A Galway Roadside Tragedy

Inquest Report:              © Connacht Tribune – Saturday April 29^th. 1922.

An inquisition into the sad occurrence was held at Menlough I.R.A. barracks on Wednesday April 26^th. 1922  by Mr. J.J. Hoban, coroner, East Galway, and the following jury: Messrs Martin Kelly (foreman), James Kenny, John Costelloe, John Kelly, Thomas Lally, John Ward, Peter Divilly, John Mitchell, Pat Burke, Martin Leahy, John Kelly (Brunville) and Thomas Gavin. Deceased’s mother was in such a grief stricken condition that she was unable to view the remains for the purpose of identification. She got weak several times and had to be assisted outside.

Patrick O’Shea, a first cousin of the deceased’s identified the remains, and said he last saw O’Malley about three weeks previous. He had just turned seventeen years of age and was the sole support of his mother.

Doctor O’Kelly

Dr. George O’Kelly said he examined the remains and got five superficial wounds on the right chest, one deep wound on the right chest in the mid-auxiliary line, one superficial wound on the right forearm, two on the right leg and one on the left shin-bone. He believed death was caused by the deep wound on the right chest which penetrated both lungs and blood vessels. The cause of death was shock and haemorrhage. The Vice-Commandant 1^st Battalion, I.R.A. who conducted the proceedings for the I.RA., asked the doctor if he could say which kind of bullet caused the wound. Dr. O’Kelly said he could not with having a post mortem examination. A juror said he did not think this was necessary. The doctor said he believed the wound was caused by a bullet. He could find no exit wound. The Vice-Commandant: Would all the wounds have been inflicted by one bullet? Dr. O’Kelly: There must have been shot-guns and shrapnel of bombs used. The Vice-Commandant said they would like to know what kind the bullet was, as it might be a clue to track the perpetrators of this crime. They wanted to know whether it was a rifle or a revolver bullet. A juror: We are satisfied to do anything to put a stop to this work. It was decided to have an autopsy performed, and Dr. Callaghan, Ahascragh, was acquisitioned.

Michael Corry

The next witness was Michael Corry, a lad of eighteen years, was the driver of the lorry. He said they were held up at Garbally, about one hundred yards from the cross on the Menlough side, by masked and armed men. He could not say how many were in it. On the lorry were Miss Margaret Fahy, Miss Reilly, Eddie McEilane, the deceased and witness. The men shouted to go back and they got down off the car and went to the back of it. After they got down deceased said, “Reverse back the lorry,” and he went to the front to put on the engine. He was able to drive. Witness was getting in to drive and he saw the men coming up inside the ditch and they were roaring. When he saw that he got down and ran back the road. Questioned by the Vice-Commdt., witness said there was also a man named Costello also on the car that they picked up at Vermount Hill, and whose house they were going to at Garbally. Costello got down out of the lorry and walked away when they were halted. Vice-Commdt,: I want the jury to remember that this man Costello was allowed to pass on whilst the others were not. (Costello did not attend the inquiry but came when sent for, and his evidence is given below). Corry, proceeding, said he heard great shouting, but he did not hear anyone challenged. Miss Fahy was sitting one side of witness in the lorry; she shoved him and he stopped the car. He saw the men’s heads over the ditch. The men remained behind the ditch. He did not know what was wrong when he stopped up the lorry.  He saw one single barrel shot gun  over the wall. The men inside had white cloth masks on their faces, and he could not see the eyes. He could not say whither they were young men or not. After running a bit witness looked back and saw deceased coming with his mouth full of blood. He could not say how many shots were fired with the awful noise and shouting that was going on. He heard two loud explosions. About 100 yards from the lorry the deceased fell on his face. The Vice-Commnt. said it would be only about thirty yards from the lorry the deceased fell. About a quarter of an hour after, witness and other men went back and the deceased was dead and the lorry on fire. To the Vice-Commnt. : witness did not see the masked men dance about the lorry.

Eddie McEllane

Eddie McEllane, a youth who also travelled by the lorry, said it stopped up with a great jerk, and immediately he heard the explosion. Deceased was the first to get off. When witness heard the second explosion he jumped off. He heard the women screaming and the men inside the wall howling. Witness went down the road a bit and turned back for Miss Reilly to help her. The deceased came on with blood in his mouth and he fell on his face. Witness heard one or two shots – one of which was like a rifle. He went as far as the boreen with Miss O’Reilly, and looking back he saw four or five men who went around the lorry, when he looked back again he saw them coming from it. He met a man and asked him to go for a priest. When he heard the armed men had left he went back to the lorry. He could not identify any of the men; he could not say whether they were tall or small. The witness was complemented by the coroner, vice-commandant and the jury for the clear and intelligent way that he gave his evidence, and on his presence of mind in having sent for the priest. Coroner: He had more humanity than those who were shooting. Miss Margaret Fahy said that she had nothing to add to what the previous witnesses had said.

Fr. Pat Murphy

Rev. Fr. Murphy, C.C., said he was a witness to part of the outrage. He was working at his hobby of carpentry in an out-office when he was suddenly startled by loud explosions. He walked out and saw a number of men on the other side of the ditch – the left-hand of the road coming from Menlough to Garbally. “They were shouting in a very loud, hoarse, husky voice – something like what you would hear in Dublin during the Jim Larkin riots”, said Fr. Murphy. Vice-Commnt: Were they foreign voices? – Fr. Murphy: It wasn’t the Black and Tans were there anyhow. It wasn’t a foreign accent. They would be about 100 yards from where I was at the time. The report of the explosions was terrifying. In my opinion it was a bomb. I heard voices say either “Go back” or “Go home”. The lorry was standing. I heard about three heavy reports. I could not distinguish the noise. I noticed masked men come over the hedge, one having a white mask which looked like a handkerchief, and the others had dirty cloths on their faces. I saw them take a box from the lorry; it would be a parcel about eighteen inches long; they took it away. I then saw the lorry on fire and one man at the back did a few steps of an Irish reel, judging by his pose. Vice-Commnt: That was bravado after a cowardly murder. There was one pretty tall one and a small –sized man. When they left the lorry they doubled up the hill. I thought they would be all young men between the ages of twenty and thirty years, judging by the way they ran. He noticed the cut of their trousers – they were pretty swanky, and he would not say they were ordinary country chaps. He did not know there was any man hit that he could see, and Costello had passed his way. A man ran over afterwards and told him there was a man shot. When witness came up the man was apparently dead, but he administered the sacraments conditionally as sanctioned by the authorities.

Denis Costello

Denis Costello said he got up on the lorry at Vermount. Some fellow inside the ditch with a white mask on his face said to him, “Come off”. Witness got off and was going to the back to get a rod he had in the lorry when the fellow told him to go about his business and witness set off home in the direction the lorry was going. The masked men did not challenge or, ask him who he was. The others shouted to give them time to turn the lorry on the road to go home. Then on top of the hill he heard an awful noise. He was not challenged. The coroner remarked that witness’s evidence was very contradictory in parts. Witness was closely questioned by the vice-commandant as to how he was not challenged and was allowed to pass by the raiders. Witness said he could not know whether the order to go about his business was directed at him only or to all of them. After going some distance he looked back and saw two men going around the lorry setting it on fire. He heard one shot after he went away from the lorry. He did not know there was someone shot at the time he passed Fr Murphy’s house. Some woman told him later that there was a boy killed.

Dr. A Callaghan

Mr. A. Callaghan said he agreed with the evidence of Dr. O’Kelly, which was read out. He performed a post mortem examination in conjunction with Dr. O’Kelly. He found the right lung perforated. Death, in his opinion, was due to hemorrhage and shock. They failed to find the bullet. There were eight wounds on the body caused by shot-gun pellets, but he believed the fatal wound was caused by a bullet. The marks on the legs were probably due to bomb explosions.

James Finnerty

Mr. Finnerty, who was deeply affected, rendered his sincere sympathy to the mother of the deceased boy, who he could clarify, was a hard-working, industrious chap and as honest as any he ever had in his employment. He was sorry the life of such a poor young chap should be lost for such a small thing. He did not know the reason his young life should be taken in such a way.

Verdict

The Vice-Commandant asked the jury to go into the evidence thoroughly. Such a crime was not committed in their midst even when they had the Black and Tans here. He asked the jury to condemn it in the strongest possible manner, and he called on the people to give the I.R.P. every assistance to track down the perpetrators as up to the present unfortunately they had no clue. Foreman: We condemn such crime as highly as possible; but what do those who do these things care about. Vice-Commandant: Without the peoples assistance we cannot get on as it is from them that we derive our power. The jury found that death resulted from the effect of a bullet wound fired by some person or persons unknown. They expressed sincere sympathy with the lad’s mother and relatives and strongly condemned this awful outrage which they conveyed was not committed for the motive of robbery. The coroner expressed himself in agreement with the verdict. He tendered his sincere sympathy to the bereaved mother and family and condemned such outrages, no matter for what purpose they were committed.