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The Irish Sun
29-07-2025
- 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
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.
The Independent
27-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
MP suggests Republic of Ireland should take ‘rightful' place in Commonwealth
The Republic of Ireland should take 'our deep neighbourly relations to the next level' and rejoin the Commonwealth, a Conservative MP has suggested. Andrew Rosindell said Ireland 'would do well to emulate countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand' and take its 'rightful' place in the Commonwealth. The MP for Romford also called for a bank holiday to mark St Patrick's Day and the resurrection of the Order of St Patrick. Speaking during a St Patrick's Day and Northern Irish affairs debate, Mr Rosindell said: 'The Republic of Ireland, I believe are our friends but we can be much closer, fully realising that we are one family that share a unique group of islands in all spheres of national operation. 'Indeed, Ireland could do much more work themselves, alongside her British brother and her loyal northern neighbour, in recognising that shared heritage and advancing shared values and goals on the global stage. 'Ireland would do well to emulate countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. I believe that one day, perhaps soon, the people of the Republic of Ireland might choose to take their rightful place in the family of the Commonwealth of nations. 'Taking our deep neighbourly relations to the next level to the benefit of both partners, and I believe having a bounteous benefit to global politics.' Mr Rosindell argued that St Patrick's Day, in addition to St David's Day, St Andrew's Day and St George's Day, should all be bank holidays across the UK. He told MPs: 'I would strongly submit that St Patrick's Day should be a national bank holiday, alongside all the other feast days of our Kingdom's patron saints.' He added: 'Not only would this be firmly in line with the position of Anglicanism, as the unchallenged state religion, but would reinforce the importance of all four corners of our nation. 'So too would the resurrection of the Order of St Patrick, which has shamefully been allowed to fall into abeyance for many decades, but I believe remains a sovereign order of the United Kingdom, and I hope the minister will take that back as a consideration for something to be restored.' Mr Rosindell continued: 'Today, I believe we must focus more on bringing the four home nations of… Great Britain and Northern Ireland together, and reversing the constitutional backsliding that I believe has occurred with the British internal markets.' Speaking from the Conservative frontbench, Jerome Mayhew, whose late father Patrick was Northern Ireland secretary under John Major, said the restoration of the Order of St Patrick would be 'a very sensible thing to do'. In the Commons, Northern Ireland minister Fleur Anderson said: 'The Order of St Patrick, I will take away that mention as well.' Responding to a written question from Conservative MP Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) on Wednesday, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said: 'The most illustrious Order of Saint Patrick is in the personal gift of the sovereign. 'The UK Government is not considering the restoration of the Order of St Patrick.'
