Nineteen-year-old Anthony Gallagher was hanged on the Green in Castlebar on 29 August 1818. In 2018, I spent time at the National Archives searching for Gallagher while researching my history of prisons and capital punishment in County Mayo (Anatomy of a County Gaol ).
Divergences between actual history on the one hand and local history and folklore on the other are to be expected. What I found in the National Archives rewrote the published, insufficiently researched accounts, and some two hundred years of folklore concerning Gallagher.
The documents at the National Archives concerning Gallagher include three letters and a petition. The latter was addressed to Sir William Brabazon and written for Gallagher when he sought to do a deal to save his life. Gallagher contended that he was innocent of the charges levied against him – he had never ‘molested man, woman or child'. He did not know how he gained the title of Captain as he could not speak English and had no education. The petition bears the mark of Anthony Gallagher.
On 6 November 1816, a dozen armed men forcibly entered and robbed the Ballylahan home of the protestant curate of Foxford, the Reverend John Gorge. His wife and at least one daughter were in the house that night with Gorge. Silver-plate, watches, money, and everything of value were taken. Gorge was severely beaten. The episode profoundly affected him and left Gallagher a marked man.
The following Tuesday, Noel Horkan of the Swinford yeomanry was given information that Gallagher and his men were at a house at Curryaun. Horkan, accompanied by five others, surrounded the hideout. An exchange of musket and pistol fire ensued. Then, without warning, five men broke out of the house. A man named Brabazon confronted one of them and delivered a blow of the butt end of his musket to the man’s head, killing him. His name was McGowan. While three others made their escape, a fifth man, Kavanagh, was captured.
Attacks on people and property continued. In March 1817, Gallagher and his associate, Walsh, made an audacious escape when Daniel Jones of Banada and a party of the 20th (East Devonshire ) Regiment of Foot conducted a night-time assault on Ruddy’s house in a village at Lough Talt. Following the Ballinrobe assizes in March 1817, an associate of Gallagher was executed in front of Gorge’s house at Foxford. The manhunt extended across the Irish sea, and arrests were made in London.
In September 1817, George Jackson informed Denis Browne that he had received a ‘Flag of Truce’ from Gallagher. Gallagher offered to surrender on the condition that he be transported for life. Browne and Jackson reluctantly favoured a deal, but Dublin Castle had other plans. The Castle wrote to Gorge asking permission to publish a report that Gallagher and his men had raped the women on the night of the attack. Gorge’s response made it clear that the women were not raped. He was deeply concerned about the effect the publication of such an ‘unfounded allegation’ would have on the women. He asked for time to consider. Shortly after, the papers carried graphic details of what Gallagher and his men allegedly did to the women.
In January 1818, Patrick and Michael Ruane of Curradrish were captured by the Reverend James Nelligan and imprisoned at Castlebar to await trial for robbing Patrick Heney. It was alleged the pair were members of Gallagher’s gang. Gallagher was ultimately captured and imprisoned at Castlebar Prison on the Green along with associates Walsh, Clarke, and Dougherty.
They were tried at the summer assizes of 1818. Before they were taken to the gallows, they asked to see the body of Thomas Gilroy, who had been hanged for murder. The effect on Gallagher of seeing Gilroy’s body after it had been cut down was noted in a letter: ‘The stout heart of Gallagher was immediately subdued, and he gave vent to his strong emotion by loud and piteous shrieks’.
It is said that the first attempt to hang Gallagher failed and his legs were broken. He was given wine and placed on the trap door with his legs folded.
