Rose Dugdale facts for kids

Bridget Rose Dugdale, known as Rose Dugdale, was a woman who came from a very rich family in England. She decided to go against her wealthy background. Instead, she became involved with a group called the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).

As part of the IRA, she took part in some big events. These included stealing valuable paintings and using a helicopter to drop bombs. She also helped create new weapons.

Rose Dugdale's Early Life

Rose Dugdale was born in March 1941 into a very rich English family. Her father was a millionaire who worked in insurance. He owned a large farm in Devon, England, and the family also had a house in London.

Rose went to a special school for girls in London. She was a popular student. One friend said everyone loved her because she was kind, smart, and fun. After this, she went to a finishing school abroad. In 1958, she was presented as a "debutante." This meant she was formally introduced to society at fancy parties.

Her College Years and Protests

In 1959, Rose started studying at St Anne's College, Oxford, a famous university. While there, she began to support more left-wing ideas. She and a friend once dressed up in wigs and men's clothes. They crashed a men-only club at the university to protest that women couldn't join.

After Oxford, she studied in the United States at Mount Holyoke College. She earned a master's degree in philosophy. She also got a PhD in economics from the University of London.

Getting Involved in Politics

By the early 1970s, Rose Dugdale became very interested in political change. She was inspired by student protests in 1968 and a trip to Cuba. By 1972, she decided to help people who were poor. She quit her job as an economist and sold her house.

She moved to a flat in Tottenham with her partner, Walter Heaton. He was a "revolutionary socialist." Rose sold her share of her family's money, which was a lot, and gave it to poor people in north London. Rose and Walter were involved in the civil rights movement. They often visited Northern Ireland to join protests there.

A Burglary and Trial

In June 1973, Rose and Walter were arrested. They were accused of stealing paintings and silverware from Rose's family home. Police believed the money from selling these items was meant for the IRA.

During her trial, Rose said she was forced to do it. She also spoke out against her family and her wealthy background. She told her father, "I love you, but hate everything you stand for." Rose and Walter were found guilty. Rose received a two-year suspended sentence. This meant she wouldn't go to prison unless she committed another crime.

Rose's IRA Activities

After her trial, Rose Dugdale went to Ireland. She joined an IRA group that worked near the border. In January 1974, Rose and other IRA members, including Eddie Gallagher, took over a helicopter.

They used the helicopter to drop bombs on a police station in Strabane, Northern Ireland. This was the first time a helicopter was used for a bombing raid in the British Isles. The bombs did not explode. Rose became wanted by the police for this attack.

Vermeer's Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid, a painting stolen in the 1974 raid

The Russborough House Art Theft

On April 26, 1974, Rose took part in a raid on Russborough House. This was a large house owned by Sir Alfred Beit. Rose and three other IRA members broke into the house. They tied up Sir Alfred and his wife.

The group then stole nineteen valuable old paintings. These included works by famous artists like Gainsborough, Rubens, Vermeer, and Goya. The stolen Vermeer painting, Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid, was very rare.

The IRA members sent a note. They offered to return the paintings if they received a large sum of money. They also demanded the release of two sisters, Dolours and Marian Price, who were in prison.

Police searched for the paintings. On May 4, they found all nineteen paintings in a car at a house Rose had rented. Rose was arrested and charged with the helicopter attack and the art theft.

Her Second Trial

Just like her first trial, Rose used the courtroom to share her political views. She shouted that the British had an "army of occupation" in Ireland. Her father said he had done everything he could for her.

On June 25, 1974, Rose was sentenced to nine years in prison. She said she was "proudly and incorruptibly guilty." She raised her fist to her supporters in the courtroom.

Time in Prison

Rose Dugdale was pregnant when she went to prison. On December 12, 1974, she gave birth to her son, Ruairí, in Limerick Prison.

In October 1975, Eddie Gallagher, the father of her child, kidnapped a businessman named Tiede Herrema. Gallagher and another IRA member demanded Rose's release from prison. The police refused to agree to their demands. The kidnapping ended peacefully, and Herrema was released.

Gallagher was sentenced to twenty years in prison. In 1978, Gallagher and Rose were allowed to marry. Their wedding took place inside Limerick Prison. It was the first wedding between convicted prisoners in Ireland's history. Rose was released from prison in October 1980.

Later Life

After her release, Rose Dugdale continued to be active in politics. She supported Irish republican prisoners during a hunger strike in 1981. She was also a long-time member of the political party Sinn Féin.

Rose became an expert at making bombs for the IRA. From the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, she and Jim Monaghan developed homemade bombs and weapons. One was called the "biscuit launcher." It used common parts to fire powerful missiles. This weapon was used by the IRA several times.

Rose also helped create a new type of explosive. This was used successfully in attacks on British Army barracks and in a large bombing in London in 1992.

In 2007, she spoke out against a gas pipeline project in Ireland. She said the contract for the pipeline needed to be changed to benefit the people of Ireland. She also worked as a director at Dublin Community Television.

In 2011, Rose was honored at an event for Irish republicans. In an interview, she said she believed the IRA had achieved its main goal. She felt they had made their "enemy" negotiate with them. She also said she was proud to have been part of the Republican Movement.

In 2012, a TV show called Mná an IRA (Women of the IRA) was made about her. A book about her life was published in 2022. A film called Baltimore, about the 1974 art raid, was released in 2024.

Rose Dugdale lived in a care home in Dublin in her later years. She passed away in March 2024.