Sir, – I refer to Louis O’Flaherty’s letter of July 2nd. The monument which marked the courage and sacrifice of Constable Sheahan was removed some time ago as part of the sitework for the new Liffey bridge, and it would be desirable to know what the intentions of the authorities are for its future.
Sheahan was a giant of a man who was well known for his exploits in the Dublin Metropolitan Police. He rescued an elderly couple from a collapsing house on Townsend Street, and in a famous incident on Grafton Street he successfully wrestled a runaway bull, carelessly quipping after the event that he was afraid the horns would break and cause him to lose his grip!
A number of others were involved in the tragic events of May 6th, 1905. The corporation workman, John Fleming, had removed the manhole cover at the corner of Hawkins Street and descended into the sewer to investigate a broken pipe. He was overcome by gas, as were two others who rushed to assist him. Sheahan was called and descended twice to rescue the men below. When he climbed down the second time to rescue Fleming, he himself was overcome. Though rushed to hospital, both he and Fleming died.
An interesting footnote is provided by James Joyce: he included a reference to the event in Ulysses. One of those men who had gone down to attempt a rescue before Sheahan’s arrival was Tom Rochford, a clerk of works at the Dublin Corporation. Rochford appears a number of times in Ulysses, at one point being described as “a hero” by Lenehan for his exploits on that particular day – a bit of a conundrum really, in that Ulysses occurred on June 16th, 1904, and Rochford’s heroism occurred on May 6th, 1905!
It should be noted that the Sheahan and Rochford families are aware of and proud of the part their forebears played on that sad occasion.
Their courage should not be forgotten, and a suitable alternative location found for the memorial, which was paid for by public subscription. – Yours, etc,