KILLING THE HANGMAN

Sir, Further to Tomis O Duinn's account of the wrongful `hanging of Father Nicholas Sheehy at Clonmel in March 1776 ("Irishman…

Sir, Further to Tomis O Duinn's account of the wrongful `hanging of Father Nicholas Sheehy at Clonmel in March 1776 ("Irishman's Diary" July 18th), P. J. Corish in the Helicon History of Ireland quotes from Sleator's Public Gazetteer of September 1770

"On Thursday 6th inst. a man was executed at Philipstown (King's County) for murder during the execution the mob (which was very great) were remarkably quiet, but as soon as it was over, they stoned the hangman to death, and the body lay for two or three days under the gallows. This unfortunate creature was the person who hung Sheehy the priest, which is supposed to be the reason for this outrage." Yours etc Knockowen Road, Tullamore.