Latest news with #Derham
Extra.ie
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
'Ireland's stolen crown jewels would be priceless if they were ever recovered'
Ireland's missing crown jewels would be 'priceless' if ever recovered, according to a leading historian. The disappearance of the jewels, which sparked a scandal more than a century ago, is examined in a new RTÉ documentary, titled Legacy. In the series, historian and Dublin Castle buildings curator William Derham revisits the mystery of the jewels' theft in 1907, just days before a royal visit, and the intrigue surrounding one of Ireland's most enduring historical whodunnits. Ireland's missing crown jewels would be 'priceless' if ever recovered, according to a leading historian. 'They were kept here at Dublin Castle, and they were discovered missing then in July 1907, just two days before Edward VII was due to arrive in Dublin and actually wear the jewels during an installation ceremony for the Knights of St Patrick,' Mr Derham said. He continued: 'The Irish Crown Jewels are a bit of a misnomer. 'They suggest a crown, orb and a sceptre like you would have in the Tower of London. 'They were, in effect, the regalia of the Order of St Patrick that happened to be the property of the crown, hence the name 'crown jewels'.' The final episode of Legacy, which airs next Sunday, highlights four sites where portraits have helped preserve Irish history, including Glebe House and Gallery in Donegal, Kilkenny Castle, Áras an Uachtaráin and Dublin Castle. The disappearance of the jewels, which sparked a scandal more than a century ago, is examined in a new RTÉ documentary, titled Legacy. In the programme on Dublin Castle, Mr Derham explains how each Viceroy of Ireland was entitled to wear the crown jewel regalia, which included three ornate pieces. He said: 'There was a large eight-pointed diamond, ruby and emerald star that was worn kind of on the breast. There was a smaller oval diamond with a small diamond-crowned harp on top of it, which was hung around the neck. 'And then there was a larger golden oval with the insignia of St Patrick in the middle that hung on a large gold chain, kind of from shoulder to shoulder.' When the jewels vanished, the scandal made international headlines and led to the resignation of the man in charge of them. 'It was a huge scandal at the time. Someone did resign, rather reluctantly – a gentleman called Arthur Vicars who was the Ulster King of Arms, who also had charge of the ceremonial life of the viceregal court and of the crown jewels,' said Mr Derham. 'And when he moved to a new office in 1907, his safe wouldn't fit into the new, purposely built strongroom, and so it was left, with his agreement, in the library of his new office – and it was from the safe in that library that they were discovered missing. He was ultimately made the fall guy.' Mr Derham believes the jewels are worth an immeasurable sum if they have been kept intact. He said: ''Priceless', I think, is probably the only word you could hit on that would be accurate. And the jewels are still out there.' Legacy – The Art of the Portrait is on RTÉ One at 6.30 pm, June 1.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Watch: Swat teams raid homes of Republican influencers in the night
Credit: X/@OwenShroyer1776, Larry Taunton, Erin Derham. Shortly before 2am, Erin Derham awoke to the sound of loud banging at the door. Confused and half-asleep, she ran to the front entrance in her polka-dot pyjamas to find a police officer in a bulletproof vest armed with a pistol, his finger on the trigger. Ten minutes later, the married mother-of-three collapsed on the upstairs landing as the adrenaline that had been coursing through her body began to dissipate. 'It's okay mom,' her 13-year-old said while patting her mother's leg. Ms Derham, 40, and her husband Matt Van Swol, 31, had just been 'swatted' – a crime that involves making a fake emergency call to draw first responders to a person's home. Credit: Erin Derham Incidents have spiked over the past fortnight with more than a dozen influencers targeted – the majority of whom appear to be Trump supporters. While some have dismissed swatting as a form of prank call, it can be deadly. In 2017, 28-year-old Andrew Finch was shot dead by police at his home in a swatting incident. Finch, who was not involved in the dispute between two Call of Duty players, was targeted as one of the gamers who was falsely using his address. The first-ever UK sentence for swatting was passed last year after a man was shot in the face by police who responded to a hoax call. 'Just picture a gun in your face and your kids are 10ft away. There is nothing funny about that,' said Ms Derham, who described the practice as the 'cheapest form of terrorism'. Many of those targeted have also interacted online with Elon Musk, the head of Mr Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), with the tech billionaire re-sharing their posts. Mr Musk has called for the perpetrators to 'face justice'. The FBI and Homeland Security have both announced investigations into the 'alarming rise' in the incidents. 'The FBI is aware of this dangerous trend, and my team and I are already taking action to investigate and hold those responsible accountable,' said Kash Patel, Bureau's director. Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, wrote on X last week: 'Under President Trump's leadership, we will not sit idly by as conservative new media and their families are being targeted by false swatting. 'We will use it to hunt these cowards down. This is an attack on our law enforcement and innocent families and we will prosecute it as such.' Ms Derham had some idea of what might be happening when she opened the door. 'I yelled for Matt to come and said, 'we're being swatted,'' she said. The historian and filmmaker had seen reports on X of conservative influencers being swatted in recent days and had warned her local police department that she and her family might be targeted. The couple, who previously voted Democrat, rose to prominence as community activists calling for more aid to be distributed to North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. Mr Van Swol's account, which has more than 198,000 followers on X, has been reposted and commented on by Mr Musk on a regular basis. 'I screamed, 'there are three kids upstairs,'' Ms Derham said, as she tried to explain to the officers that the call was a hoax. 'I was so scared they were going to wake up.' According to Ms Derham, an officer later told her they had received a 911 call from someone pretending to be her husband, saying his wife had been shot and killed, and that he had been shot and was hiding in the bathroom. 'Whoever did this, they were trying to get us killed,' she said. In total, four police cars, two ambulances and a fire crew were called out to their house in Asheville, North Carolina. Both were left traumatised by the event. 'I just stare at the door waiting for the next horrible thing to happen,' said Mr Van Swol. 'What's given me pause for thought is that someone could read anything I write, and think it's worth sending police to my home to terrorise me and my kids.' Local police declined to comment when approached by The Telegraph. Ms Derham and her husband are not the only Right-wing media personalities to receive a knock on their door from police in the middle of the night. Larry Taunton, host of the Ideas Have Consequences podcast, was lying in bed at home in rural Alabama earlier this month when he caught sight of his german shepherd, Ranger, on edge, with his ears 'moving like satellite dishes'. 'I was thinking, 'I wonder if I have a raccoon stuck in the wall,'' he said. 'I wasn't thinking I must have five heavily armed officers coming down the driveway.' Credit: Larry Taunton The 57-year-old removed his Glock pistol from its holster and advanced to the front door, where he could see the silhouette of a heavily armed man. 'I'm thinking if this guy comes through the door, I'm probably opening fire on him,' he said. Luckily, the married journalist and author saw the glint of a police badge, turned on his hallway light and was able to talk down the officers. Mr Taunton has been on Steve Bannon's War Room podcast – a Maga talking shop – several times, and believes he may have been targeted for his conservative stance. 'They are deliberately targeting people because they don't like their political views, and they are creating a highly combustible atmosphere where they don't even care who gets killed,' he said. 'Regardless of your political views, I don't care if you're Nancy Pelosi who I detest, I do not wish this on you. 'They are using local law enforcement as proxy assassination squads, and that must stop.' Josh Tubbs, chief deputy of the local county Sheriff's Office, said: 'Thank goodness that cool and level heads prevailed here because that is a very dangerous situation.' Mr Tubbs confirmed that the department is investigating the case along with the FBI. Owen Shroyer, a Jan 6 defendant who has since been pardoned, claimed he was made to lie on the ground by officers and crawl backwards before he was able to persuade them it was a hoax when he was swatted at his home in Austin, Texas, a few weeks ago. 'If you want to disagree with my politics, you're more than welcome to,' he said. 'But to have some concept of me that I'm a monster, or I'm somebody that deserves violence is just tremendously wrong. 'If it starts happening to you liberals or Democrats, I'm going to stand up just as loudly for them to not be victimised by this as well.' Credit: X/@OwenShroyer1776 Although the majority of those targeted by the spate of swatting incidents appear to be Republicans, some prominent Democrat supporters have also reported armed police turning up at their door. On Thanksgiving morning last November, five Democratic congressmen from Connecticut received hoax bomb threats at their homes, prompting law enforcement to turn up at their door. The alleged plot came a day after similar bomb threats were made at the homes of multiple nominees to Donald Trump's cabinet, including Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, and Elise Stefanik, who has been tapped as UN ambassador. Austin Police Department were contacted for comment. The FBI referred to Mr Patel's X statement when approached by The Telegraph. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
25-03-2025
- Telegraph
‘Armed men raided my house at 2am': Republican influencers targeted in ‘swatting' hoaxes
Shortly before 2am, Erin Derham awoke to the sound of loud banging at the door. Confused and half-asleep, she ran to the front entrance in her polka-dot pyjamas to find a police officer in a bulletproof vest armed with a pistol, his finger on the trigger. Ten minutes later, the married mother-of-three collapsed on the upstairs landing as the adrenaline that had been coursing through her body began to dissipate. 'It's okay mom,' her 13-year-old said while patting her mother's leg. Ms Derham, 40, and her husband Matt Van Swol, 31, had just been 'swatted' – a crime that involves making a fake emergency call to draw first responders to a person's home. Incidents have spiked over the past fortnight with more than a dozen influencers targeted – the majority of whom appear to be Trump supporters. While some have dismissed swatting as a form of prank call, it can be deadly. In 2017, 28-year-old Andrew Finch was shot dead by police at his home in a swatting incident. Finch, who was not involved in the dispute between two Call of Duty players, was targeted as one of the gamers who was falsely using his address. The first-ever UK sentence for swatting was passed last year after a man was shot in the face by police who responded to a hoax call. 'Just picture a gun in your face and your kids are 10ft away. There is nothing funny about that,' said Ms Derham, who described the practice as the 'cheapest form of terrorism'. Many of those targeted have also interacted online with Elon Musk, the head of Mr Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), with the tech billionaire re-sharing their posts. Mr Musk has called for the perpetrators to 'face justice'. The FBI and Homeland Security have both announced investigations into the 'alarming rise' in the incidents. 'The FBI is aware of this dangerous trend, and my team and I are already taking action to investigate and hold those responsible accountable,' said Kash Patel, Bureau's director. 'We will not sit idly by' Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, wrote on X last week: 'Under President Trump's leadership, we will not sit idly by as conservative new media and their families are being targeted by false swatting. 'We will use it to hunt these cowards down. This is an attack on our law enforcement and innocent families and we will prosecute it as such.' Ms Derham had some idea of what might be happening when she opened the door. 'I yelled for Matt to come and said, 'we're being swatted,'' she said. The historian and filmmaker had seen reports on X of conservative influencers being swatted in recent days and had warned her local police department that she and her family might be targeted. The couple, who previously voted Democrat, rose to prominence as community activists calling for more aid to be distributed to North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. Mr Van Swol's account, which has more than 198,000 followers on X, has been reposted and commented on by Mr Musk on a regular basis. 'I screamed, 'there are three kids upstairs,'' Ms Derham said, as she tried to explain to the officers that the call was a hoax. 'I was so scared they were going to wake up.' According to Ms Derham, an officer later told her they had received a 911 call from someone pretending to be her husband, saying his wife had been shot and killed, and that he had been shot and was hiding in the bathroom. 'Whoever did this, they were trying to get us killed,' she said. In total, four police cars, two ambulances and a fire crew were called out to their house in Asheville, North Carolina. Both were left traumatised by the event. 'I just stare at the door waiting for the next horrible thing to happen,' said Mr Van Swol. 'What's given me pause for thought is that someone could read anything I write, and think it's worth sending police to my home to terrorise me and my kids.' Local police declined to comment when approached by The Telegraph. Ms Derham and her husband are not the only Right-wing media personalities to receive a knock on their door from police in the middle of the night. Larry Taunton, host of the Ideas Have Consequences podcast, was lying in bed at home in rural Alabama earlier this month when he caught sight of his german shepherd, Ranger, on edge, with his ears 'moving like satellite dishes'. 'I was thinking, 'I wonder if I have a raccoon stuck in the wall,'' he said. 'I wasn't thinking I must have five heavily armed officers coming down the driveway.' The 57-year-old removed his Glock pistol from its holster and advanced to the front door, where he could see the silhouette of a heavily armed man. 'I'm thinking if this guy comes through the door, I'm probably opening fire on him,' he said. Luckily, the married journalist and author saw the glint of a police badge, turned on his hallway light and was able to talk down the officers. Mr Taunton has been on Steve Bannon's War Room podcast – a Maga talking shop – several times, and believes he may have been targeted for his conservative stance. 'They are deliberately targeting people because they don't like their political views, and they are creating a highly combustible atmosphere where they don't even care who gets killed,' he said. 'Regardless of your political views, I don't care if you're Nancy Pelosi who I detest, I do not wish this on you. 'They are using local law enforcement as proxy assassination squads, and that must stop.' Josh Tubbs, chief deputy of the local county Sheriff's Office, said: 'Thank goodness that cool and level heads prevailed here because that is a very dangerous situation.' Mr Tubbs confirmed that the department is investigating the case along with the FBI. Owen Shroyer, a Jan 6 defendant who has since been pardoned, claimed he was made to lie on the ground by officers and crawl backwards before he was able to persuade them it was a hoax when he was swatted at his home in Austin, Texas, a few weeks ago. 'If you want to disagree with my politics, you're more than welcome to,' he said. 'But to have some concept of me that I'm a monster, or I'm somebody that deserves violence is just tremendously wrong. 'If it starts happening to you liberals or Democrats, I'm going to stand up just as loudly for them to not be victimised by this as well.' Although the majority of those targeted by the spate of swatting incidents appear to be Republicans, some prominent Democrat supporters have also reported armed police turning up at their door. On Thanksgiving morning last November, five Democratic congressmen from Connecticut received hoax bomb threats at their homes, prompting law enforcement to turn up at their door. The alleged plot came a day after similar bomb threats were made at the homes of multiple nominees to Donald Trump's cabinet, including Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, and Elise Stefanik, who has been tapped as UN ambassador. Owen Shroyer and Austin Police Department were contacted for comment. The FBI referred to Mr Patel's X statement when approached by The Telegraph.
The Independent
21-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Saturday's Racing Tips: Best Bets for Kelso And Newbury
Norn Iron (Newbury, 2.05) – each-way @ 5/1 bet365 (four places) Old Cowboy (Newbury, 2.05) – each-way @ 12/1 Betfred (four places) Barrabool (Kelso, 3.00) – each-way @ 7/1 bet365 (four places) Jasmine Bliss (Newbury, 3.15) – each-way @ 5/1 Betfred (five places) La Pinsonniere (Newbury, 3.15) – each-way @ 10/1 William Hill (five places) Kiwi Rush (Kelso, 4.45) – to win @ SP Fidelio Vallis (Newbury, 5.35) – to win @ SP Saturday could be a big day for Harry Derham who boasts several good chances at both Newbury and Kelso with Jasmine Bliss (Newbury, 3.15pm) one of the leading hopes for the young Berkshire trainer. Much like her handler's season, there have been a few ups and downs for the selection who was defeated at odds-on on her hurdling debut at Lingfield prior to being well beaten when again fancied at Ffos Las. Derham attributed the Ffos Las reverse to trainer error and has since made up for the loss by saddling his six-year-old to win in smooth fashion at Ludlow and Southwell in minor events. Her latest success, achieved at the expense of La Pinsonniere, was authoritative from the outset and sets her up well in this event, plus she has solid course form on her CV courtesy of a game bumper win at Saturday's venue 12 months ago. Nico de Boinville has retained the faith in La Pinsonniere despite Nick Henderson saddling three runners and the decision to utilise first-time cheekpieces could well narrow the gap between his mount and Jasmine Bliss. She is worth a saver with most betting sites offering enhanced place terms on the first five home. Derham enjoys chances throughout the card at Newbury with Norn Iron (Newbury, 2.05pm) expected to appreciate this step up in trip after a staying-on fourth at Doncaster over two miles last time. Recent Plumpton scorer Old Cowboy looks overpriced on some horse racing betting sites in the same race with his form here behind Jurancon (now rated 132) back in January looking a smart run as times goes by. The four places with bet365 looks a concession worth taking on board. One of Derham's stable stalwarts; Fidelio Vallis (Newbury, 5.35pm) could bookend the day's action with a heartwarming victory in the finale. The 10-year-old was one of the first horses sent to the former Paul Nicholls assistant when he began training in Lambourn and his career record when returned to the track within 26 days reads a highly impressive five wins from seven starts. The veteran also boasts a terrific record in small fields over fences with his stats in seven-runner fields or less reading 21111244216. The selection ran a blinder in the Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster and should appreciate this return to three miles with Paul O'Brien back on board. Saturday's Kelso Tips: Kiwi Has Tee-rific Chance Derham has also sent a raiding party 350 miles north to Kelso where the well-handicapped Barrabool (Kelso, 3.00pm) has had the final of the mares' novices' handicap hurdle as her target for the majority of the season. Walkadina may prove one of the chief threats despite her reverse at odds-on at Ludlow as she looked in need of the run that day. Finally, keep an eye on Kiwi Rush (Kelso, 4.45pm) on betting apps in the closing bumper. Owned by a collection of the world's best golfers with the syndicate headed up by Graeme McDowell, the son of Mahler left behind a modest UK debut at Sandown to win handsomely at Saturday's venue last month and is very much fancied to go close again under Patrick Mullins. When using gambling sites, be aware that sports betting can be addictive, so please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget. The same applies whether you're using slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium. Bettors should always follow responsible gambling practices. Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses. It's particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution. You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs. You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having: We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
