Speaker: Henry Hemming
Topic: Intelligence, Subterfuge and Espionage in Ulster’s Troubles
Venue: Vinson Building
Time: 11.30-12.30 Sunday 15 September
Talk Summary:
In 1986 a British spy within the IRA was murdered. Nobody was arrested at the time, but the death set in motion a process that led, 30 years later, to the largest murder investigation in British history. Its target was another British spy, codenamed ‘Stakeknife’, believed to have carried out not just this murder but dozens more. What happened on the night of the murder, what role was played by IRA leader Martin McGuinness, and what was the larger narrative of British intelligence in Northern Ireland during the Troubles? This episode resonates on both sides of the Irish border, and within in the UK government and security services to this day.
Henry Hemming is a leading investigative journalist and The Sunday Times bestselling author of seven books, including M, the Dolman Travel Award-shortlisted Misadventures in the Middle East, and the New York Times bestseller The Ingenious Mr Pyke. He writes for The Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, The Times, the Economist, FT Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, andthe Washington Post. His latest book is Four Shots in the Night: a True Story of Murder, Espionage and Justice in Northern Ireland (Quercus).