The Craughwell Murder of 1909

feeds@yuku.com (Peter Mc RIC) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:35:41 PST

In the winter of 1909 a sensational case of murder was broadcast in the national press, and at the center of it was a young police constable from County Mayo.

The area around Craughwell, County Galway had been for many years a disturbed and violent region due to the effects of the Land Wars; a political and economic movement dedicated to redistributing land held by landlords and large farmers. Although the movement had largely died out it was re-ignited in South Galway by one Tom Kenny, a member of the IRB and (later) Sinn Fein. As part of his activities he selected the 16 acre farm at Templemartin to be targeted and broken up, with the land distributed to the members of his society. Against him was the landlord, Lord Clanricarde, and his tenant farmer Mary Ryan. Mrs Ryan was a widow and had returned from America some years ago with her two children aged 18 and 13. She was from Craughwell, and aware of the tensions in the area, had got the blessing of the local United...