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The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
The 117-year mystery of Ireland's missing crown jewels – Sherlock Holmes author help, graveyard digs & inside man theory
ON a July morning in 1907 a messenger boy was returning a piece of jewellery to a safe in Dublin Castle. But to his shock when he arrived, the door was already unlocked and the Irish Crown Jewels, the most precious items in the country, were missing. Advertisement 5 The items were stolen from their safe in the Bedford Tower in Dublin Castle Credit: Getty Images - Getty 5 A reward poster offering £1,000 for the return of the jewels, worth over €170,000 today The Irish Crown Jewels were the ceremonial regalia of the Order of St Patrick, a chivalric order established in the 18th century for Anglo-Irish nobility. On 6 July, 1907, just four days before The set, which consisted of a jewel-encrusted badge and a star, would be valued at several million euros today. Advertisement On the surface, this might sound like any other famous jewel robbery. But, Ireland's version of Ocean's Eleven holds more twists and frankly bizarre moments than even the best Hollywood blockbuster. It all starts with the man responsible for the safekeeping of the jewels - Arthur Vicars. Vicars was the Contemporaries described him as being eccentric and as having a drinking problem. However, he was well-connected within Anglo-Irish society. Advertisement Vicars was surprisingly lax in his role as custodian of the jewels. Historian and broadcaster, Myles Dungan, explains: "The jewels were discovered to be missing completely and utterly by accident. It wasn't that somebody said, 'We'd better go and get that badge and star for Aberdeen so that he can wear it', and then they discovered it. "They discovered it because one of the gold collars, had been cleaned by weirs of Grafton Street, and was being brought back to be put in the safe." 'HISTORY OF SCANDALS' Vicars would host parties in the office of arms, which were often attended by various aristocrats. Many believed Vicars was homosexual. Advertisement And rumours swirled that these lavish parties were actually sex parties or orgies. Myles said: "There was a history of these kind of scandals in Dublin Castle in the 1880s. The Parliamentary Newspaper of the United Ireland had exposed the Director of the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Secretary of the Post Office as homosexual. "Then you sort of fast forward by about 25 years, and Vicars was supposed to have hosted these parties." EASILY DRUNK Regardless of what went on at these parties, Vicars was undoubtedly reckless in his duties. Myles explained: "He got drunk very, very easily. I mean, a couple of glasses of port and he was anybody's. Advertisement "The story goes that he used to keep a key to the safe on himself at all times, and that one night party-goers had taken the key, and taken the jewels out, and promenaded around his office with the jewels in sort of a drunken stupor." He added: "There was also a claim that one of the people who was involved in these parties, a man called Lord Haddo, had just for a lark, stolen the jewels, and then replaced them the following day." RIDICULOUS BEHAVIOUR Vicars was so accustomed to these antics that he brushed off multiple reports of suspicious activity in the week leading up to the robbery. The Wednesday before the robbery, an office cleaner named Mrs Farrell had arrived at 7am and discovered that the front door of the office of arms was open. The following Saturday, she returned again to find the front door open, but this time, the strongroom was also unlocked, with the keys still left in the door. Advertisement Both incidents were reported to Vicars, who, according to Myles, "took no notice of it at all". "The jewels were discovered to be missing completely and utterly by accident. It wasn't that somebody said, 'We'd better go and get that badge and star for Aberdeen so that he can wear it', and then they discovered it." Myles Dungan Historian and broadcaster Funnily enough, the safe containing the jewels wasn't even in the strongroom when this occurred. Myles explained: "Regulations were introduced in the early 1900s, and the rule was that the jewels were to be deposited in the strongroom of the Office of Arms in the Bedford Tower in Dublin Castle. "The problem was that when the Board of Works, the ancestors of the OPW, and anybody who follows the Leinster House bike saga would not be surprised by this, when they came to put the safe into the strong room, they discovered that it was too big." Instead, the safe was left unguarded in the library of the Office of Arms. Advertisement PSYCHICS ENLISTED The robbery of the jewels represented a monumental scandal for both Vicars and Dublin Castle. An investigation was quickly launched in an attempt to identify the culprit. However, like every other part of this story, it was rather absurd. Vicars was immediately fingered as a top suspect in the case, due to his possession of the keys and his strained reputation. Desperate to prove his innocence and recover the jewels, Vicars enlisted the help of a number of supposed psychics. The psychics told him that the jewels were buried in a graveyard, so Vicars proceeded to dig up several graveyards fitting the description given. Advertisement AIDED BY AUTHOER To his disappointment, nothing was found. The author of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, even offered his services, as he was a distant cousin of Vicars. Doyle, however, was not a detective; he was a doctor and proved to be utterly useless when it came to actual detective work. Vicars would later come to blame Francis Shackleton, brother of the famous Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, for the robbery. Shackleton worked under Vicars at Dublin Castle and was known for having a lavish lifestyle despite being heavily in debt. Advertisement AN INSIDE JOB? He was also later convicted of financial fraud in 1913, in a separate case. Shackleton, however, had an alibi. He was out of the country the day of the robbery. Myles, however, explains that Shackleton may still have had a role to play in the robbery, as an inside man. He said: "The main suspect in that sense is Shackleton, and Shackleton was the inside man. The outside man was somebody who may or may not have been his lover, who was a man called Captain Gorges. "So the assumption is that Gorges actually, because Shackleton shared a house with Vickers, had access to all the keys. And that he created or he made copies of the keys for Gorges, and that Gorges then did the actual deed, he actually stole the jewels." Advertisement "There was also a claim that one of the people who was involved in these parties, a man called Lord Haddo, had just for a lark, stolen the jewels, and then replaced them the following day." Myles Dungan Despite such speculation, the investigation ultimately stalled due to a lack of credible evidence. Some believe the case was deliberately covered up by the crown after the investigation revealed a "ring of debauchery" at work within Dublin Castle. IT MIGHT BE ON YOUR FINGER As for the jewels, some speculate that they are still hidden or even secretly in the possession of the royal family. More likely, however, the jewels were broken down and sold off individually after the robbery. Myles explains: "The supposition is that the jewels that were stolen were smuggled out of the country to the Netherlands and were broken up. Advertisement "I mean, it's always going to be a mystery. It's always going to be susceptible to any conspiracy theory you want." Myles Dungan Historian and broadcaster "It's worth saying that you know any of your readers who have a diamond engagement ring could feasibly, depending on the age of the diamond, actually be wearing a small part of the Irish Crown Jewels; I strongly suspect lots of people are." Vicars held on in his position for some time after the robbery, refusing to take blame for the loss of the jewels. Feeling scapegoated, he even requested a royal commission trial so he could defend his character. Eventually, however, he was found to have been negligent and fired. He would never fully recover from the scandal and in 1921, after returning to his home in County Advertisement UNSOLVED MYSTERY It's been 117 years since the jewels went missing, and experts are nowhere near close to solving the mystery. It is likely we will never know what truly happened that day, but according to Myles, that's what makes the story so interesting. Myles said: "I mean, it's always going to be a mystery. It's always going to be susceptible to any conspiracy theory you want." He jokingly added: "You know what I think? I think the crown jewels were stolen by aliens. Yeah. I think they were brought to New Mexico, and I think the US government basically is hiding the crown jewels because they were stolen by aliens" To learn more about the robbery, Myles Dungan's The Stealing of the Irish Crown Jewels is available for purchase online. 5 An image of The Irish Crown Jewels published by the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Dublin Metropolitan Police after the theft was discovered. Advertisement 5 Myles Dungan has released a book on the robbery Credit: Myles Dungan 5 The Stealing of the Irish Crown Jewels details all the bizarre aspects of the crime Credit: Myles Dungan
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
There's always someone watching
Life is always going to throw a number of challenges at you, it's how we navigate the highway of everyday living that counts. 'In my hotels, there is always someone watching.' These are famous words of Terry Benedict to Danny Ocean from the movie Ocean's Eleven. What Terry does not realise at the time is that it is his hotel's own cameras that catch him saying he is willing to give up his girlfriend, Tess, to get his stolen money back, which ultimately leads to her being taken by Danny. 'You of all people should know, Terry, in your hotel, there's always someone watching,' Tess says. While this is a fictional movie, it contains an element of truth and reality. Someone is always watching us, there are people and cameras everywhere, this is the reality of living in a connected world. Then there's social media. Every post, every tweet, every video is seen by someone. There's no escaping it, no matter how hard you try. 'Disconnect', you say, easy when you are not a journalist. Social media has become an ocean for news. But it has inherent dangers, and like Terry, sometimes you don't see it coming. ALSO READ: I don't hate Jews or Muslims I've had my fair share of vitriolic rants, threats and expletive-filled posts directed at me on many platforms. I must be honest, it used to faze me, throwing me into episodes of cowering into corners and under the blankets, trying to hide away from the work. It didn't work. You can only take so many blows until you no longer feel the pain and become immune to it. With the Almighty's mercy and benevolence, I've developed such a thick skin that nothing ugly can get through. But there are days when a fracture appears, and that hate seeps in and stinks up your entire day. While I've learnt to handle the challenges that come with my job, no matter how painful at times, and earned me a few Brave Awards from Adcock Ingram Sponsors of Brave, my family has always been the target, with no mercy from any community, irrespective of race or religion. 'Your wife, mother and daughter are w**res', one person splashed on a Facebook page with thousands of members from various communities, including Lenasia South, where I reside. It is heartbreaking to watch the pain and tears flow from those who have become targets because of the work that I do. Harassment at school for my daughter and sons, ugly anonymous messages late at night for my wife, was a front row seat for me as hundreds of daggers pierced that tough skin I had developed. It was really heartbreaking to feel and watch the pain they were going through, and I begged them to get off social media. But they had resolve and would not be intimidated by someone hiding behind a screen. When the attacks happened in public spaces and shopping malls, I saw that women have courage and the tenacity to hold their own and protect their homes and loved ones. Social media is dangerous in the wrong hands. We see it on a daily basis, from ordinary trolls to racists, bigots and even the current president of the United States. Social media has the potential to cause harm and destroy, and I have been fighting a battle for years to clear up misconceptions about me and my name after a horrendous fake tweet. People are quick to believe, 'yes, yes, it must be true,' they say, causing so much pain, until you ask for proof, which is the duct tape that shuts their mouths. Broken and lost friendships, colleagues looking at you with 'you are guilty' eyes is a tremendous and tenacious task to overcome. I've climbed that mountain and reached the peak. As I looked down, I saw the rising sun, the dawn of a new day that overshadowed my nemesis claims, and I breathed for the first time in many dark years. It was not easy, and while there are still some small embers of that dark flame, the warmth of true friendship has returned, accompanied by an aura of trust and happiness. My message is simple. Life is always going to throw a number of challenges at you; it's how we navigate the highway of everyday living that counts and makes a difference. While it's not easy to navigate the roads, hills, and valleys of this connected world of technology and artificial intelligence, staying true to yourself and who you really are will flush out the artificial souls whose task is to attempt to destroy the lives they so envy. Like Terry Benedict said, someone is always watching, so be careful and always verify before you amplify, because you could lose it all or even hurt someone and their family in the process. But there is also someone watching, God, first and foremost among other true individuals who have your back and are willing to defend you during the darkest periods of your life. All you need is faith. ALSO READ: Fathers' Day: After 17 years I finally get to spend the day with my son
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The Bad Guys 2 review: 'slapstick gags aplenty'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Bad Guys 2 (PG) ★★★★ 2022's The Bad Guys was one of the funnier animated movies of recent years. A family friendly heist movie about a crew of lovable rogues, it smartly used all the tricks of a good con artist movie to serve up an amusing message about not judging books by their covers. The Bad Guys 2 | Contributed Set a few years on, The Bad Guys 2 recaptures that vibe, picking up the action as Mr Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Tarantula (Awkwafina), Shark (Craig Robinson) and Snake (Marc Maron) wrestle with the down-to-earth tedium of now being the Good Guys in a world that's reluctant to give them a second chance. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Struggling to find work and bored with a life devoid of car chases and danger, they soon find themselves framed for a series of robberies and decide to use their criminal expertise to prove their innocence and catch the real crooks. Where the first film took its breezy stylistic cues from Ocean's Eleven, the new one kicks the action up a ridiculous notch or two with some old school Bond-style villainy involving rockets to space and obligatory pops at the tech oligarchy. It also makes room for some husky-voiced hilarity from the ubiquitous Natasha Lyonne, cast here as the ominously named Doom, the not-quite-what-she-seems avian romantic interest for Snake who also just happens to be part of an all-female-crew of criminals trying to lure the Bad Guys out of retirement.
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Bad Guys 2: a slick and funny return for the animal crime collective
How to be good when you're so very good at being bad? That's the dilemma facing Mr Wolf, Mr Shark, Ms Tarantula and Mr. Piranha in this frenetic and entertaining sequel to DreamWorks 2022 animation Bad Guys. Watch our interviews with the cast of Bad Guys 2 Now firmly on civvy street after a spell in clink, the anthropomorphic crew of former safe crackers, tech geniuses and criminal masterminds are struggling to readjust. The thrill is gone and it won't be found in a crummy 9 to 5 and the beat-up hatchback the debonair Mr Wolf is now forced to drive. Meanwhile the rest of the world is still blaming them, like Macavity the mystery cat, for every bad deed done. With their recidivist ways and taste for danger, this can't last long so it's almost a blessing when the bad guys are kidnapped by an all-female crime gang, led by a devious snow leopard called Kitty Kat, and blackmailed into pulling off one last heist that goes beyond Auric Goldfinger's dreams of avarice. You know the drill. However, if the first Bad Guys flick was a souffle of PG Quentin Tarantino meets Ocean's Eleven (a franchise that got more and more irksome as it developed), this one dreams big with an opening sequence straight out of Bond and Mission Impossible scale and action throughout. There is a requisite but inventive fart joke, Mr Shark does a Little Richard impression disguised as a pastor at a tech bro's wedding and, best of all, super villain Mr Marmalade (voiced by Richard Ayoade) is back and now a pumped up and tattooed jailbird.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Indian Express
Truth, blood and broken systems: 5 true-crime books that explore India's darkest cases
In a country where crime stories flood the headlines, once in a while, a case comes along that does more than shock, it unsettles the very idea of justice. From sensational courtroom battles to brutal crimes that shook the nation, India's true crime genre has evolved into something far more layered than simply mystery solving. Today, true crime is not just about who did it, it is about why it happened and how systems failed to stop it. These stories exposes what lies under sensationalism. Fractured institutions and the psychological complexities of both victims and perpetrators. Here are five meticulously crafted accounts that go beyond the crime to examine the conditions that allowed them to occur. A teenage girl found dead in her own home. A second body discovered on the terrace. And then, a storm of media speculation, botched investigations and courtroom drama that continues to haunt India still. Aarushi is a meticulous and unflinching account of the 2008 Noida double murder of 14 year old Aarushi Talwar and her house helper, Hemraj. From the fumbling local police to the sensationalist media coverage and the Central Bureau of Investigation's contradictory theories. Avirook Sen exposes the cracks in the investigation, missing evidence, coerced confessions and trial by media, that turned a tragedy into a national spectacle. This is not a whodunit. It's a look at what happens when institutions designed to deliver justice begin to crumble. The 1925 Bawla murder case. A high society scandal involving princes, prostitutes and political intrigue. This little known but landmark case documents the attempted assassination of a courtesan, Mumtaz, by none other than Prince Inayat of the princely state of Indore. As the bullets missed her and killed her bodyguard instead, the fallout became a media circus in British India. It rattled the foundations of royal immunity. With a meticulous mix of courtroom drama and colonial context, this case raised questions about power, privilege and justice long before independence. In December 2007, a sleepy town in Kerala woke up to the country's most cinematic bank robbery. Using a fake identity and a rented shop, a gang of thieves drilled a hole from a nearby room into the vault of the South Malabar Gramin Bank, escaping with Rs. 80 million in cash and gold. The Chelembra heist was India's closest real-life case to Ocean's Eleven, only without the Hollywood gloss. This book breaks down the precision and planning behind the crime and also reveals how a combination of flawed assumptions and brilliant policing eventually brought the culprits to justice. It's a pulse pounding account of ambition, deception and the allure of the perfect crime. Meenal Baghel's investigative reportage on the Neeraj Grover murder case where aspiring actress Maria Susairaj and her boyfriend Emile Jerome Mathew were convicted. It is a chilling portrait of love, jealousy and dismemberment in India. What makes Death in Mumbai unforgettable is how it unpacks the toxic underbelly of aspiration in the entertainment industry. Baghel showed the deep moral ambiguities and societal voyeurism that came with it. The book is a perfect example of how class, media portrayal and sexual politics intersected in a brutal, almost surreal murder that continues to fascinate and repulse even today. India's roads are treacherous, not just for accidents, but for serial killers. The Highway Murders brings to light a horrifying pattern of killings along Tamil Nadu's highways, where at least 13 women were raped and murdered over several years. What went unnoticed as isolated crimes was, in fact, a chilling serial pattern, cracked only through forensic breakthroughs and dogged police work. The book paints a disturbing picture of how vulnerable people, especially women become targets in liminal spaces, and how India's law enforcement often fails to connect the dots. It's a story of anonymity and the dark spaces between streetlights. (The writer is an intern with
