TV3 documents Ireland?s Greatest Robberies in new Monday night slot entitled ?Life Stories?.

TV3 GROUP RELEASE

IMMEDIATE: Friday 27th February, 2015

 

 

TV3 documents Ireland’s Greatest Robberies in new Monday night slot entitled ‘Life Stories’.

 

Throughout the series we delve in to the records and reconstruct these robberies in detail, discovering why they sent shockwaves across the country.

 

The first episode examines one of the biggest art thefts in the world in which crime boss Martin Cahill and his gang stole some of the most famous and expensive paintings in the world from Russborough House.

 

The robbery launched one of the biggest investigations ever to take place in this country.

 

‘Life Stories: Ireland’s Greatest Robberies’ airs this Monday (2nd March) at 9pm on TV3.

 

Interviews are available on request.

 

Video link to view the first episode is available on request.

 

TV3’s brand new stream of Monday night home-grown programming entitled ‘Life Stories’ kicks off with the eye-opening crime series, Ireland’s Greatest Robberies. The sequence of programmes will feature an eclectic mix of Irish content across different genres which will air every Monday at 9pm on TV3.

 

Ireland’s Greatest Robberies is a brand new four-part series giving a factual insight into some of the most ambitious and exciting heists to ever occur in Irish History. The eye-opening series looks at the detail and precision that went in to carrying out these robberies, from the planning stages right through to their execution and aftermath.

 

Presented by Jim McCabe, the programme examines six robberies in total, beginning with the infamous Russborough House art thefts of 1986 at the hands of gangland crime boss Martin Cahill, during which 18 of the most valuable paintings in the world were stolen.

 

This heist was one of the biggest art thefts in history as Cahill and his gang fled with some of the most famous and expensive paintings in the world, from the Beit art collection which was stored at Russborough House, one of Ireland’s stately homes in 1986. The robbery launched one of the biggest investigations ever to take place in this country to find the gang responsible and locate the missing paintings, many of which were eventually discovered in countries such as Britain and France.

 

The series also looks at the largest bank robbery to ever take place in on this island when £26 million pounds went missing from Belfast’s Northern Bank in 2004, and the robbery of O’Connor’s Jewellery factory in Harold’s Cross, Dublin in 1983 when approximately £1.5million worth of jewellery was stolen.

 

The series will also look at the £2.8 million Brinks Allied heist in North Dublin in 1995 at the hands of a ruthless gang and the tiger kidnapping of a young bank employee’s girlfriend and her family in 2009, in which the bank worker was forced to steal as much cash as possible from the Bank of Ireland on College Green in Dublin City Centre, where the gang got away with €7.6million.

 

The final robbery examined was the first major stand-off between an armed gang and the Gardaí in Emily Square in Athy in 1990, when a gang who were becoming professional at armed raids, finally met their fate at the hands of the Gardaí.

 

Throughout the series we delve in to the records and reconstruct these robberies in detail discovering how exactly these heists were carried out and why they sent shockwaves across the country.

 

In addition to Ireland’s Greatest Robberies, TV3’s new ‘Life Stories’ strand boasts a number of new series including Dáil on the Dole, a landmark documentary series that will follow four TDs as they experience life for families in their own constituencies, some of whom are surviving on social welfare; Revolution in Colour, a two-part documentary which will, for the first time, tell the story of Ireland during 1913-1923 using newly commissioned High Definition digital transfers of British Pathé newsreel that will be restored and colourised, and Get the Numbers Write, a three-part series following five people across a six week accredited course as they strive to improve their literacy skills.

 

‘Life Stories: Ireland’s Greatest Robberies’ airs this Monday (2nd March) at 9pm on TV3.

 

Images have been sent to your picture desks.  

 

ENDS

 

For further information
Ciara Byrne – Press Officer – 01 419 3329/087 319 9732

Jean O’Donovan – Press & Publicity Assistant – 01 419 3428

Sharon McHugh – Head of Press & Publicity – 087 922 4143

publicity@tv3.ie                        
www.tv3.ie

 

Follow TV3

Follow us on Twitter: @TV3Ireland

Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TVThreeIreland

Follow us on Youtube: www.youtube.com/TV3Group