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Tiede Herrema was born on 21 April 1921 in Utrecht, Holland. He graduated in mechanical engineering in 1945 and gained a bachelor’s degree in industrial psychology in 1951. He continued his studies in psychology and sociology and gained a PhD in 1959, his dissertation dealing with the rehabilitation of disabled people. He married in 1948 Engelina Elizabeth Borren and the couple had four sons. Herrema’s distinguished career in industry spanned 37 years (1946-1983) and covered all aspects, including production management, general management and industrial relations. In 1973, Herrema was appointed managing director of Ferenka Ltd., and in September of that year he moved to Ireland with his wife Elizabeth and their two youngest sons to take up a position in the newly constructed cord manufacturing plant at Annacotty. Two years later, on the morning of 3 October, Herrema was abducted on his way to work by IRA leader Eddie Gallagher and his accomplices Marion Coyle, Brian McGowan and John Vincent Walsh. The objective of the abduction was to secure the release of three republican prisoners, including Dr Rose Dugdale, by whom Gallagher had a son. Herrema’s status as manager of a large multi-national corporation was hoped to bring international pressure on the government to yield to the demands.

For the next two and a half weeks, Herrema and his captors moved from location to location, and their whereabouts remained unknown until 21 October, when Herrema, Gallagher and Coyle were traced to a house in St Evin’s Park, Monasterevin, County Kildare. On the evening of 7 November, after prolonged negotiations directed by Chief Superintendent Laurence Wren, during which a minimum amount of food was allowed into the house, the kidnappers surrendered and Herrema was released after 36 days in captivity. He was later to attribute his survival to his strong physical fitness and his concerted efforts to befriend his captors to make it harder for them to kill him.

In the trials that followed the abduction, Marion Coyle was sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment in Limerick Prison, while Eddie Gallagher received twenty years in Portlaoise Prison. For their courage and dignity, Herrema and his wife were honoured by Irish authorities with the honorary citizenship of Ireland and Freedom of Limerick in December 1975. In Holland, Herrema was voted Dutchman of the Year in 1975, and granted an officership of the Order of Orange Nassau by Queen Juliana in 1977.

Following a holiday in the Bahamas to recover from his ordeal, Herrema returned to his job in Ferenka, but in early 1976 was appointed Personnel Director of AKZO and returned to Holland. He later specialised in crisis management and worked in that capacity for Thomassen International, Lijnco Groningen, Silenka, and Radio Veronica. He also became a much sought-after speaker and adviser to the police and multinational companies in hostage preparedness and prevention. His humanitarian interests led to his appointment in 1984 as Director General of the Dutch Red Cross. In the meantime in Limerick, Ferenka Ltd., which throughout its existence had a poor record of industrial relations, was shut down in 1979, with losses of over 1,400 jobs.

Although Herrema and his wife returned to Holland, they never lost their love for Ireland and the Irish people and became regular and popular visitors to the country. Herrema campaigned for an early release of Marion Coyle and Eddie Gallagher, but the release was not granted and both prisoners served full term. Coyle was released in 1985, and Gallagher in 1990. Herrema felt no bitterness towards his captors and expressed a willingness to meet both following their release, but only if requested by Coyle and Gallagher. However, no such request was forthcoming and, in spite of attempts by journalists, the three never met again.

The kidnapping and the trials that followed caused an international media storm, which threw Herrema into the public arena and made him a celebrity for the rest of his life. He later joked that he could never forget his abduction because he was never allowed to forget it. Tiede Herrema died on 24 April 2020, a few days after his 99th birthday and just two days after the death of his wife.

Irish Ballet was founded by Patricia Mulholland to showcase performances that were not ballet in the classical sense but a form of folk ballet. The company made its debut in 1951 in the Empire Theatre, Belfast as part of the Festival of Britain.

See Irish National Ballet

Irish Modern Dance Theatre, also known as John Scott Dance, was founded in 1991 by Dublin-born John Scott to create and commission new works to expand the experience of dance theatre for audiences in Ireland and abroad. Since its instigation, the company has operated the policy of employing Irish dancers in its work whenever possible and seeking Irish dancers living abroad to bring them back to work in Ireland. It has also forged links with international choreographers and other artists, including Meredith Monk, John Jasperse, Thomas Lehmen, Sara Rudner, Sean Curran, Chris Yon, Deborah Hay, and Charles Atlas. The Irish Modern Dance Theatre has produced several ground-breaking works which break traditional theatre and dance conventions, leaving audiences thrilled and sometimes shocked. They have been performed in theatres, art centres and schools across Ireland. International venues include PS 122, Danspace Project at St Marks Church, La MaMa (New York), Forum Cultural Mundial, SESC (Rio De Janeiro), l’Étoile Du Nord (Paris), Pustervikstheatern (Göteborg), Varna Summer Festival, Kanuti Gildi SAAL (Estonia), Scenario Pub.bli.co (Sicily) andAl Kasaba Theatre (Ramallah).

A professional ballet company established in Cork under Joan Denise Moriarty's direction and funded by the Arts Council. Originally named the Irish Ballet Company, it was renamed Irish National Ballet in 1984. In the same year, the Arts Council commissioned a report on dance in Ireland. The report was highly critical of the ballet company and the ensuing controversy resulted in Moriarty's resignation in September 1985. In 1988, the Arts Council halved the dance company's budget, forcing it to disband in 1989.

Irish Theatre Ballet was founded by Joan Denise Moriarty in 1959 with Marie Rambert as its patron. The company's first performance took place in December 1959. The company received modest funding from the Arts Council, but depended heavily on private sponsors for its survival. In 1963, to resolve the company's financial problems, the Arts Council insisted on its amalgamation with Patricia Ryan's National Ballet Company in Dublin.