Gardaí holding six women in connection with the theft of two paintings from the Beit collection at Russborough House have released them without charge.
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Madam Baccelliby Thomas Gainsborough
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The women, all in their twenties, were arrested on Wednesday over the daylight theft in June last year at the Co Wicklow house. It was the third theft from Russborough since 1974.
The women were being held at Garda stations in Kildare and Wicklow.
A Dublin man has already been charged with the theft of the paintings. Mr John Kearns (25) of Corrib Road, Terenure, appeared before Clover Hill District Court on January 28th accused of burglary.
One of the two paintings, Madame Baccelli, by Thomas Gainsborough, is valued at over €2.5 million. It had been part of a haul of 18 paintings stolen in 1986 by Martin "The General" Cahill and his gang, three of which were never found.
It was also taken in 1974 when the IRA stole 19 paintings, all of which were later recovered.
The second work of art taken in the June raid was View of Florence Looking Towards The Ponte Vecchioby Bernardo Bellotto, which is valued at €1.27 million.
