THE MURDERS AT WILDGOOSE LODGE Agrarian crime and punishment in pre-Famine Ireland

Hardback. On the night of 29-30 October 1816, 8 people were murdered by burning to death in a house known as Wildgoose Lodge in a remote part of County Louth, 4 miles from Ardee, 9 miles from Dundalk and 4 miles from Carrickmacross in County Monaghan. The perpetrators all belonged to a local agrarian secret society that was avenging the execution of 3 of their comrades hanged for a raid on the Lodge the previous April. Following the murders the local community closed ranks. For months the authorities failed to arrest anyone. Then the state administration - in the form of Sir Robert Peel and Dublin Castle authorities - took over. As a result of a combination of collusion, corruption, and the use of paid informers, 18 local men were tried and hanged. At least half of these men were innocent. This is the first attempt by a professional historian, one born and reared close to the area, to investigate in forensic detail, the motivation behind the horrendous crime, the events as they unfolded on the night, and the details concerning the arrests and convictions of the suspects. This was an awesome local episode with national implications making for an absorbing and intriguing story. With 24 illus., Appendices, Bibliog. and Index. 285pp. 8vo. hardback. F. in F. dw.