at the evening of 29-30 October 1816 8 humans have been murdered via burning to dying in a home in a distant a part of County Louth, recognized in the neighborhood as Wildgoose resort. these killed integrated a five-month-old baby. The perpetrators all belonged to a neighborhood agrarian mystery society that was once avenging the execution of 3 in their comrades hanged for an previous raid on Wildgoose inn the former April, following details given to the professionals by way of the landlord of the home, Edward Lynch.

Following the homicide of Lynch, his kin and servants the area people closed ranks. For months the professionals didn't arrest anyone in reference to the crime. Then the kingdom management took over. From leader Secretary, Sir Robert Peel (later British best Minister) right down to the police strength working in Louth there has been colossal collusion among Dublin citadel directors, a corrupt leader police Justice of the Peace, legal professionals and landlords in Louth to deliver suspects to trial and prosecution. 4 males on dying row for unrelated crimes have been reprieved and provided major financial rewards in go back for giving facts. neighborhood informers – neighbours, acquaintances and doubtless kin – of these murdered in addition to these attempted gave corroborating facts. after all eighteen males have been achieved after which gibbeted or dissected, at the very least 1/2 whom have been blameless. This was once an grand neighborhood episode with nationwide implications which makes for an soaking up and interesting story.

Terence Dooley is coordinator of the Centre for the research of ancient Irish homes and Estates on the historical past division, NUI Maynooth. His books contain The decline of the massive apartment in eire (2001), A destiny for Irish ancient homes? (2003), the massive homes and landed estates of eire (2007) and The decline and fall of the dukes of Leinster (2014).

Voted as one of many so much exciting reviews in Irish historical past via Paul Bew within the Irish occasions Books of the yr 2007 supplement.

'Terence Dooley recreates what occurred at the evening and the aftermath in an fascinating tale of a neighborhood incident that had nationwide implications', Ireland's Own.

'One evening in past due October 1816 a home often called Wildgoose resort, in a distant a part of County Louth, was once intentionally set on hearth and its population avoided from escaping by way of numerous males amassed outdoors. hence, 8 humans have been burnt to demise. The sufferers have been an aged Catholic robust farmer, Edward Lynch, his son, daughter, son-in-law, child grandson and 3 younger servants. throughout the following yr, twenty-six males have been arrested in reference to the crime, eighteen of whom have been performed in 1818. The our bodies of the hanged males have been both gibbeted in numerous components of Louth or given to surgeons for dissection, hence denying them burial … Terence Dooley – an NUI Maynooth historian with an curiosity in landed estates, who grew up in south County Monaghan, and who heard neighborhood stories in regards to the murderers in the course of his youth – offers a close and wide-ranging scholarly research of this grotesque occasion … one of many strengths of this publication, like Bourke’s paintings at the Cleary homicide, is its skill to mix designated neighborhood wisdom with an information of a lot broader political, fiscal and social advancements … it is a wonderful e-book, demonstrating the worth of case stories to the becoming historiography of crime and violence in eighteenth and nineteenth-century eire. it's a scholarly piece of labor, but, like an outstanding fictional homicide secret, is written in an attractive demeanour, which definitely saved this reader eagerly turning the pages', Elizabeth Malcolm, university of historic stories, Irish old stories (May 2009).