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Kidnapping of Tiede Herrema
In October 1975, Dutch businessman Tiede Herrema (21 April 1921 – 24 April 2020) was kidnapped by the Provisional IRA in Castletroy, near Limerick. This triggered a large police investigation and a two-week siege, after which Herrema was released unharmed. BiographyTiede Herrema was born in Zuilen (then a municipality, today part of Utrecht) in 1921. During World War II, he was arrested by Nazis because he was in the Dutch resistance, and was sent to a concentration camp in Poland.[1] After being liberated by Soviet forces, he walked 500 km to American lines.[1] In the 1970s, Herrema ran a wire factory, Ferenka, in the city of Limerick, Ireland. At the time, this was the city's biggest employer, with approximately 1,400 workers.[2] Kidnapping and rescueOn the morning of 3 October 1975, having just left his home in Castletroy near Limerick, Herrema was abducted by Provisional Irish Republican Army members Eddie Gallagher and Marion Coyle.[2] The kidnappers demanded the release of three IRA prisoners, including Rose Dugdale.[3] After a massive security operation, the kidnappers were eventually traced on 21 October 1975 to a house in Monasterevin, County Kildare. After a further two-week-long siege, Herrema was released, shaken, but unharmed.[4] He left Ireland soon after.[citation needed] AftermathHe eventually returned to Ireland to present an episode of Saturday Live in 1987.[5] He and his wife Elizabeth were made honorary Irish citizens in 1975,[6] and he was made a Freeman of the city of Limerick. In 2005, he donated his personal papers to the University of Limerick.[4] Herrema died in April 2020, 5 days after his wife's death and 3 days after his 99th birthday.[7][1] See alsoReferences
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