Confusion over inspector’s assassination

Ryle Dwyer has through the medium of your paper and elsewhere written several articles in relation to the assassination of RIC inspector Thadeus O’Sullivan by Con Brosnan in Listowel.

He states that Inspector O’Sullivan had his five-year-old son caught by the hand and it was too late when Con Brosnan realised this. He does not mention any other casualties in the attack on Inspector O’Sullivan. This information is incomplete. My late father, Patrick (Paddy) Hartnett of Clieveragh, Listowel, was also on his way home from school when the shooting took place in Church Street. DI O’Sullivan, having been shot several times fell dead on top of my father, who was six years old at the time.

There was a flurry of activity following the shooting and the body of DI O’Sullivan was left lying on top of my father for well over an hour as the security forces feared that the IRA may have had snipers positioned to take out anybody who approached the body.