Case 156
Shergar
*** Content Warning: animal cruelty ***
In Ireland in 1968, a period known as The Troubles began. Years of extreme protesting and violence culminated in low morale and widespread despair throughout the country, and the economy struggled, resulting in high unemployment rates and mass emigration.
However, one unexpected field continued to thrive – the horse racing industry – and in 1980, an Irish racehorse named Shergar took the industry by storm. The Irish public adored Shergar, who became a symbol of hope and possibility in an otherwise bleak and trying time.
That’s until the evening of February 8 1983, when a group of armed men arrived at Ballymany Stud and demanded to be taken to the stables.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research – Jessica Forsayeth
Writing – Elsha McGill
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
ONLINE ARTICLES
The Disappearance of Shergar…30 years on – by John Daly for the Irish Examiner, published 2nd February 2013, retrieved 1st October 2019
Tiede Herrema: The kidnappers were nervous. So was I – by Kathy Sheridan for the Irish Times, published 24th October 2015, retrieved 15th October 2019
Stan Cosgrove Obituary: a gifted equine veterinarian – author unknown for the Irish Times, published 14th September 2019, retrieved 15th October 2019
40 years ago, a Dutch concentration camp survivor was set free by his IRA captors after 36 days – author unknown for thejournal.ie, published 8th November 2015, retrieved 15th October 2019
Dunne kidnapping landmark in high-profile abductions – by Frank Kilfeather for the Irish Times, published 5th September 2000, retrieved 16th October 2019
Ben Dunne’s ransom was paid by Patrick Gallagher – author unknown for the Irish News, published 9th April 2000, retrieved 16th October 2019
Inside the Europa, the most notorious hotel in Europe – by Niall McGrade for Culture Trip, published 9th October 2017, retrieved 17th October 2019
IRA enforcer named as Shergar’s kidnapper places bet on the horses…35 years after world’s most famous racehorse disappeared – by Gary O’Shea for The Irish Sun, published 12th February 2018, retrieved 21st October 2019
The truth about Shergar racehorse kidnapping – by Andrew Alderson, for The UK Sun, published 27th January 2008, retrieved 21st October 2019
Exclusive – Revealed Certain Facts Behind The ‘Whodunnit’ Theory on The Kidnapping of the World-Famous Racehorse Shergar – by Giovanni Do Stefano and Caroline Bayford, for OPC Global News and Media, published 27th August 2018, retrieved 21st October 2019
Executive kidnapped by gunman – author unknown for United Press International, published 24th November 1983, retrieved 22nd October 2019
Kidnapping ended in shoot-out after 23 days of captivity for Tidey – author unknown for The Irish Times, published 6th June 1998, retrieved 22nd October 2019
VIDEOS
Who is the Aga Khan? – Published 25th May 2011, retrieved 26th September 2019
Shergar wins the 1981 Derby – rare commentary by Peter Bromley for BBC Radio 2 – published 24th May 2011, retrieved 1st October 2019
Who kidnapped Shergar? – Published 2nd June 2014, retrieved 8th October 2019
IRA Monasterevin siege – Tiede Herrema , Kildare, Ireland 24 October 1975 (Part 1 of 4) – uploaded 27th April 2019, retrieved 15th October 2019
SYND 29 10 75 Dutch businessman Herrema still hostage in Monasterevin – uploaded 24th July 2015, retrieved 15th October 2019
Tiede Herrema and his wife received at Áras an Uachtaráin – uploaded 29th June 2013, retrieved 15th October 2019
Shergar: the mystery of a 10 million pound horse – BBC Stories – uploaded 12th October 2018, retrieved 17th October 2019
Shergar’s jockey, Walter Swinburn – from Searching For Shergar – BBC One, uploaded 31st May 2018, retrieved 18th October 2019
Supermarket Executive Kidnapped – from Raidió Teilifís Éireann, reported 25th November 1983, retrieved 22nd October 2019
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
Horse Racing – update, author unknown for The Tucson Citizen, Tucson, Arizona, published 4th June 1981, retrieved 30th September 2019
Shergar is something out of the ordinary – by Richard Baerlein for The Guardian, London, England, published 3rd June 1981, retrieved 30th September 2019
The Aga Khan Lifts Italy’s Sails – by Joanne A. Fishman for the New York Times, New York City, New York, published 8th August 1983, retrieved 7th October 2019
Details of Kidnap Gang Released – by Nick Davies for The Guardian, London, England, published 15 February 1983, retrieved 7th October 2019
The perfect pedigree for success – author unknown for The Guardian, London, England, published 2nd June 1981, retrieved 30th September 2019
Hunt Still on for Shergar – by Lindsay Vincent for The Observer, London, England, published 5th February 1984, retrieved 15th October 2019
Softly-softly approach to saving the aggressor and victim – by Dr William Davies for The Guardian, London, England, published 4th January 1991, retrieved 15th October 2019
Kidnapper freed too late – by Paul Myers for The Guardian, London, England, published 29th March 1990, retrieved 15th October 2019
IRA killed Shergar, say owners – by Ian Black for The Guardian, London, England, published 7th June 1984, retrieved 18th October 2019
BOOKS
Taking Shergar – by Milton C. Toby (2018) Published University Press of Kentucky, Kentucky, USA
Shergar: A True Crime Story of Kidnapping, Racehorse and Politics – by Conrad Bauer (2016) Published by Maplewood Books
The Informer – by Sean O’Callaghan (1998) Published by Bantam Press, London, England
Tommo: Too Busy to Die – by Derek Thompson (2013) Published by Racing Post Books, London, England