Irish Crown Jewels

On the 6th July 1907, the Irish Crown Jewels were discovered missing from their safe in Dublin Castle. The jewels, which are not linked to monarchy and instead belonged to the Order of Saint Patrick, consisted of a jewelled star and a diamond badge. Five gold encrusted collars belonging to knights of the Order were also stolen.

The Irish Crown Jewels

The Irish Crown Jewels belonged to the Order of Saint Patrick which was established in 1783 by George III during his reign as King of Ireland. The Order was to be the Irish equivalent of the English Order of the Garter or the Scottish Order of the Thistle. The Irish Crown Jewels were worn by the Sovereign at the investiture of new Knights as members of the Order, and by the Grand Master on other formal ceremonial occasions. The jewels were discovered missing four days before a visit by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra during which it was planned to swear in The 2nd Baron Castletown into the Order.

The Crown Jewels consisted of 394 jewels, most of which were taken from the jewellery of Queen Charlotte. The jewelled star was decorated with Brazilian diamonds and featured an emerald shamrock and ruby cross on a blue enamel background. The motto of the Order, ‘Quis Separabit MDCCLXXXIII’ was engraved in rose diamonds on the back.

The diamond badge featured an emerald shamrock on a ruby cross with a blue enamel circle. The Order’s motto was also engraved in rose diamonds on the badge and this was enclosed by a wreath of emerald shamrock’s. A crowned harp made from diamonds was placed on top of the badge.

The Theft

Since 1903 the jewels had been stored in a safe in a strong room of the Office of Arms which was located in Bedford Tower at Dublin Castle. The office was under the authority of the Ulster King of Arms, Sir Arthur Vicars, and was responsible for the care of all state insignia. Vicars and his staff held seven keys to the building, while Vicars also held the two keys to the safe containing the Crown Jewels.

The Crown Jewels were discovered missing on the 6th July, 1907 and were last seen on the 11th June when Vicars showed them to a visitor to the office. After the 11th June there were a number of security breaches in the building as both the building and strong room door were left open. The building cleaner also found an intruder in the room on one occasion. Vicars was known to get drunk while on overnight duty and once woke up to find the jewels around his neck. It is unknown if this was a prank or a trial of the actual theft. On another occasion Lord Haddo, the son of Lord Lieutenant, The 7th Earl of Aberdeen, stole the jewels and returned them to Vicars by post.

Investigation

Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) conducted an investigation and offered a reward of £1000. According to a leaflet distributed by the DMP, they believed that the thief used a fake key to gain access to the safe and steal the jewels since the safe lock had not been forced. Assistance was also received from Detective Chief Inspector John Kane of Scotland Yard. According to rumours, his report names the thief but this was suppressed by the Royal Irish Constabulary and never released.

Vicars publicly accused Francis Shackleton, brother of explorer Ernest Shackleton, of the theft. Although Shackleton was in financial difficulty and had the opportunity to make a copy of the safe key, he was not in Ireland at the time of the theft. The theory was that Shackleton planned everything but had an associate, Captain Richard Gorges, complete the theft. Both Shackleton and Gorges were homosexual, which was illegal at the time, and it is theorised that they were not investigated to avoid a greater scandal.

Theories were also put forward that the jewels were stolen by a republican or unionist group and Lord Haddo, who previously stole the jewels as a prank, was also accused. However no trace of the jewels has ever been found and no one has ever claimed responsibility for the theft.

Dean Roche – Kilkenny

Dean Roche (31) has been missing from Kilkenny, Ireland since the 22nd March 2015. Although his friends and family have searched tirelessly for Dean since he disappeared, they are no closer to finding him.

The victim

Dean was 31 when he disappeared. He was the middle child in a family of 3 brothers and was also the father of a son, Jamie. Dean was a known heroin addict and also had convictions for petty crime. When last seen he was wearing a black zip up tracksuit top and bottoms with white runners. Dean has been described as being 5’ 8’’ tall, of slight build, with green eyes and short brown hair. Sadly, Dean’s Mum has passed away since Dean disappeared having never learned what happened to her son.

The disappearance

Around 7pm on that evening of 22nd March, Dean left the home he shared with his Mum in Hebron Park and travelled by taxi to nearby Ballyfoyle to purchase a car. The journey should have taken about 15 minutes at most and Dean told his Mum that he’d be back in 30 minutes.

He purchased the car from a private seller for €200, although his Mum believed he may have had up to €900 in cash on him. The car was later found crashed half a mile from where he bought it. Dean reportedly spoke to a number of locals in the area following the crash but there is conflicting information regarding the time of his last sighting. According to the official Gardaí website: ‘Witnesses in Newpark, Ballyfoyle area describe seeing Dean at 9pm that evening. That is the last confirmed sighting of Dean … his last known sighting was at approximately 9.15pm when he left through the side of a house which led into a nearby field.’

However it has also been reported that around 8.15pm Dean approached a house in the area and spoke to the woman who lived there. She stated that he was disorientated and distressed and told her he needed help. She entered the house to get a phone to call for help but when she returned Dean had gone. She then saw a silver car speed past her gate and someone shouting ‘Get in the fucking car’ before the car sped off again.

Extensive searches have been conducted in the area by the Gardaí, including by the dog and water rescue units, and the Army. The Garda website states that a hat which possibly belonged to Dean was found. A pair of runners were also found but no trace of Dean’s DNA was found on these. Gardaí have stated that they believe Dean’s body is no longer in the area. Dean’s phone and bank accounts have not been used since his disappearance.

Ballyfoyle is on the outskirts of Kilkenny. It is a rural area consisting mainly of farms and some woodland. There are some quarries in the surrounding areas but there are none near the area from which Dean disappeared. On the date Dean went missing sunset was at 6.45pm so it would have been dark by the time he purchased the car. The weather was dry and clear.

Theories

As stated above, Dean had struggled with heroin. He successfully purchased the car as planned but apparently crashed it almost immediately. While Dean purchased the car for €200 it was believed he had as much as €900 in cash on him. Why was he carrying so much cash? Did he plan to meet someone after buying the car with the intention of purchasing drugs or maybe to clear a debt he owed? That could explain the silver car that a resident of the area saw and heard.

What caused him to crash the car so soon? I’ve often wondered if Dean was under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash or if it was just an unfortunate accident. I also wonder did he hit his head in the crash which caused him to become disorientated. This could have caused him to wander off and succumb to the elements. However this seems unlikely since Gardaí have indicated that they don’t believe Dean is still in the area.

Let’s also ignore the drug angle for a second and give Dean the benefit of the doubt. Could he have encountered the driver of the silver car earlier in the evening? Maybe they were involved in the car accident somehow and came after Dean in a fit of road rage.

Regardless of what happened, Dean’s family have now spent over 4 years searching for answers and are no closer to finding out where Dean is.

Anyone with any information relating to Dean is asked to contact Kilkenny Garda Station on 056 7775000, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

Dave The Busker – Galway

On the 17th April 2002 a property developer was clearing the back garden of a house at 158 Upper Salthill when he came across a human skull. He contacted Gardaí who subsequently found skeletal remains in a shallow grave. The remains were wrapped in a sleeping bag and tied together with blue nylon rope. They also found a number of items of clothing including boots, jewellery and hair ties in the sleeping bag.

Gardaí completed a full examination of the scene as well as a postmortem of the remains. The postmortem showed no signs of an assault so it is believed he may have died of natural causes. The house where the remains were found had previously been a squat and ‘drinking parties’ often took place in the back garden. Gardaí have suggested that the man’s friends may have buried him in the garden, not realising they were doing anything illegal.

Gardaí enquiries led them to believe that the body at 158 Upper Salthill may belong to a man known as ‘Dave’. Dave was a well-known busker in the Galway area and could often be found in the Shop Street area of the city. He had arrived in Ireland in August 1998 and spent time in Limerick, Kerry and Clare before settling in Galway. He lived as a New Age Traveller with a number of other squatters. He would play the tin whistle or guitar and his loyal collie dog was always with him. He was not been seen since 1999.

It is believed that Dave was possibly from the Tunbridge Wells area of Kent in England and may have trained as a classical musician in London. He may also have a sister in Exeter but Gardaí have been unable to trace her and he also told friends that he had been married at one point. Dave once purchased a dog licence for his collie and gave the name ‘Dave Rawson’ on this. However Gardaí are unsure is this is his real name. He also sometimes went by the nickname ‘Tang’.

In addition to the fact that Dave has not been seen since 1999, his guitar, tin whistle and collie have also never been found. He also carried a small notebook with him which was full of addresses and numbers which has also not been recovered.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Gardaí at Salthill Garda Station on 091 514 720.

Conor and Sheila Dwyer

Conor and Sheila Dwyer have been missing from Fermoy, Co. Cork since 1991. In the 28 years that have passed since, no trace of the missing couple has been found.

The Dwyers lived and worked in Fermoy. Conor worked as a plumber, handyman and part-time hackney driver while Sheila was a homemaker. At the time of his disappearance Conor was working as a chauffeur for German millionaire businessman Fritz Wolf who was holidaying in Castlelyons, 10 minutes from Fermoy. They had two sons who were living in England at the time of their disappearance. After years of making ends meet the couple were looking forward to starting retired life.

When they disappeared Conor was 63. He was described as 5ft 8in in height, weighing 11 stone and had dark hair, parted to the right. When last seen he was wearing dark rimmed glasses, a checked sports jacket and a navy trench coat. Sheila Dwyer was 61. She was described as 5ft 4in with fair hair. She was last seen wearing light woollen coat with white leather walking shoes.

The couple were last seen attending a funeral in St Patrick’s Church, Fermoy on the morning of 30th April 1991. The church was located only 100m from their home on Chapel Hill. Sheila spoke to her sister on the phone the following day and, when her sister could not get in touch with her again, she went to the couple’s house. When she couldn’t gain access she raised the alarm to Gardaí. Some sources state that this report was made on May 19 or May 22.

When Gardaí accessed the house they found nothing amiss. All of the couple’s personal belongings, including clothes and passports, were found in the house. £1000 (about €2100) was also found in a biscuit tin in the house. The only things missing were the couple and their car, a white Toyota Cressida with the registration plate 5797 ZT. While there were many reported sightings of the couple, their bank accounts were never accessed

A similar model to the couple’s Toyota Cressida

The River Blackwater runs through Fermoy and Gardaí completed exhaustive searches of the water, as well as of the surrounding countryside, but no trace of the couple or their car have been found. They also alerted Interpol and checked ferry records for the relevant time period in case the couple had travelled to England to visit their sons. However no car matching the couple’s Toyota Cressida or its registration plate was seen leaving Ireland.

Sightings

There have been a number of reported sightings of the couple from Ireland and abroad but Gardaí have been able to substantiate any of these.

A local lady thought she saw the Dwyers stopped at traffic lights in Fermoy soon after their disappearance. There have also been sightings in Waterford and Dublin.

After seeing the case featured on Crimecall in 1993, Mary O’Dowd realised she may have seen the couple in Lourdes Airport in June 1991. Ms O’Dowd was unaware of the disappearance at the time but remembered the couple as the male seemed suspicious. Speaking to the Irish Independent, Ms O’Dowd said: ‘A garda and the missing lady’s sister came to speak to me and asked about the clothing the people I saw had on. I told them and it turned out these were the items of clothing missing from the house in Fermoy.’

Another possible sighting was reported in Munich in 1993. This was of particular interest to Gardaí as Conor Dwyer had been working for German businessman, Fritz Wolf, at the time of his disappearance. However both Bavarian police and Interpol were unable to confirm the sighting. All sources state that Conor was working for Fritz Wolf at the time of his disappearance. I’ve always wondering if this meant that he was actively employed by Fritz Wolf, or if that was his last employment. If he was actively working for Mr Wolf at the time of his disappearance, why did his employer not raise the alarm?

In 2000, new intelligence led Gardaí to search a lime quarry at Aherla, about 45 minutes from Fermoy, but yet again no trace of the couple was found.

Rumours

Rumours began to spread quickly about Conor Dwyer following the disappearance.

It isn’t stated in any official source but there are rumours that Conor disappeared for a number of years in the 1980s. There is little information on this disappearance, beyond the fact that he disappeared. It is unknown how long he disappeared for, what the circumstances were and why or when he returned.

After the couple disappeared there was a rumour that the case was in fact a murder/suicide or a suicide pact. If Conor’s previous disappearance was a result of a depressive episode, this way be the basis for this rumour.

There were also rumours that Conor had become involved in a drug-running business. Gardaí have never publicly named or suspects or given details of any possible theories or motives behind the disappearance.

William Fennessy disappearance

William (Billy) Fennessy, also disappeared from Fermoy almost exactly a year before the Dwyers disappeared. He was of similar age to the Dwyers and his car was also missing. Many wondered if there was a link between the two disappearances but sadly Fennessy’s body and car were recovered from the River Blackwater in 2012.

Theories

The most difficult part of this case is that nobody knows for sure when Conor and Sheila disappeared. Sheila last spoke to her sister on the 1st May and the alarm was raised about 3 weeks later. By all account Sheila and her sister spoke regularly but it’s unclear how much time passed between that last call and when Sheila’s sister tried to contact her next.

If the rumour that Conor was involved in drugs was true, surely some evidence of this would have been found. There is also nothing to indicate that the couple were the victim of an assault or break in.

I think the most obvious explanation is that the couple went for a drive somewhere and unfortunately crashed into the River Blackwater. The river is extremely deep at points and it’s easy for a car to remain submerged for years. Simply look at the case of William Fennessy above whose car remained hidden in the river for 22 years. However if the couple’s car did crash into the river the question still remains as to whether the car entered the water accidentally or purposely.

Links

Conor’s Doe Network profile

Sheila’s Doe Network profile

Missing Persons page