Frank D'Arcy

British Army Captain Robert Nairac was kidnapped, beaten, and executed while working undercover in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Nairac served in the Grenadier Guards Regiment before moving into intelligence, where he was soon tasked to work undercover. He was in civilian clothing when he arrived at the Three Steps Inn in Dromintree on May 14th, 1977, possibly to meet a source, although he may have just been spotting and assessing the locals. A few of the bar patrons became suspicious after Nairac claimed to be Danny McErlean from the Ardoyne district of Belfast, since he did not have a distinctly Ardoyne accent. When he asked a woman if she knew how to get across the border undetected, the locals became convinced (correctly) that he was undercover. One man asked him to walk out in the parking lot to discuss something. Nairac was unarmed, having left his Browning Hi-Power and shoulder holster outside in his sedan. Outside, others were waiting. When he reached into his vehicle to retrieve his pistol, Nairac was struck over the head, and the weapon was wrestled away from him. He was bundled into a vehicle trunk and driven out to a stone bridge in a nearby field. There he was severely beaten and interrogated, although according to later accounts by the five men eventually convicted of murder, he gave away nothing, right until the end. Nairac was told to give his final confession to the Lord but was unable to recite the words due to his head injury. He was then shot in the head. His remains have never been recovered. He is one of the 16 Disappeared, men who were murdered and hidden during the Troubles. Since 1999, 13 of the 16 have been found, but Nairac and two others have not. There are longstanding rumors that he was put through a meat grinder and fed to farm animals. For episode 89 of the Spycraft 101 podcast I spoke with Toby Harnden, author of Bandit Country. We discussed the Troubles and its impact both on the residents of County Armagh and the British forces working to pacify the region. #ireland #belfast #ira #troubles #southarmagh youtube.com/watch?v=2iGT2sjd…