A Cork man was executed for three brutal murders in 1885. His story has been largely forgotten

In 1882 the Ma’amtrasna murders, the brutal killing of several members of the Joyce family in rural Galway, caused outrage in Irish society. It has since become one of the most notorious homicides in Irish history. However a few years later Cork was rocked by an equally heinous case that has been totally forgotten, writes Fin Dwyer.

In 1882 the Ma’amtrasna murders, the brutal killing of several members of the Joyce family in rural Galway, caused outrage in Irish society and remains one of the most notorious homicides in Irish history. However a few years later Cork was rocked by an equally heinous case which has largely been forgotten, writes Fin Dwyer.

The deaths of four members of the Sheehan family outside Castletownroche in a dispute over land revealed what was at times a dangerous obsession with land in Irish society but also a community willing to turn a blind eye to extreme violence.