366:
228:
115:, who was charged and convicted of helping the IRA kill colleague Brian Armour. She allegedly persuaded Hanna into providing information on Armour which she then passed on to the IRA; however, she was not charged with complicity in Armour's murder. In 1992, she and two men were arrested when a booby-trap bomb was found in their car. In 1993, she was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment, but was released in December 1998 under the terms of the
434:
141:
340:
Hanna allegedly provided Brown with Armour's address which enabled the IRA to plant the bomb underneath his car. Brown was named at Hanna's trial as the conduit through which the information on Armour was passed by Hanna to the IRA. She was taken in by the RUC for interrogation regarding the Armour killing whilst she was shooting
336:). Inside the package was a list containing the names, addresses, postcodes, and car registration numbers of RUC officers, which had been copied from a police database. McCartland's handlers suggested that the highly detailed information had come from an RUC officer with whom Brown had formed a liaison.
339:
In that same year, 1990, Hanna was sentenced to life imprisonment for aiding and abetting the IRA in the murder of his colleague, Brian Samuel Armour, vice-chairman of the Prison
Officers' Association. Armour was killed by a booby-trap bomb on 4 October 1988 as he drove through Bloomfield in Belfast.
389:
Paul McCullough and Steven
Canning, when a booby-trap bomb was discovered in the glove box of their car. She had been driving the car towards the town when RUC officers stopped the vehicle, ordered her to pull over and all three occupants out onto a verge. As she took off her woollen cap, the ginger
352:
policeman reportedly replied, "Well, it may not have occurred to you, but we are fighting a war here". She wasn't charged in connection with Armour's killing and subsequently released from police custody. Although it was believed by the RUC and media that Brown had sex with Hanna in order to obtain
291:
which she then passed on to the IRA who subsequently assassinated him. Hanna, who was completely infatuated with Brown and later admitted that he was dominated by "a Provie woman", obtained the information regarding McMichael during the latter's visits to loyalist inmates inside the Maze. Brown was
262:
Sometime after her release from Armagh she became an IRA Intelligence
Officer, and later received the nickname of the "IRA Mata Hari" by the media. She was described by journalist Mark Devenport as having been especially suited for intelligence work; in particular she was highly skilled at losing
331:
in his memoirs. McGartland, an RUC Special Branch agent who infiltrated the IRA, alleged that he was ordered by both his IRA commander and his handlers to work with Brown. He characterised her as having been "very well-spoken and pleasant to deal with", but firmly denied that they had had a love
356:
After the details of her involvement with Hanna became known to the public, Brown ensconced herself in staunch republican areas of north and west
Belfast. According to Devenport, she became romantically involved with IRA associate Davy Adams during this period.
353:
the information she needed, both she and Hanna adamantly maintained that during their encounters they never had a "full sexual relationship". According to McGartland, she and Hanna often met in lay-bys or the cemetery where his parents were buried.
405:
It would appear she is one of a number of very evil women who play an integral part in the republican war machine. And recent information would suggest that these evil persons are frequenting drinking establishments in loyalist towns and along the
503:
According to author Ian S. Wood, Brown refuses to talk about her past as an IRA member. During an interview, she promised journalist Mark
Devenport that he would be able to tell her life story, "but that won't be until the war's over".
390:
wig she had been wearing as a disguise slipped off, therefore revealing her identity. The RUC then found the bomb inside the car. On 10 September 1993, she was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment at Mourne House, the women's unit of
296:. She warned him that he was "being watched". John McMichael was killed on 22 December 1987 when a booby-trap bomb exploded underneath his car in his driveway. The IRA unit which planted the bomb was led by
332:
affair. He stated that in early 1990, she took a package wrapped in clingfilm out of her mouth and told him to deliver it to another IRA Intelligence
Officer, Davy Adams (nephew of Sinn Féin president
167:, which was relatively unusual in Belfast where Catholics and Protestants were typically segregated in the workplace as well as living in their own neighbourhoods and attending separate schools.
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religion. She later moved to west
Belfast. When her marriage broke up, her husband left her with seven children to raise on her own. At one time she worked in a shirt factory alongside
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with other former IRA women prisoners. It is a monologue about four mothers who have each lost children. In a
February 1999 interview with the Sinn Féin's official newspaper,
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It also brings real humanity to the grief of loss; they are not just names on the news, where you read about deaths but then get distracted, this play really hits home.
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267:. According to journalist Liam Clarke, Brown used a mixture of "blackmail, political argument and seduction" to inveigle John Hanna, a senior officer at the
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308:. Neither Hanna nor Brown were ever charged with involvement in McMichael's murder. It is widely believed that he was set up by his UDA associates.
468:
She has since continued to work with the west
Belfast theatre group. She has retained some links to republicanism and was shown in attendance at a
251:. It is not known exactly when she joined the Provisional IRA, but in 1971 she was forced to go on the run and spent six years hiding in
271:, into providing her with information on top loyalists and prison officer colleagues, which she then passed on to the IRA. This form of
178:-related theme. She then joined the Charabanc Theatre Company which toured Britain, Europe, the US, and Canada. She had minor roles in
365:
248:
100:
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not only highlighted the case of Brown but also claimed that her activity was standard practice within republicanism, claiming:
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A grandmother of nine, Brown continued to work in local community theatre following her release. She was portrayed by actress
348:. Rod Stoneman, Commissioning Editor at Channel Four, phoned the RUC protesting that her arrest was holding up production. A
212:
in which she played the mother of one of the film's main characters, Mo Chara. Prior to her imprisonment, she starred in the
410:
in
Belfast, to try and tempt off-duty Security Force members and loyalist paramilitaries back to their lair to receive a
473:
386:
397:
The arrest of Brown led to some recriminations within loyalist circles. The April 1992 edition of UDA official journal
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newspaper described Brown as "one of the most famous 'honeys'". When she was with Hanna she used the name "Ann Brown".
112:
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Whilst in prison, she studied music, art and law. She completed two years of an Art degree from Open University.
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184:
414:. So loyalists beware when you are drinking in town or you could end up on your backs for all the wrong reasons.
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Soon after her release from Maghaberry, she performed in the west Belfast theatrical production of the play,
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herself when members of the security forces were tailing her. She often used the Irish version of her name,
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Described as slim, blonde, immaculately groomed and petite, Brown landed a small part in the 1983 film
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suggested that Hanna gave Brown information regarding the movements of UDA South Belfast brigadier
240:
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Peter Heathwood Collection of Television Programmes - 1993- BBC Northern Ireland 10 September 1993
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personally introduced to McMichael at his pub the "Admiral Benbow" which he owned in his native
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for illegal possession of explosives and conspiracy to murder members of the security forces.
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255:. After returning to Northern Ireland, she was arrested in 1978 for IRA activity and sent to
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campaign. She has done much work in local community theatre since her release from prison.
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Brown was born in about 1945 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She was brought up in the
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The Irish WAR: the hidden conflict between the IRA and British Intelligence
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memorial event in 2009 as well as performing at Sinn Féin celebration for
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Brown's importance to the IRA as an Intelligence Officer is revealed by
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also suggested that this was the case. Racketeer and UDA "fundraiser"
324:(UFF) for allegedly setting up McMichael's assassination by the IRA.
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area of north Belfast where Brown spent the early years of her life
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The Shankill Butchers: the real story of cold-blooded mass murder
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The Troubles: Ireland's Ordeal 1966–1995 and the Search for Peace
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She was released in mid-December 1998 under the terms of the
235:
offices in Belfast. Brown was a former worker for Sinn Féin
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Through her seven children, Brown has nine grandchildren.
893:. article published by Wayne State University Press. p.15
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813:"Claims of Provo infiltration of police are supported".
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she offered the following comments regarding the play,
941:
West Belfast Sinn Fein Bobby Sands Vigils - 5 May 2009
16:
Irish actress and Provisional IRA intelligence officer
665:"Dissidents Plan Honey Traps in Bid to Kill Troops".
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which is based on IRA infiltrator Martin McGartland.
381:
In early 1992, Brown was arrested in the seaport of
99:who also served as an intelligence officer for the
64:
56:
48:
30:
23:
1034:Irish spies during The Troubles (Northern Ireland)
987:"IRA infiltrator forced to give his film a miss".
174:, which was shot on location in Belfast. It has a
1029:Irish republicans imprisoned on terrorism charges
441:portrayed Brown in the 2008 crime thriller film
320:was shot dead inside an east Belfast pub by the
925:"A Mother's Heart - to the heart of conflict".
206:. She also had a role in the 2004 Irish comedy
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556:(film, 2007) – "Shelterer From the Air Raid"
952:Ógra Shinn Féin - International Women's Day
765:. London: John Blake Publishing, Ltd. p.189
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587:(1986) – "Esther Moore" and "Patsy Flood"
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703:. Edinburgh University Press. pp.135-136
300:, who would later be gunned down by the
701:Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA
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832:. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. p.97
91:of television, cinema, and stage from
1049:Stage actresses from Northern Ireland
304:in Gibraltar in what became known as
7:
1019:Film actresses from Northern Ireland
966:, Taylor & Francis, 2008, p. vii
669:. Deborah McAleese. 18 December 2009
68:Provisional IRA Intelligence Officer
562:(TV series, 2007) – "Attack Victim"
14:
911:Henry McDonald & Jim Cusack,
880:. New York: Routledge. pp.264-266
548:(TV series, 2004) – "Mrs. Reilly"
476:in 2010. She has also worked for
243:movement in 1970 as a worker for
867:. New York: Palgrave. pp.338-339
546:Pulling Moves: Catch the Pidgeon
494:in the 2008 crime thriller film
275:is known as a "honey trap". The
126:in the 2008 crime thriller film
915:, Penguin Ireland, 2004, p. 213
817:. Liam Clarke. 23 December 2011
790:. John Mullin. 25 February 1999
490:Brown was portrayed by actress
991:. Henry McDonald. 5 April 2009
962:Phil Scraton, Jude McCulloch,
542:(film, 2004) – "Mo Chara's Ma"
1:
964:The Violence of Incarceration
929:. Ned Kelly. 18 February 2012
786:"A Terrorist in the Wings".
724:"Republican Women Prisoners"
585:The Girls in the Big Picture
484:and other republican areas.
247:, the political wing of the
761:McGartland, Martin (2009).
581:(1986) – various characters
534:(film, 1990) – "Mrs. Friel"
522:(film, 1989) – "The Blonde"
198:, and she played alongside
87:; born c.1945) is an Irish
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312:(RUC) Chief Constable Sir
281:Ulster Defence Association
144:A view of the nationalist
993:Retrieved 1 February 2012
931:Retrieved 2 February 2012
819:Retrieved 1 February 2012
792:Retrieved 1 February 2012
726:Retrieved 1 February 2012
671:Retrieved 1 February 2012
474:International Women's Day
310:Royal Ulster Constabulary
863:Coogan, Tim Pat (1995).
752:. Blackstaff Press. p.72
748:Devenport, Mark (2000).
223:IRA Intelligence Officer
111:trial of prison officer
107:", she was named in the
876:Dillon, Martin (1989).
828:Geraghty, Tony (1998).
361:Arrest and imprisonment
322:Ulster Freedom Fighters
214:Northern Ireland Office
159:area and raised in the
1014:Actresses from Belfast
889:Stoneman, Rod (2010).
841:"Set up for murder?".
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136:Early life and career
117:Good Friday Agreement
575:(1985) – "Madeleine"
520:Reefer and the Model
259:for a brief period.
190:Richard Attenborough
593:(1999) – "Marjorie"
579:Gold in the Streets
560:Marù: Daphne Taylor
478:Coiste na nIarchimi
399:New Ulster Defender
845:. 21 December 2007
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350:RUC Special Branch
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103:. Dubbed the "IRA
1024:Irish republicans
902:McGartland, p.194
891:Chance and Change
815:Belfast Telegraph
667:Belfast Telegraph
573:Now You're Talkin
514:Acceptable Levels
329:Martin McGartland
306:Operation Flavius
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508:Filmography
470:Bobby Sands
429:Later years
408:Golden Mile
334:Gerry Adams
318:James Craig
314:John Hermon
298:Seán Savage
269:Maze Prison
217:Crack Crime
165:Protestants
49:Nationality
1003:Categories
614:References
482:Falls Road
387:volunteers
285:Andy Tyrie
113:John Hanna
57:Occupation
273:espionage
245:Sinn Féin
233:Sinn Féin
180:Ken Loach
105:Mata Hari
437:Actress
176:Troubles
161:Catholic
567:Theatre
294:Lisburn
157:Ardoyne
146:Ardoyne
93:Belfast
89:actress
60:Actress
38:Belfast
34:c. 1945
253:Dublin
109:murder
383:Larne
371:Larne
79:Irish
52:Irish
608:IMDb
231:The
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31:Born
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