Sundance Now’s docuseries The Heiress and the Heist explores the life of English heiress Rose Dugdale and her involvement in the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The three-part true crime documentary series charts Dugdale’s extraordinary transformation from debutante to rebel to art thief.
Directed by David Harvey (The Kennedys’ Irish Mafia, Butchers of the Bayou) and executive produced by Shannon Cooper, Jonathan Ford, Ronan Hand, and Mariana Rios Sanchez.
Sundance Now offered this description of documentary series:
The Heiress and the Heist chronicles Rose’s transformation as a revolutionary — from her early childhood in Devon to the time she spent in Limerick Prison — and includes historical events and the social upheavals that affected England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland from the late 1960s to mid-1970s. The focus of the series is the Russborough House heist from 1974, which was largely orchestrated by Dugdale who acted as the brains of the operation, selecting which paintings were to be stolen at the time of the robbery.
The immediate aftermath of the crime is relayed by key witness testimonies, including the crime correspondents who reported the story and the police officer who made the detection and arrest of Dugdale in Cork with the 19 paintings.
All episodes will premiere on Sundance Now and AMC+ on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
- Episode 1
To rebel against her privileged background and family wealth, Rose Dugdale organizes the robbery of her family home. The possibility of her committing any further criminal acts is deemed “extremely remote” but her radicalization is only beginning. - Episode 2
The night of April 26, 1974, Dugdale leads a raid on Russborough House to steal paintings kept in the stunning Palladian mansion. Under her specific instructions, the gang steal 19 works of art valued at around $90 million today. - Episode 3
The paintings are recovered and Dugdale is sentenced to prison. Months later, Eddie Gallagher and Marion Coyle kidnap Dutch businessman, Tiede Herrema, to force the release of Dugdale and two other IRA members. After 19 days, Herrema is released.
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