State Papers: Donation to Garda fund after release of kidnapped Dutch industrialist 'far too large'
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Civil servants in Ireland expressed concern that the offer of a IR£5,000 contribution to the Garda Benevolent Fund from the government of the Netherlands following the successful release in 1975 of kidnapped Dutch industrialist, Tiede Herrema, was “far too large.”
Newly-released State papers show the Department of Foreign Affairs were monitoring both diplomatic and media coverage of the kidnapping of Dr Herrema by the IRA because of its potential impact on foreign direct investment in Ireland.
Dr Herrema was the chief executive of the Ferkenda factory in Limerick—the city’s biggest industry at the time. He was kidnapped on October 3, 1975, as he was leaving his home in Castletroy, Co Limerick, to go to work at the plant.
The members of the IRA gang involved in the kidnapping demanded the release of three, high-profile republican prisoners, including Rose Dugdale.
A large-scale Garda operation eventually tracked Dr Herrema and his captors to a house in Monasterevin, Co Kildare, on October 21, 1975.
The Dutch industrialist was eventually released safely on November 7, 1975, after a lengthy siege. Two of his kidnappers involved in the siege, Eddie Gallagher and Marian Coyle, were arrested at the scene.
Files show that an official questioned the sum of IR£5,000 being donated by the Dutch authorities to the Garda Benevolent fund. In December 1975, the senior civil servant instructed that the Minister for Justice, Patrick Cooney, should be made aware of the matter.
However, the official himself noted: “It seems to me that a contribution of IR£5,000 was far too large.” Another civil servant said he knew the minister and a secretary had spoken about the issue but was unaware of what was said.
Files show that Dutch officials also arranged for a delegation to visit Ireland in 1976 in order to study the psychological aspects of the Herrema kidnapping. The group sought to meet with gardaí, officials, psychologists and psychiatrists who dealt with both Dr Herrema and his kidnappers.
The businessman and wife left Ireland shortly after his release but were frequent visitors back here over the following decades. The couple were also made honorary Irish citizens in recognition of their ordeal.
Dr Herrema died in April 2020, aged 99.