Rosena Brown

Rosena Brown (; is an Irish actress of television, cinema, and stage from Belfast, Northern Ireland who also served as an intelligence officer for the Provisional IRA. Dubbed the "IRA Mata Hari", she was named in the murder trial of prison officer John Hanna, 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 Good Friday Agreement.

A grandmother of nine, Brown continued to work in local community theatre following her release. She was portrayed by actress Rose McGowan in the 2008 crime thriller film Fifty Dead Men Walking.

Early life and career

Brown was born in about 1945 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She was brought up in the Irish nationalist Ardoyne area and raised in the Catholic religion. She later moved to west Belfast. Brown landed a small part in the 1983 film Acceptable Levels, which was shot on location in Belfast. It has a Troubles-related theme. She then joined the Charabanc Theatre Company which toured Britain, Europe, the US, and Canada. She had minor roles in Ken Loach's Hidden Agenda and Richard Attenborough's Closing the Ring, and she played alongside Sinéad O'Connor in Hush-a-Bye-Baby. She also had a role in the 2004 Irish comedy Man About Dog in which she played the mother of one of the film's main characters, Mo Chara. Prior to her imprisonment, she starred in the Northern Ireland Office Crack Crime campaign. The Belfast Telegraph newspaper described Brown as "one of the most famous 'honeys'". Ulster Defence Association (UDA) leader Andy Tyrie suggested that Hanna gave Brown information regarding the movements of UDA South Belfast brigadier John McMichael which she then passed on to the IRA who subsequently assassinated him. obtained the information regarding McMichael during the latter's visits to loyalist inmates inside the Maze. 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 Seán Savage, who would later be gunned down by the SAS in Gibraltar in what became known as Operation Flavius. 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. Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Chief Constable Sir John Hermon also suggested that this was the case. Racketeer and UDA "fundraiser" James Craig was shot dead inside an east Belfast pub by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) for allegedly setting up McMichael's assassination by the IRA.

Brown's importance to the IRA as an intelligence officer is revealed by Martin McGartland in his memoirs. She wasn't charged in connection with Armour's killing and subsequently released from police custody.

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.

Whilst in prison, she studied music, art and law. She completed two years of an Art degree from Open University.

She has since continued to work with the west Belfast theatre group. as well as performing at Sinn Féin celebration for International Women's Day in 2010. She has also worked for Coiste na nIarchimi, an organisation for former republican prisoners in which they are employed as tour guides around the Falls Road and other republican areas.

Through her seven children, Brown has nine grandchildren.

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".

Filmography Acceptable Levels (film, 1983) Reefer and the Model (film, 1989) – "The Blonde" Hidden Agenda (film, 1990) Hush-a-Bye Baby (film, 1990) – "Mrs. Friel" Man About Dog (film, 2004) – "Mo Chara's Ma" Pulling Moves: Catch the Pidgeon (TV series, 2004) – "Mrs. Reilly" Closing the Ring (film, 2007) – "Shelterer From the Air Raid" Marù: Daphne Taylor (TV series, 2007) – "Attack Victim"

Theatre Now You're Talkin (1985) – "Madeleine" Gold in the Streets (1986) – various characters The Girls in the Big Picture (1986) – "Esther Moore" and "Patsy Flood" A Mother's Heart (1999) – "Marjorie"