Cold Open

It’s August 27th, 1979, in Mullaghmore, a small fishing village in the Republic of Ireland.

On a wooden jetty, 14-year-old Dennis Devlin tightens the netting of a crab pot and tosses it onto a pile beside him. The pots need to be checked before his father casts off in his fishing boat, but it’s a dull task, and it doesn’t take much to distract Dennis from his work.

Soon enough, Dennis’s attention is caught by a group of people walking along the jetty. He recognizes the man leading them immediately. 79-year-old Lord Louis Mountbatten is something of a local celebrity here —not only is he a second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, he was also a high-ranking commander in World War Two and the last British Viceroy of India. Trailing behind the sprightly Mountbatten are five members of his family and someone else Dennis recognizes - his friend Paul Maxwell. Paul is spending the summer helping to crew Lord Mountbatten’s boat, and Dennis gives him a wave as the group passes by.

Then, when they reach their fishing boat, Lord Mountbatten steps aboard and fires up the engine. The others clamber onto the little, green-hulled boat one at a time. Paul is the last to board. It’s his job to untie the mooring rope, but the tide is dragging the boat away from the jetty and Paul can’t quite reach it. So, Dennis decides to help.

He makes his way down the jetty, unties the rope… and tosses it onto the deck.

Lord Mountbatten gives Dennis a playful salute as he steers the boat away from the jetty. Dennis then returns to his crab pots. But as he picks up another one and resumes checking the netting… an explosion knocks him off his feet. His ears ring and his head pounds, and when Dennis finally picks himself up, he sees thick smoke rising from the water. Lord Mountbatten’s boat was there only moments ago. But now, all that’s left is a smoldering wreck floating on the waves.

The bombing in Mullaghmore will claim the lives of four of the boat’s seven passengers, including crewman Paul Maxwell and Lord Louis Mountbatten. A paramilitary group, the Provisional Irish Republican Army, will soon claim responsibility. And their assassination of a member of the British royal family will hit headlines around the world, causing a new escalation in the long and bloody conflict in Northern Ireland, which will continue to claim new victims until peace finally comes almost twenty years after the death of Lord Mountbatten on August 27th, 1979.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is August 27th, 1979: The Assassination of Lord Mountbatten.

Act One

It’s March 22nd, 1947, at an airport in Delhi, India, 32 years before the death of Lord Louis Mountbatten.

As his airplane makes its final approach, 46-year-old Lord Mountbatten straightens his tie and glances out of the window. He can almost see the heat rising from the dusty ground below.

The sweltering climate of India will be nothing new to Lord Mountbatten though. Although he was born in the grounds of Windsor Castle in England, Mountbatten has seen plenty of the world. He served as an officer in the Royal Navy for three decades and, in World War Two, he was the Supreme Allied Commander in Southeast Asia. A few weeks ago, Queen Elizabeth made him an earl under the title Earl Mountbatten of Burma. And now, he’s arrived in India to take up his newest appointment.

Clouds of dust are kicked up by the plane's wheels as it touches down on the tarmac, and when the airplane’s doors open, Mountbatten feels a wave of hot air rush into the cabin. He descends the airplane’s steps to be greeted by a cheering crowd, an honor guard, and a line of officials waiting to shake his hand. Mountbatten's bright white dress uniform glows in the sun as he meets the commander of British forces in India, as well as leading Indian-born politicians.

For almost a century, India has been ruled from London as part of the British Empire. But in the last few decades, more and more Indians have been calling for independence—and these demands have only increased in the aftermath of World War Two. The British government has now agreed that India should become an independent country. And as the newly appointed Viceroy, it’s Lord Mounbatten’s job to negotiate a smooth transition. It’s an enormous task, and he’s been given just over a year to do it.

But that’s not soon enough for some. A few days after Lord Mountbatten's arrival in the country, riots break out in India’s major cities. This convinces Mountbatten to push on with his task even more quickly. But although the vast majority of Indians now want independence from Britain, they don't agree on what form an independent India should take. Some want one unified country where citizens of all religions live side by side. Others, though, believe the country should be split into two states: one for Hindus, and one for Muslims.

With the situation on the ground growing more volatile by the day, Lord Mountbatten concludes that partition is the quickest way to achieve independence. So, just five months after he stepped foot in the country, Mountbatten orders that British India be split into two new nations: India and Pakistan. But the rushed partition creates ten million refugees overnight. Many Hindus in Pakistan and Muslims in India flee their previously mixed communities, and over a million people are killed in massacres in the border regions between the two countries. By June 1948, when Lord Mountbatten departs for England, India and Pakistan will already have slipped into war. But it won’t be the last time that Mountbatten encounters violence sparked by an international border.

*

It’s the summer of 1950 at Classiebawn Castle on the northwest coast of the Republic of Ireland, two years after Lord Louis Mountbatten returned from India.

Lord Mountbatten swings open the door of his summer home, rousing the dust that lies on every surface. His wife inherited Classiebawn Castle eleven years ago in 1939, but first World War Two and then Mountbatten's appointment as Viceroy of India meant that he’s not been able to spend any time here. Now though, he’s semi-retired, and Mountbatten intends to refurbish the castle—and judging by the crumbling stonework, it’s in need of a lot of work.

Over the next few years, the Mountbattens transform Classiebawn Castle into a luxurious country retreat. But their summer aboard becomes a more dangerous vacation spot when tensions in Ireland explode into violence during the 1960s.

The roots of the unrest date back more than 400 years to when the English colonized Ireland in the 16th century. And after years of conflict, oppression, and religious strife, in 1922, Ireland also was split into two: Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom, with the rest of the country eventually becoming the independent Republic of Ireland. That did not bring an end to the fighting, though. The status of Northern Ireland remained hugely controversial, and two opposing factions emerged - Unionists who wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom and nationalists who wanted Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic.

In the 1960s, paramilitaries on both sides step up attacks on their opponents with bombings, shootings, and assassinations. The British authorities intervene, deploying troops on the ground in 1969. Officially, the British Army is there to maintain order - but its sometimes heavy-handed treatment of Nationalists further inflames tensions.

Lord Mountbatten, however, will ignore the risks and keep visiting Classiebawn Castle. Even when the surrounding area becomes a hotbed of Nationalist paramilitary activity, Lord Mountbatten will refuse to contemplate extra security. But that complacency will leave him vulnerable, and in the summer of 1979, the men of the Provisional IRA will take full advantage.

Act Two

It’s September 5th, 1979, in London, England, nine days after the violent death of Lord Louis Mountbatten.

The streets of the British capital are silent as 30-year-old Prince Charles marches at the head of a funeral procession. His face is hollow with grief and he wears his full naval dress uniform as he walks beside his father and other members of the Royal Family. In front of him is a carriage bearing the flag-draped coffin of Lord Mountbatten. Somber crowds line the road. Thousands of people have turned out to pay their respects ahead of Mountbatten’s funeral service at Westminster Abbey.

Ten days ago, the Irish paramilitary Thomas McMahon slipped onto Lord Mountbatten's unguarded boat at Mullaghmore harbor and hid a radio-controlled bomb. The next day, another operative from the Provisional IRA detonated that bomb when it was a few hundred yards out at sea. Lord Mountbatten initially survived the blast and was pulled from the sea by rescuers but died before he reached the shore. His teenage grandson and a 15-year-old crewman were also killed in the blast, and his daughter’s mother-in-law later died in the hospital. But they weren’t the only victims of the Provisional IRA that day. Later that same afternoon, paramilitaries ambushed a British Army convoy, just inside the Northern Irish border. Eighteen soldiers were killed in the attack, and a civilian died in the gunfight that followed. Now, the British people are mourning all their losses at Lord Mountbatten's state funeral.

The service at Westminster Abbey is especially difficult for Prince Charles. Charles never knew his paternal grandfather and was three years old when his maternal grandfather King George VI died. But Lord Mountbatten stepped in and acted as a mentor to the young prince. Now, Charles must cope without the advice of the man he trusted more than any other.

But while Prince Charles and the rest of the Royal Family grieve, British authorities focus on finding justice for Lord Mountbatten and those who perished with him.

At first, the British investigation benefits from a bit of luck. The man who planted the bomb has already been taken into custody. Thomas McMahon was arrested by Irish police for driving a stolen vehicle. And as a suspected member of the Provisional IRA, McMahon was then subjected to a stringent police investigation. They discovered traces of explosives and paint from Mountbatten's boat on his clothes.

And with this evidence, three months after the bombing, McMahon is found guilty of murder and imprisoned in the Republic of Ireland. But it proves harder for the British or Irish authorities to find other evidence that links the assassination to higher-ranking members of the Provisional IRA, so feeling emboldened, they escalate their campaign of violence, especially in England. A barracks in London is targeted with a bombing, leaving two civilians dead. Eleven soldiers are then killed by other bombs, detonated during ceremonial parades. And the Provisional IRA even attempts to assassinate British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher when a bomb explodes at a hotel during the Conservative Party conference she was attending. Five people are killed in the blast but the Prime Minister herself is unhurt.

Another decade passes before the tide of violence turns. The tension begins to de-escalate with the intervention of the United States. President Bill Clinton sends former Senator George Mitchell to Europe as his Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, and Mitchell succeeds in getting key decision-makers around the table. Over months of delicate negotiations, the British and Irish governments agree to work together for peace and come to an agreement with the political wings of Unionist and Nationalist paramilitary groups.

The resulting accord, the Good Friday Agreement, involves compromise. The Nationalists acknowledge that a majority of people in Northern Ireland want to remain in the United Kingdom. But the Unionists must recognize and accept that a substantial portion of people in Northern Ireland want the opposite. Still, both sides agree to lay down their arms, and the British Army will reduce its presence in the country. Additionally, both the British and Irish governments also agree to the early release of convicted paramilitaries. And among those granted freedom is Thomas McMahon, the Provisional IRA bomber who planted the device that killed Lord Louis Mountbatten.

With these sacrifices and concessions from all parties, peace will finally come to Northern Ireland. And more than a decade later, the shared commitment to reconciliation and dialogue over bullets and bombs will be symbolized in a handshake between the man who helped plot the murder of a British royal and the Queen of England herself.

Act Three

It’s June 27th, 2012, at the Lyric Theater in Belfast, Northern Ireland, 14 years after the Good Friday Agreement.

Photojournalist Peter Faith checks his equipment, ensuring that his camera is turned on and the battery is fully charged. He’s been backstage at the Lyric Theater for hours, and he’s checked his camera thousands of times already. Because today, Queen Elizabeth II is visiting Belfast on part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations marking her 60 years on the British throne. But today’s event is about more than just a royal anniversary. It’s a significant moment in the history of Northern Ireland—and Peter is the only photographer who’ll be allowed to capture it.

After the conflict in Northern Ireland came to an end, many of the paramilitaries put down their weapons and sought more peaceful ways of influencing political policy. Among them was Martin McGuinness. He was once a high-ranking officer in the Provisional IRA—the same organization that assassinated Lord Louis Mountbatten. But since then, McGuinness has become a prominent political figure, and for the last five years, he’s been Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. It’s in that role that he’s at the Lyric Theater to meet Queen Elizabeth.

An expectant hush falls as the Queen slowly rounds the corner. Peter begins taking photographs immediately, barely pausing between shots to adjust his settings as Queen Elizabeth comes face to face with Martin McGuinness. Then, with a warm smile, the Queen reaches out her hand to the man believed to have ordered the deadly attack on her cousin, Lord Mountbatten. McGuinness takes the Queen’s hand in his own, and they shake for four seconds. McGuinness speaks a few words in Irish before translating them to English, explaining that his words mean “goodbye and God bless.”

The handshake is a powerful symbolic gesture. McGuinness has met someone he once viewed as the enemy, and Queen Elizabeth has put her duty to her country ahead of any personal feelings of enmity. It's another step toward a lasting peace in Northern Ireland and a sign of how far communities there have come since countless lives were ruined by violence, as when Lord Louis Mountbatten and three others were killed by a bomb on August 27th, 1979.

Outro

Next on History Daily. August 28th, 1973. A five-day hostage crisis in Sweden leads to the creation of the term “Stockholm Syndrome.”

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Gabriel Gould.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Rob Scragg.

Edited by Scott Reeves.

Managing producer, Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.