The murder of an Ambassador

When the IRA killed the British Ambassador Christopher Ewart-Biggs in 1976 a shocked nation was outraged, writes Caroline O’Doherty.

THE murder of the British Ambassador to Ireland by the IRA in 1976 caused massive anxiety for the Cosgrave government which was concerned about how the incident would be viewed internationally.

Officials were instructed to gather press clippings from newspapers all over the world — even the USSR — to see how the news was reported and what comments were made in opinion pieces.