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During the mid-1990s, authorities entered a London residence and arrested Michael Gallagher accused of IRA involvement. His partner, an scholar working in geophysical software, was stunned and indignant.

She could not believe that her romantic partner – a former civil servant who supported those in need – could be participating with Irish republican militants. He had even won over Attenborough by completing a cryptic crossword in merely a few moments.

The Charges

Gallagher was formally charged with working to enable Irish republicans launch bombings at London's major airport in 1994. Although these actions resulted in no loss of life, they produced widespread chaos.

Attenborough mustered funds and campaign assistance to assert her partner's non-involvement. Despite these efforts, he was sentenced of conspiring to cause explosions and received a two-decade jail term.

With the exception of a small number of others, I barely inform others,” she commented. “It wasn’t something I was particularly pleased with because he had deceived me.”

Admission of Guilt

Currently, roughly 30 years following the events, the partners continue to be a couple and have jointly authored a publication that confirms Gallagher was, actually, guilty.

Gallagher had been an IRA fixer who supported multiple operations, including the airport incident. He hid the reality from his partner and only admitted following his guilty verdict, leaving Attenborough shocked.

After Incarceration

Following his freedom under the provisions of the peace accord, the partners settled to a remote area and set up a online enterprise, which they still operate.

The publication, named Unbroken: Secrets, Lies and Enduring Love, changes perspectives between the two and postpones the revelation of Gallagher's involvement until post his sentencing.

“I know Michael isn’t a bad individual, he’s a very good man,” Attenborough stated. “He just did not consider me above all, and I am uncertain whether I consider that betrayal. He had no malicious intent.”

Past and Partnership

The couple met in the mid-1980s through organizations that aided Britain’s striking coal miners and campaigned against racial segregation.

She, hailing from Walsall, held a advanced degree in theoretical science. Gallagher, of Scottish origin, was an hopeful author and someone overcoming addiction.

He had ancestral ties and performed errands for republican groups, arranging accommodation, transport and paperwork for republican operatives in the UK.

Uncovering the Lies

He hid his involvement from his partner, who backed Irish political unity but opposed IRA methods.

I had given a pledge to the organization and a pledge to Mary and I believed I could keep it hidden – I could to manage both,” he explained.

Law enforcement identified him as a individual under investigation who had entered a warehouse with evidence of incendiary substances. Authorities placed him under surveillance and bugged the couple’s home for almost two years, culminating in the pre-dawn raid at their London home on October 28, 1996.

Aftermath and Reflection

During many months – during her prison visits and the legal proceedings in early 1998 – he maintained his secret.

“There was no way share with her because had I told her back then, she would have had to inform others: ‘Don’t bother arranging bail for Gallagher because he admitted it,’” he said. “It was absolutely an terrible experience.”

The hope of escaping conviction supported his false story until the court decided against him. Soon afterward, when she visited to discuss further court actions, he confided his actions.

In the beginning, I didn’t even know whether to believe him,” she recalled. “I considered, then, which version of the truth ought I believe?”

Distraught, she considered terminating the relationship, but in subsequent visits she took his apologies and justified his secret actions.

Clearly I didn’t agree with these actions with the IRA. Yet, it was not that big a role that he was playing.”

Additional Secrets

In the writing of their publication, Gallagher disclosed one more past deception to his companion: when he speedily solved the puzzle in her copy of a periodical, he had already done it in a different version.