Rose Dugdale, an Oxford-educated Englishwoman who left a life of wealth to become a partisan activist fighting for Irish independence, in a career that included bomb making, hijacking and art theft, died on March 18 in Dublin.
Her death, in a nursing home, was confirmed by Aengus O Snodaigh, a friend and a member of the Irish Parliament.
Throughout the 1970s, Ms. Dugdale, whose family owned a large share of the insurance company Lloyd’s of London, captivated the British and Irish news media with her exploits.
She and an accomplice were arrested in 1973 for stealing thousands of dollars in art and silverware from her parents’ home, with plans to sell it and give the proceeds to the Irish Republican Army.
Her father, Eric, appeared as a witness at her trial, and under British law she was allowed to cross-examine him herself — an opportunity she used to make political statements.
Persons:
Rose Dugdale, Aengus O, Dugdale, Patricia Hearst, ’, Eric, —
Organizations:
Irish, Irish Republican Army
Locations:
Oxford, Dublin, London, United States