Murder in Roscommon – The Assassination of the Rev. John Lloyd, 1847

On Sunday 28 November 1847, the Rev. John Lloyd and his servant were making their way home in a horse-drawn gig from Aughrim Church where he had just preached a sermon. Approximately a mile from his residence at Smith-hill, the assassins struck. [1] Two men armed with...
Father Patrick Lavelle (1825-1861) – The Patriot Priest of Partry.

Father Patrick Lavelle (1825-1861) – The Patriot Priest of Partry.

The story of a courageous and fiery priest from County Mayo who sought to end landlordism, evictions and evangelical conversion of Catholic children in the 19th century and who was alleged to have stolen the famous Cross of Cong, one of Europe’s most valuable...
Germaine of Lisnavagh & Tobinstown

Germaine of Lisnavagh & Tobinstown

During the 18th and 19th century, some of the lands at Lisnavagh and Tobinstown in County Carlow were rented by the Germaines, a family of Huguenot extraction who are said to have built several houses on the land. A rather unsettling story claims that, following the...