Top 5 INFAMOUS Irish CRIME stories

Ireland has had its fair share of gruesome, cold, and calculated crimes over the years, and these are the top five most infamous Irish crime stories.

With Ireland’s storied history, it comes as no surprise that some heinous acts have taken place across the island over the years.

However, some of Ireland’s worst crime stories have no relation to eras of civil unrest. Some are as dark and shocking as the crimes you hear about in true crime documentaries all throughout the United States and elsewhere around the world.

Ireland is no stranger to crime, and here are the top five infamous Irish crime stories that shook the world when they happened and continue to do so today.

5. Shergar the horse – a heartbreaking kidnapping

One of the most infamous Irish crime stories of all time is the kidnapping of Shergar the horse. Shergar was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and was widely considered one of the greatest Irish racehorses of all time.

1981 was the most successful year of Shergar’s career as he ran six races, out of which he won five. That year, he won the 202nd Epsom Derby by ten lengths, which was the longest winning margin in the race’s history.

After this race, his owner, the Aga Khan, sold 40 shares in Shergar, valuing him at £10 million. After his successful season, he retired to the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare.

Then, in 1983, Shergar was taken from the stud in the night by a group of masked men. They demanded, but never received, a ransom of £2 million.

There is a long-held belief among many that the IRA was responsible for the theft. However, the group has never admitted any part in it. Authorities never found Shergar, but it is believed that the moments leading up to his death can only be described as brutal and inhumane.

4. Colin Howell and Hazel Buchanan’s double murder – unfathomable crimes

One of the most insane murders that ever took place in Ireland was the double murder committed by Colin Howell, known as ‘the demon dentist’, and his partner Hazel Buchanan. Their story is immortalised in the ITV series The Secret, starring Irish actors Jimmy Nesbitt and Genevieve O’Reilly.

Embroiled in a secret love affair, they decided to kill their partners, Lesely Howell and Trevor Buchanan. They tried to cover up the crime to look like a suicide pact.

Colin Howell and Hazel Buchanan got away with the murders for years and were only apprehended due to confessing.

Not only is Colin Howell serving a life sentence for murder, but it also turned out he had been assaulting his patients at his dental practice when they were under anaesthesia for years.

3. The Shankill Butchers – sectarian murders during the Troubles

The period of conflict in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles, left destruction and devastation in its wake at every turn. Some of the most notorious crimes from this period were carried out by a group known as the Shankill Butchers.

Many of the group were members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and were known for carrying out a string of horrendous sectarian attacks between 1975 and 1982.

They are said to be responsible for the deaths of at least 23 people. The gang would target random Catholic civilians, kidnap, torture, and kill them with a butcher’s knife, hence the gang name.

2. The murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier – a murder that shocked the world

The murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier is perhaps the most notorious and high-profile murder case in Ireland’s modern history.

The story of her 1996 murder has been retold in several documentaries, podcasts, and retellings throughout the years.

The 39-year-old French woman was killed outside her Irish holiday home in Goleen, County Cork, on 23 December 1996. It was widely believed that English journalist Ian Bailey was responsible for her death. However, Bailey was never convicted and died at the start of 2024.

1. The Omagh bombing – the deadliest single crime of the Troubles

The Omagh bombing takes the top spot on our list of infamous Irish crime stories. This was the deadliest single incident of the Troubles in the north.

Carried out by members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), 29 people were killed and a further 220 injured as a result.

The Omagh bombing was a devastating incident that was carried out on 15 August 1998, four months after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement that was to bring peace across the nation.

The bombing caused outrage across the country and throughout the globe. It is commemorated today with services and memorials each year.