The sham squire, a notorious double agent

YOU listed several IRA members who acted as agents for the British security services (Irish Examiner, December 17), but the most notorious agent in Irish history was the journalist Francis Higgins — the ‘Sham Squire.’

Higgins was the proprietor of the Freeman’s Journal which was a ‘patriotic’ paper that advocated the popular cause of Irish independence.

However, Higgins supplied the Crown agents with the information which led to the hunting down and subsequent execution of patriot Lord Edward FitzGerald (LEF). In June 1798, Higgins was paid €1,000 and granted a pension of €300 a year ‘for the discovery of LEF’. He was paid other monies over the years for his spying services. He is buried at Kilbarrack Cemetery in north County Dublin.