Having been held for four days Lord and Lady Donoughmore are released by their kidnappers.
John Hely-Hutchinson, 7th Earl of Donoughmore and his wife Countess Dorothy were kidnapped from their home in Clonmel at gunpoint on the evening of 4 June. Having been held for four days the couple were released by their captors in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.
When in the Phoenix Park, the couple went straight to a gate lodge before being brought to Cabra Garda Station and then to the Garda Depot in the Phoenix Park.
Although somewhat dishevelled looking following their experience the Earl and Countess spoke to RTÉ News.
The Countess said that they were,
Marvellously well, very thrilled to be back.
The 71 year old Earl, who was wearing a blood stained coat explained,
I was bashed around with a pistol on my head.
The couple still do not know who their captors were but assume they were members of the IRA. The ordeal began when they were taken at gunpoint from outside their home, following a struggle they were bundled into a car and blindfolded. They refute claims that any shots were fired. They were driven a long distance over rough roads to an unknown location. The couple never knew their location and never saw their captors' faces..
They had Ku Klux Klan sort of things on.
Despite their initial treatment, once they had arrived at the hideout, they were treated very well. Their captors immediately told them the reason for the kidnapping.
It's entirely because of the hunger strikers.
The Countess Dorothy explained that their captors believed that the Earl was connected with the British government and he could put pressure on them for the release of the Irish hunger strikers held in British prisons. When news came in that the hunger strike had ended, the couple were told that they would be released.
You're in luck. The hunger strikers have given up.
After speaking to RTÉ News, the Earl and Countess were taken to the Hibernian Hotel for a press conference.
Phoenix Park gatekeeper Frank O'Brien explains what happened as the couple arrived at his hut at the main entrance to the Phoenix Park at around 4 am.
They told me that they were Lord and Lady Donoughmore.
Frank O'Brien immediately made contact with the police and the couple were taken away.
After a quick change of clothes, the Earl and Countess met with newsmen for a press conference. They were asked if there had been any mention by their captors of Dr Rose Dugdale and explained again the reasons why they had been taken.
After the press conference, Supt John Joy took away the Earl's old clothes to be examined by Garda forensics and the Earl and Countess returned home to Tipperary.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 9 June 1974. The reporters are Tom MacSweeney and Reg Cullen.
