The Kidnapping: A Hostage, a Desperate Manhunt and a Bloody Rescue That Shocked Ireland

‘Riveting . . . a triumph . . . intertwining personal narratives with wider themes of remembrance, loss, courage and blame’ Gary Murphy, Irish Examiner

November 1983. Early morning in suburban south Dublin. Businessman Don Tidey is snatched from his car and the IRA has its latest kidnap victim. Weeks later he is tracked down to an isolated Leitrim wood, but in saving Tidey’s life a recruit garda and a soldier lose theirs.

The Kidnapping is a brilliantly reported account of this landmark event by two accomplished journalists and Leitrim natives. Delving deep, they provide a chilling account of the lead-up to Tidey’s abduction, the massive manhunt that followed, his bloody rescue, the botched attempts to capture his abductors and the devastating fall-out – personal and national – that followed.

At the heart of The Kidnapping revealing interviews with Don Tidey – speaking about his experience in detail for the first time – and with the families of Garda Gary Sheehan and Private Patrick Kelly, provide a startling and moving testimony of the lasting impact of these traumatic events. It is both a gripping read and one that raises profound questions for today’s Ireland.

‘Vividly written, deeply insightful, extremely timely’ Business Post

‘A fascinating read . . . beyond that, it’s an important document’ Mick Clifford, The Mick Clifford Podcast

‘A harrowing story . . . [but] an enjoyable book’ Irish Mail on Sunday

‘An important reminder of our imperfect, contentious past’ Tommy Gorman, Irish Times

‘Vivid . . . [shows] a deep understanding . . . insightful and emotional’ Sunday Independent

‘A major page-turner . . . fascinating’ Nicola Tallant, Crime World podcast

Tommy Conlon is a sportswriter with the Sunday Independent. He has co-authored books with some of Ireland's most successful sportsmen, including Ronnie Whelan, John 'Bull' Hayes, and Keith Earls, whose autobiography won the Sports Book of the Year at the 2021 An Post Irish Book Awards. He is a native of Ballinamore, Co Leitrim.
Ronan McGreevy is an Irish Times journalist and videographer. He is the author of Wherever the Firing Line Extends: Ireland and the Western Front and editor of Centenary: Ireland Remembers 1916. His latest book Great Hatred: The Assassination of Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson MP was the Sunday Business Post history book of the year. He is a native of Co Leitrim.