The Irish journalist credited with bringing state broadcasting to Ireland – who chaired the first RTÉ board after a spell working in Britain – spent three weeks at Louis Mountbatten’s Sligo home while the royal was being monitored by British intelligence.
Eamonn Andrews, who would receive an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1970, stayed in Mountbatten’s Classiebawn Castle in July 1978.
Andrews hosted the first broadcast of RTÉ television in 1961 and chaired a forebear of the state broadcaster’s board from 1960 to 1964.
A year before his three-week stay with Mountbatten, Andrews had featured him on an episode of ITV’s This Is Your Life, the first time a member of the British royal family appeared on the TV show.
After beginning his media career in Ireland with Radio Éireann, Andrews left for Britain and worked with the BBC before returning to help establish RTÉ.
The 1978 visit took place when MI5 was monitoring Mountbatten’s connections to the Kincora Boys' Home in Belfast, where vulnerable teenagers were systematically raped by British politicians and loyalist paramilitaries.
Despite being aware of this British security services protected Mountbatten and other British establishment figures.
An Garda Síochána – which gave Mountbatten armed Special Branch protection – refuse to release security logs from the Sligo castle.
