Executed — Six County Galway Men Suffered Death Penalty — Natives of Headford — Confined in Galway Jail until Tuesday
Connacht Tribune, Tuesday April 14, 1923.
Introduction
Our Tuam correspondent telegraphs: six men were executed in Tuam Military Barracks on Wednesday morning at eight o clock. They were taken out in two batches of three each. Their bodies were subsequently interred in the barrack grounds.
The condemned men were taken from Galway jail yesterday, where they had been detained for some months after having being captured with arms in their possession. They were nearly all from the Headford district.
Our Tuam correspondent writes: On Wednesday morning at about eight o'clock, six men were executed in Tuam military barracks.
They were taken from Galway gaol on the evening before, after having been tried and found guilty of having arms in their possession when arrested by national troops about two months ago in the Headford area. Five of the men were natives of the Headford district, the condemned men, it is stated, went to their doom firmly and with brave hearts. They had been attended during the night by two of the towns priests. And in the morning heard Mass, in which two of them served. The priests were with them to the last.
The news of execution cast a gloom over the people, who could hardly realise what awful events had taken place in their midst that morning. About eight o clock a.m. two voleys were heard and it is stated the condemned men were taken out in parties of three each, and blindfolded, and their hands joined as in prayer. They had prayed fercently during the night before, and in the morning and were fully consoled, prepared to meet their creator.
The six bodies enclosed in six coffins, were interred, in the grounds within the barracks, and it is stated that the ground was consecrated.
No, official information of the executions would be supplied to the press:
The following official report giving the names of the executed men was issued on Wednesday night from G.H.Q.:
James O'Malley, Oughterard, was charged before a military tribunal of having a rifle and ammunition in his possession without proper authority, at Knocklahard: County Galway, on 21st February, 1923.
Francis Cunnane, Kilcoona, Headford, was charged before military tribunal with having in possession a rifle and ammunition at Cluide on 21st February, 1923, without proper authority. Michael Monaghan, Clooneen, Headford, was charged before a military tribunal of having possession of a rifle and ammunition at Cluide on 21st February, 1923, without proper authority.
John Newell, Wineforth, Headford, was charged before a military tribunal with having possession of a rifle and ammunition at Cluide on 21st February, 1923, without proper authority.
John McGuire: Cross, Cong was charged before a military tribunal with having possession of a rifle and ammunition at Cluide on 21st February, 1923, without proper authority. Martin Moylan: Farmerstown, Annaghdown, was charged before a military tribunal with having possession of a rifle and ammunition at Cluide on February 21st, 1923, without proper authority.
All six prisoners were found guilty. The findings were confirmed in each case, and the prisoners were sentenced to death. The executions were duly carried out at Tuam.
Capture of Armed Party
On February 21st, 1923, national troops operating from Galway, Tuam, and Claremorris carried out an extensive sweep of North Galway, as a result of which sixty one prisoners were taken. A party of 23 soldiers who left Galway about 3 am were advancing across the fields about Cluide, some distance from Castlehackett, about 6am when they observed figures about some farm houses. They surrounded these and, on being challenged some men opened fire on the troops and dashed into the barn.
After a bomb was thrown in by an officer 8 men came out and surrendered. Further skirmishing took place about the farmhouses, and one man was killed and ten other were rounded up in twos and threes. The eighteen were members of an armed party operating in that district who had been much sought for. They were well armed and equipped and much ammunitions were captured with them.
Mountbellew Farmer Taken from his Home and Shot Dead
A small farmer named John Creighton, of Raheen, Mountbellow, Co. Galway was taken from his home and shot dead on Tuesday morning. At about half past three am several masked and armed men came to the house and knocked, demanding admittance. Creighton refused to admit them, and they burst in the front door with the butt—ends of their rifles, and told him what they required him for down the road.
When they had gone a short distance, Creighton's wife, who was by this time dressed and following her husband and the armed party some distance behind, heard a shot, and on proceeding a few yards further, found the dead body of her husband lying on the road with a bullet through his chest.
The same morning two neighbours named Darby Donohoe and Thomas Bermingham were also taken from their homes, handcuffed, marched some distance away, and then released.
An inquest was opened yesterday evening at Mountbellew by the coroner for East Galway. Evidence of identification was given by deceased's wife, and Darby Donoghoe and Thomas Bermingham.
Dr. Hoban, Kiltoon, Athlone, who examined the body, gave evidence to the effect that he found a large jagged wound in the right breast about an inch in diameter, which, in his opinion, was caused by a shot from a shot—gun or a bullet of large caliber.
The jury returned a verdict of death from shock and hemorrhage, caused by gunshot wounds, inflicted by some person or persons unknown. They added a rider expressing sympathy with the relatives of deceased.
The coroner associated himself with the rider of sympathy, and said the circumstances of the tragedy were cowardly. "It was up to every Irishman to put down such crimes as these and to give any information possible of the perpetrator of those crimes."
Inspector O'Reilly, Civic Guard, Athenry, represented the State, and Sergeant Sheehan, Moylough, represented the Civic Guards, Moylough.