Russborough House
Russborough House is a stately home in Ireland that was built between 1741 and 1755. It continues to be a beautiful addition to the Irish countryside but it has often been the target of thieves. The Russborough House has been robbed numerous times in order to get the art collection within. In 1952, Sir Alfred Beit bought the home and moved in his family’s art collection. The art collection featured works by famous artists including Goya, Peter Paul Rubens, Vermeer and Thomas Gainsborough. The first theft of his art collection occurred in 1974.
An IRA gang which included the British heiress Rose Dugale, broke through the window of the home and tied up the Beits in order to steal 19 of the masterworks included in the art collection. The IRA gang demanded £500,000 and the release of two IRA prisoners for the return of the art. A week after the theft a raid on a farmhouse uncovered the paintings and led to the arrest of Rose Dugale.
On May 21st, 1986 Martin Cahill led a 10 men gang to the Russborough house in order to steal some of the paintings in the name of the IRA. They took 18 paintings knowing the famous works would not be able to be sold. They dropped 7 alongside the road during their getaway and made off with the 11 best. Martin Cahill was not done with Russborough House after the 1986 theft, despite the substantial police investigation against him to recover the missing paintings. Two more thefts of the prized art collection occurred in 2001 and 2002 were conducted by an associate of Cahill, Martin Foley.
Over the decades since 1986 police have led an intensive investigation into Martin Cahill and his associates leading to all but two of the paintings being recovered. The majority of the Beit art collection was donated to the National Gallery of Ireland, where it remains on display today.