What happened to Shergar?

Ultimately, what happened to Shergar will probably never be known conclusively. What is known, beyond shadow of doubt, is that he was abducted from the Ballymany Stud, in Co. Kildare, Ireland by a gang of masked gunmen in February, 1983, and never seen again, dead or alive. The gunmen were believed to be members of the Irish Republic Army (IRA) but, possibly because of manner in which Shergar met his end, no-one has ever claimed responsibility for the abduction.

According to an anonymous, but coded, message received by ransom negotiators, Shergar died ‘in an accident’, having become distressed shortly after his disappearance. If former IRA members are to be believed, Shergar became fractious while being transported in a horse box, fracturing a bone is his leg in the process and was destroyed in brutal, bloody fashion. He was reportedly machine gunned to death in a stable near Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim and his remains were left in the surrounding countryside. However, no trace of Shergar has ever been found. Former IRA member turned informer Sean O’Callaghan named convicted killer Kevin Mallon as the mastermind behind the kidnap plot, but Mallon denied any such allegation and no-one else involved has been identified.