Ballinamore remembers the IRA Kidnapping that shook Ireland 40 Years ago

Ahead of a long-overdue memorial ceremony, An Garda Síochána, senior state officials, and the Irish Defence Forces will gather in Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim, to honor two men whose sacrifice defined one of the darkest chapters in Irish history.

On December 16, 1983, Garda Gary Sheehan, a 23-year-old recruit, and Private Patrick Kelly, a 35-year-old father of four, were brutally shot dead by a Provisional IRA gang in Derrada Wood. Their deaths came during one of the largest manhunts in Irish history — an intense, 23-day operation to rescue kidnapped supermarket executive Don Tidey.

“For those who lived through it, it’s unforgettable,” says Ronan McGreevy, co-author of The Kidnapping. "At the time, it was the largest confrontation between the Gardaí and the Provisional IRA during the Troubles.” He believes the new memorial is “long overdue” and should have been established decades ago in the immediate aftermath of the killings.

On December 16, 2024 — 41 years after that fateful day — a remembrance ceremony will take place in Ballinamore. It will begin with a Mass at St. Patrick’s Church at 11:30 am, followed by the unveiling of a Monument of Remembrance outside Ballinamore Garda Station. 

Patrick Kelly.

The hunt for Don Tidey was one of the largest operations in Irish history. For 23 days, hundreds of Gardaí and Defence Forces personnel combed the rugged, remote mountains of Slíabh an Iarainn, County Leitrim.

In the book The Kidnapping: A Hostage, a Desperate Manhunt and a Bloody Rescue that Shocked Ireland by Tommy Conlon and Ronan McGreevy, the moment of discovery is vividly described. As Garda Gary Sheehan approached the kidnappers’ camp hidden deep in Derrada Wood, he called out, “Can you answer, soldier?”

A brief pause followed before machine-gun fire shattered the silence. Sheehan, just 23 years old, was struck in the head and died instantly. Moments later, another burst of gunfire hit Private Patrick Kelly, 36, a father of four. He lay bleeding beneath a tree, pleading with his comrades not to leave him, but he died from his wounds shortly after.

As panic took hold, the kidnappers detonated a stun grenade. In the confusion, Don Tidey threw himself to the ground and rolled down an incline. He stopped at the feet of a soldier and a Garda, who quickly escorted him out of the woods to safety as chaos engulfed the scene.

Gary Sheehan.

McGreevy is forthright about the lingering injustice. “I think our book, in some ways, is a modicum of justice, in the sense that we’ve named the people we believe were involved,” he says. “It’s never going to make up for the fact that nobody was convicted, but at least it’s there for the record.” He and his co-author, Tommy Conlon, made it their mission to unearth the names of those responsible for Sheehan and Kelly's deaths, shining a light on a truth that the justice system failed to address.

The search underway outside Ballinamore. Photos credit The Irish Times.

The fact that some local republicans aided the IRA’s efforts still weighs heavily on those who remember. “It wouldn’t have happened in Leitrim without John Joe McGirl,” McGreevy says, referencing the local IRA activist and Sinn Féin politician. “He secured the safe houses, supplied the kidnappers, and knew exactly where the hideout was. McGirl's role in the kidnapping operation was pivotal.” 

Despite his known involvement, a memorial to McGirl was erected locally just 11 years after the kidnapping, a move that many others view as a stark insult to the memory of Sheehan and Kelly. “Anybody who was involved in the Don Tidey kidnapping should be shunned,” McGreevy says.

McGreevy and his co-author delve into these shadowy connections in the book, revealing how deeply enmeshed local actors were in the broader campaign of violence.

Don Tidey's Remarkable Resilience

While the focus of the upcoming memorial will be on Sheehan and Kelly, McGreevy’s research also draws attention to Don Tidey, the man at the center of it all. “What struck me about Don Tidey was that he was more of a soldier than the men who kidnapped him,” McGreevy says. “He’d spent 10 years in the UK doing national service and had been in the British Territorial Army. He knew survival techniques and applied them during his captivity.”

One of the most striking details McGreevy recalls is Tidey's use of breathing techniques to sustain himself. “He was using… some kind of technique whereby if you’re in a confined space, you breathe in and out, sending oxygen to your muscles, so there’s no muscle deterioration,” he explains. It was this discipline, learned in his military training, that helped him endure 23 days in captivity, all while surrounded by armed militants.

But perhaps most telling is Tidey’s own reflection on his experience in Leitrim. “He told us he’d been to all 31 counties in Ireland, but he does not acknowledge ever having been in Leitrim,” McGreevy recalls. “Why? Because he was there against his will. It's sad.”

Chief Superintendent Aidan Glacken of the Sligo/Leitrim Division described the event as “a deeply significant moment to honour the memory of two men who gave their lives in service to their country.” The ceremony and monument will serve as a lasting tribute to their courage and sacrifice, while also offering support to their families.

For far too long, the bravery of Garda Sheehan and Private Kelly went unmarked by any official tribute. Now, 40 years on, the imbalance is finally being addressed.