The Canny Copter Caper

The length and breadth of Ireland

No finer sight to see,

The day the Provie birdie Released the Mountjoy three.

A new little ditty is now being sung in Catholic pubs all over Northern Ireland. It is also burning the ears of Irish Prime Minister Liam Cosgrave, as well it might. Last week the militant Provisional wing of the Irish Republican Army pulled a canny caper in downtown Dublin that made a mockery of Cosgrave's get-tough policy on the I.R.A.

At 3:35 p.m., the shuffling exercise routine in Mountjoy Prison was noisily disturbed when a helicopter suddenly settled in the yard, scattering prisoners in all directions. One Mountjoy warder thought it was a surprise visit from Defense Minister Patrick Donegan, who is fond of helihopping round the country. Instead, a masked man stepped down and trained a gun on the guards as three prisoners bolted forward and scrambled into the cabin of the chopper, which then whirred away. Freed in the daring daytime snatch, which took only a minute, were three top Provisionals: Seamus Twomey, 54, the former Provo chief of staff; Kevin Mallon, 35, a commander of I.R.A. units on the border; and Joe O'Hagan, 50, a top Provo gunrunner.

Prime Minister Cosgrave was said to be "severely shocked by the escapade," particularly since his eight-month-old government had boasted that its tight security and tough crackdowns had kept the Provo gunmen under control. The opposition Fianna Fail Party immediately blasted the government for its "incompetence in security matters."

Overt Step. The operation had been meticulously planned. According to police, the first overt step was taken two days before the breakout when a young man with an American accent, calling himself "Mr. Leonard," arranged to rent an Alouette II helicopter from Dublin's Irish Helicopters Ltd. It would be used, he explained, to photograph historical sites near Dublin.

Instead of snapping pictures, Leonard instructed Pilot Thompson Boyes to land at an isolated field located in the village of Stradbally. Leonard then bolted away as two armed, masked men approached. One gunman climbed aboard and ordered the pilot to fly to Mountjoy Prison. After the prisoners were liberated, the copter put down on a deserted race track outside Dublin; the I.R.A. men sped off in a hijacked taxi.

At week's end, despite a massive police and army manhunt, the escapees had not been found. To add insult to injury, the daring jailbreak cost the I.R.A. not a penny. Irish Helicopters Ltd. had rented the Alouette to the mysterious "Mr. Leonard" without asking for any advance payment.

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