The Northern Bank Robbery

The Northern Bank Robbery

From The Troubles Podcast by Oisin Feeney

January 27, 2026 · 1h 1m

About this episode

This episode recounts the events of the Northern Bank Robbery, the largest cash robbery in British and Irish history.

Chris Ward is at home with his parents. He’ s watching football on the television with his father when they hear a knock on the door. He answers and a man says “Alright Chris, I’m here to talk to you about Celtic”. The man then pushed past Chris into the house. A second man then appeared, dressed in black and a third. Chris worked at Northern Bank in Belfast, which was the largest retail bank in Northern Ireland, which distributed cash to its 95 branches, and hundreds of ATMS in Northern Ireland. It was one of four banks in Northern Ireland which had the capacity to print its own banknotes. The men made it clear to Chris that they were here because of the bank he worked in, and if he and his family cooperated they would be fine. If they didn't they would be killed. What transpired that night ended up being the largest cash robbery in British and Irish history. This is the story of the Northern Bank Robbery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Oisin Feeney

Topics covered

  • bank robbery
  • Northern Ireland
  • true crime
  • history
  • cash distribution

Keywords

  • Northern Bank
  • robbery
  • Belfast
  • cash
  • Celtic
  • crime
  • history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Northern Bank, Celtic

Places: Belfast

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