Northern Ireland

Sinn Féin could be in line for further money from eccentric donor's estate

William E Hampton, and right, his gravestone where his ashes are buried in Hannahstown Cemetery in west Belfast
William E Hampton, and right, his gravestone where his ashes are buried in Hannahstown Cemetery in west Belfast William E Hampton, and right, his gravestone where his ashes are buried in Hannahstown Cemetery in west Belfast

SINN Féin could be in line to double a donation from the estate of an eccentric millionaire who has already gifted the party £2m in his will.

Last month the party received a donation of almost £500,000 from reclusive Englishman William Hampton, who had previously left it £1.5m.

However, an RTÉ Prime Time investigation, following up leads involving more than two dozen bank accounts globally, suggests the ultimate value of the estate could be £4m with the potential of further money for the party in the future.

It spoke to a friend of Mr Hampton, who said he left his huge inheritance to Sinn Féin to "spite" the UK government.

Rosalind Morton said: "That's how he would put it: stuff this bloody government, I'm putting my money into the IRA."

In January 2018 Pembrokeshire County Council called Sinn Féin, looking for Joe Cahill or Dessie Mackin.

Mr Cahill, a former IRA leader, died in 2004 but Mr Mackin returned the call and was told Mr Hampton had died in Wales.

With no living family after his cremation, the Sinn Féin treasurer flew back to Ireland from Cardiff Airport carrying his ashes along with a briefcase of crucial documents.

Read More: Sinn Féin gets further £0.5m from benefactor who 'never mentioned Irish politics'

Mr Hampton had a troubled family history and lost both of his parents to suicide decades apart.

Mrs Morton, a retired care worker, originally met him in a psychiatric unit in Kent, where she was also recovering from a family tragedy.

Gerry Adams, Dessie Mackin, Paul Maskey MP, Jim Gibney at a service in Hannahstown Cemetery for the late Billy Hampton where his remains were interred late last year.
Gerry Adams, Dessie Mackin, Paul Maskey MP, Jim Gibney at a service in Hannahstown Cemetery for the late Billy Hampton where his remains were interred late last year. Gerry Adams, Dessie Mackin, Paul Maskey MP, Jim Gibney at a service in Hannahstown Cemetery for the late Billy Hampton where his remains were interred late last year.

"There was always a sadness about Billy," she said.

Mr Hampton spent several years in the 1990s living in a caravan in Cootehill, Co Cavan despite having no family connections to Ireland.

It was during this time that he first came in contact with the republican party, having frequented the Round House bar in Monaghan which was owned by former Sinn Féin councillor Owen Smyth.

Mr Smyth said he remembered Mr Hampton as "very small, slightly eccentric in his manner and mannerisms".

"He knew who I was and what my politics was and he wanted to find out more," he told RTÉ.

The Monaghan councillor took Mr Hampton to meet then Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness at the Cavan-Monaghan election count centre in 1997.

"He did enjoy it, I have to say, there was a smile from ear to ear," he said.

It was after this that Mr Hampton began planning his will and told the chief of staff of the IRA, Kevin McKenna, who lived in Monaghan at the time, what he intended to do.

McKenna died in June of this year.

Belfast-based solicitor Padraig Ó Muirigh gave Prime Time details of the search for Mr Hampton's assets: "We had to do property searches to ascertain if he had any interest or other assets. So that took a period of time, it took a number of months to do that.

"When we had the actual verification from the banks right up to date, there was disbelief."

Asked if he was confident that he had found all of Mr Hampton's assets, Mr Ó Murigh replied: "Well, what I can say is that we have carried out all of those searches and followed all those leads that we could.

"Can I be 100 per cent certain? I don't know. Probably not."

Mr Hampton died aged 82 in a nursing home of respiratory failure. His ashes are buried in Hannahstown Cemetery in west Belfast.