| Many people who live in Ireland did not know | | | | room couldn't fit through the door. It was |
| Ireland had crown jewels. This is partly | | | | decided that Arthur Vicars who was the |
| because Ireland is a democracy with a | | | | Officer of Arms of Dublin Castle would keep |
| president as the head of state and partly | | | | the jewels in his office. Seven keys to this |
| because the last King of Ireland dates back | | | | office were held by various vicars and staff |
| to the 12th Century before the British | | | | members and a further two to the safe which |
| invaded Ireland. The other reason for lack of | | | | was now stored in this office. |
| knowledge about these jewels is because the | | | | |
| Jewels were stolen in 1907. | | | | On July 6 1907 it was discovered that the |
| | | | Irish Crown Jewels were missing, days before |
| The Irish Crown Jewels are not the Irish | | | | King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra were due |
| equivalent of the English Crown Jewels which | | | | to visit. An enquiry was held, but didn't |
| are held in the Tower of London, but were the | | | | have the power to subpoena people for |
| insignia of the Order of St Patrick which was | | | | questioning. Vicars was disgraced and was |
| a chivalric order founded by the government | | | | later shot dead by the IRA in 1921. |
| in 1783. The Jewels were presented to the | | | | |
| Order of St Patrick by King William IV in | | | | In a strange twist, the story doesn't stop |
| 1831. It is widely understood that the jewels | | | | there... While it maybe the case that the |
| were made up from diamonds belonging to Queen | | | | jewels were never recovered, they were |
| Charlotte. | | | | offered to the Irish Free State in 1927 for |
| | | | £5000. It is very possible that the Then |
| In 1905 the Order of St Patrick was revised, | | | | Taoiseach WT Cosgrave bought back the jewels |
| and the jewels were to be stored in a safe in | | | | in secret. Extensive searching of the |
| Dublin Castle in a newly built strong room. | | | | National Archives never revealed anything. To |
| In a very Irish twist, it turned out that the | | | | this day we do not know whether the jewels |
| safe that was going to be put in the strong | | | | were bought back of where they are. |