True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics The Secret Policeman | MI6
Sep 16, 2025
David Burke, a lawyer and intelligence historian, unravels the gripping tale of Patrick Crinion, an Irish police intelligence analyst turned MI6 informant during the Troubles. He explores how Crinion was groomed from youth to spy, feeding vital information on the IRA while facing off against a cunning IRA spymaster. The dramatic fallout from Crinion's revelations led to national scandal as arms deals and covert operations spiraled out of control, illustrating the high stakes and perilous lives entangled in espionage across a divided Ireland.
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Groomed Into A Double Life
- Patrick Crinion was groomed from youth by aristocratic patrons and trained in England before joining the Irish police in 1955.
- He rose into C3 and became a pivotal intelligence analyst while secretly serving MI6 for decades.
C3 Holds The Intelligence Pie
- Ireland's intelligence is centred in police Special Branch and C3 rather than a separate domestic spy agency.
- A spy inside C3 can access the full domestic intelligence picture, far beyond a local informant's reach.
The Triple Agent Who Fooled Everyone
- Sean McStefon (John Stevenson) built credibility in republican circles after prison and set up IRA activity in London and Cork.
- He later infiltrated IRA leadership while also posing as an informant to Irish police, becoming a triple agent.
