
By the early 1970s, Dugdale had become politically radicalised due to the 1968 student protests, and she had also been inspired after visiting
In June 1973, the couple were arrested after a burglary at the Dugdale family home in Devon.
IRA activity
In the months following the trial, Dugdale travelled to Ireland and joined an IRA active service unit operating along the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.[18] In January 1974, Dugdale and other IRA members, including Eddie Gallagher, hijacked a helicopter in County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.[19][20] Dugdale and Gallagher used the helicopter to drop bombs in milk churns on the RUC station in Strabane in Northern Ireland, the first helicopter bombing raid in the history of the British Isles.[18][20] Dugdale in later life, when asked what the best day in her life had been, said that it was the day of the Strabane attack.[21] The bombs failed to explode, and Dugdale became wanted for questioning regarding the bombing with her picture in police stations across Britain and Ireland.[18] A warrant was also issued for her arrest by Manchester Magistrates Court on 23 February 1974 on charges of conspiring to smuggle arms.[22]
On 26 April 1974, Dugdale took part in a raid on Russborough House in County Wicklow, the home of Sir Alfred Beit, 2nd Baronet.[23][24] Dugdale and three other IRA members forced their way into the house, and pistol-whipped Sir Alfred and his wife before tying and gagging the couple.[25]
The IRA members then stole nineteen
As at her previous trial in 1973, Dugdale used the courtroom as a political platform, shouting "The British have an army of occupation in a small part of Ireland—but not for long!" during her arraignment in Dublin.[6][25] Dugdale's father issued a statement saying: "I don't want to appear hardhearted, but I've done everything I can for her. She knows perfectly well she could turn to me if she wanted to."[6] In Dugdale's submission to the court during her trial she denounced Britain as "a filthy enemy" and stated the Dublin government was guilty of "treacherous collaboration" with England.[25] On 25 June 1974, she was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment after pleading "proudly and incorruptibly guilty", and she gave a clenched fist salute to supporters in the public gallery.[22][25]
Imprisonment
Dugdale was pregnant with Eddie Gallagher's child when she was imprisoned, and on 12 December 1974, she gave birth to a son, Ruairí, in
The siege ended on 7 November when Herrema was released, and Coyle and Gallagher were arrested.[29] Gallagher and Coyle were sentenced to twenty years' and fifteen years' imprisonment respectively, and in 1978, Gallagher and Dugdale received special dispensation to marry.[27][30] The wedding took place on 24 January 1978 inside Limerick Prison, and was the first wedding between convicted prisoners in the history of the Republic of Ireland.[30][31] Dugdale was released from prison in October 1980.[18]
Later life
After her release from prison, Dugdale was active in the campaign in support of protesting Irish republican prisoners during the 1981 Irish hunger strike.[32] She was a veteran activist in the political party Sinn Féin.[33][34]
After her release, Dugdale acted as an expert IRA bomb-maker. From the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, she and Jim Monaghan developed home-made bombs and weapons. One was called the "biscuit launcher",
In 2007, she spoke out in support of the
In 2011, she was the honouree at the annual Dublin Volunteers event, which each year acknowledges a person for their contribution to Irish republicanism. In an interview with the republican newspaper An Phoblacht before the event, Dugdale said she believed "the revolutionary army that was the IRA had achieved its principal objective, which was to get your enemy to negotiate with you. They did that with amazing skill and ability, and I can't help but respect what was done in terms of the Good Friday Agreement." On her involvement in the IRA, she added: "I did what I wanted to do. I am proud to have been part of the Republican Movement, and I hope that I have played my very small part in the success of the armed struggle."[36]
Until her death, Dugdale lived in a care home in Dublin run by the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, most of whose residents are retired nuns.[21] She died there on 18 March 2024, at the age of 82.[37]
In popular culture
In 2012, she was the subject of a TG4 documentary entitled Mná an IRA (Women of the IRA).[38]
A biography of Dugdale by Sean O'Driscoll, Heiress, Rebel, Vigilante, Bomber: The Extraordinary Life of Rose Dugdale, was published in 2022.[39] A film, Baltimore, was released in 2024, mainly about Dugdale's role in the 1974 art raid on Russborough House, starring Imogen Poots as Dugdale.[21][40]
References
Sources
- ISBN 1-56000-901-2.
- ISBN 978-0-571-22860-7.
- O'Driscoll, Sean (2022). Heiress, Rebel, Vigilante, Bomber. ISBN 978-1-844-88556-5.
Citations
- ^ "Rose Dugdale: The English heiress who joined the IRA". BBC News. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ISBN 978-0-230-36432-5.
- ^ O'Hagan, Sean (10 March 2024). "The enigma of Rose Dugdale: what drove a former debutante to become Britain and Ireland's most wanted terrorist?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ O'Driscoll 2022, p. 7.
- ^ "Rose Dugdale, English debutante who became an IRA terrorist and bomb-maker – obituary". The Telegraph. 18 March 2024. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Renegade Debutante". TIME. 20 May 1974. Archived from the original on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
- ^ MacCarthy 2007 pp.253–254
- ^ "Doctor in dock: father a witness". The Guardian. 6 October 1973. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d MacCarthy 2007, p. 254.
- ^ MacCarthy 2007, pp. 248–249.
- ^ Ironside, Virginia (9 January 1995). "A funny little girl in socks and sandals". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Hoggard, Liz (24 September 2006). "High Society: Whatever happened to the last of the debs?". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 20 November 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i MacCarthy 2007, p. 255.
- ^ Chamier Grove, Jenny (8 February 2000). "Sarah Caudwell". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-88738-726-5.
- ^ a b MacCarthy 2007, pp. 255–256.
- ^ a b c MacCarthy 2007, p. 256.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-87923-378-5.bombing raid in the British Isles, with four improvised milk-churn bombs
With these "wild boys" she planned and executed the first-ever helicopter
- ^ Page, Jeremy (30 April 2007). "Rebel bombers' World Cup air raid". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
- ^ a b Cusack, Jim (30 October 2005). "Herrema kidnapping threatened economy". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
Eddie Gallagher was arrested with Rose Dugdale in 1974 after they had hijacked a helicopter and tried to drop milk churns containing explosive on the RUC station in Strabane
- ^ a b c d O'Hagan, Sean (10 March 2024). "The enigma of Rose Dugdale: what drove a former debutante to become Britain and Ireland's most wanted terrorist?". The Observer. Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d Bell 1997, p.407
- ^ "No regrets for renegade IRA art robber Rose Dugdale". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d e McQuillan, Deirdre (20 November 1995). "Adventures of a mobile masterpiece". Insight on the News. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f MacCarthy 2007, p. 257.
- ^ Bell 1997, p. 417.
- ^ a b c Woulfe, Jimmy (19 October 2005). "Herrema recalls 1975 kidnap drama". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 20 November 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
- ^ "The Hostage Dilemma". TIME. 20 October 1975. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
- ^ a b "1975: IRA kidnappers release industrialist". BBC. 7 November 1975. Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
- ^ a b MacCarthy 2007, p. 258.
- ^ "Selected Irish historical events by month". Tralee Times. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
- ISBN 0-87113-702-X.
- ^ a b Smyth, Robbie (8 March 2007). "Sinn Féin Ard Fheis 2007 : the All Ireland Agenda". An Phoblacht. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
- ^ Reid, Lorna (29 January 2007). "Not quite everyone sang from the same hymn sheet". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
- ^ "The IRA's recoilless improvised grenade launcher". The Firearm Blog. 13 October 2014. Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024. Detailed technical article on the "biscuit launcher".
- ^ "DUBLIN VOLUNTEERS DINNER DANCE 2011 HONOUREE – ROSE DUGDALE – An Phoblacht". www.anphoblacht.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
- ^ "English heiress turned IRA member Rose Dugdale dies". RTÉ.ie. 18 March 2024. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Daly, Susan (5 January 2012). "English heiress turned IRA bomber Rose Dugdale gives rare interview". Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
- ^ O'Driscoll 2022
- ^ Ide, Wendy (24 March 2024). "Baltimore review – Imogen Poots excels as British aristocrat turned IRA volunteer Rose Dugdale". The Observer. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
Further reading
- Amore, Anthony M. ISBN 978-1643135298.
- O'Driscoll, Sean. Heiress, Rebel, Vigilante, Bomber: The Extraordinary Life of Rose Dugdale. Penguin Ireland, 2022. ISBN 978-1844885558.