Podcast: Assassination and Execution, Ireland December 1922

Sean Hales, a picture taken not long before his assassination.

Cathal Brennan interviews John Dorney on the assassination of Sean Hales and the reprisal executions of Rory O’Connor, Dick Barret, Lam Mellow and Joe McKelvey in December 1922.

December 1922 was dark time in Ireland, with the Irish Civil War raging. On December 7 1922, two anti-Treaty IRA gunmen shot two TDs Sean Hales and Padraig O Maile, killing Hales.

Liam Mellows, Rory O’Connor, Joe McKelvey and Dick Barret, executed December 8 1922.

The following day the government of the Irish Free State decided in reprisal on the most effective, albeit totally illegal, reprisal, the execution of four leading anti-Treatyites, whom they had captured the previous June at the Four Courts.

Here John Dorney and Cathal Brennan discuss this traumatic chapter of Irish history.

See also John Dorney’s recent book on The Civil War n Dublin.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

8 Responses to "Podcast: Assassination and Execution, Ireland December 1922"

Conor McHenry says:

9 April, 2018 at 2:55 am

According to George White, Owen Donnolly was the I/O that pointed out O’Malley and Hales to two other men who actually did the shooting. Martin Hogan and Bill Murray were the shooters. Ulick O’Connor only says that Owen Donnolly “handed me the report” of the shootings which would be correct procedure ie. O’Donnolly an intelligence office and spotter, would fill out the report and give it to his superior office, I/O Sean Caffery. This make me believe that George White was correct.

Reply
1. Conor McHenry says:
  
  9 April, 2018 at 2:58 am
  
  Sorry the above should say … Ulick O’Connor says that Sean Caffery only says that Owen Donnolly handed me the report ” ie Donnolly to Caffery.
  
  Reply
  1. John_Dorney says:
    
    9 April, 2018 at 5:36 pm
    
    Bill Roe also told Ernie O’Malley that Donnelly was the shooter and that he planned it with Michael Carolan. His testimony is in the O’Malley papers in UCD.
    
    Reply
2. William Lohan says:
  
  3 April, 2021 at 10:56 am
  
  Who was George White, to know or have access to this intriguing information ?
  Brilliant article and responses
  
  Reply
Conor McHenry says:

9 April, 2018 at 9:55 pm

Hi John, George White’s statement is also in the O’Malley Notebooks, I wonder which is correct ?

Reply
1. John_Dorney says:
  
  9 April, 2018 at 10:59 pm
  
  If White is that specific, maybe Donnelly wasn’t really the shooter, just the IO. Interesting. May have to revisit the O’Malley papers to try to clear it up. Hogan of course was killed in April 1923. Any info on Bill Murray?
  
  Reply
Conor McHenry says:

10 April, 2018 at 4:32 am

Bill Murray is said to …”have lost a leg in the attack on the Flying 50″. I don’t know what the Flying 50 attack was. If you want the O’Malley Notebook number and page let me know and I’ll email it to you.

Reply
1. John_Dorney says:
  
  10 April, 2018 at 11:42 am
  
  Thanks Conor, I won’t take it right now as I’m on a break from civil war stuff for the time being. But I’ll get back to you about this. ‘The attack on the flying 50’? No idea. maybe an attack on a train? I’ll look into it.
  
  Reply

Cathal Brennan interviews John Dorney on the assassination of Sean Hales and the reprisal executions of Rory O’Connor, Dick Barret, Lam Mellow and Joe McKelvey in December 1922.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply