School: Kenmare (B.) (roll number 2849)
- Location:
- Kenmare, Co. Kerry
- Teachers: Eoghan Ó Súilleabháin Liam Mac Cuisín
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0461, Page 557
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“Mrs Palmer who was buried at Killowen had an ancestor who was crown prosecutor.”
Miss Palmer who lived at Killowen had an ancestor who was crown prosecutor. For a very small crime a man would be beheaded at that time. The Moriartys were the ruling clan in Tuosist at that time before the Sullivans. There was a priest in one of the Moriarty families and his brother was hanged for some small crime. the priest went to Orpen who was the head-man at the time and Orpen promised that his brother's head would not be cut off. (It was the custom that the heads of those executed of crime be sold to Cork doctors). The man's body was buried in old Kenmare.
Very soon after the priest died (probably from grief) and he was buried near his brother. It was a custom then to mind the graves at night to keep away the "head-hunters". Somebody reported Orpen for not cutting of the head of the man he hanged and he sent men at night to the grave for the head. They opened the wrong grave in mistake and brought the priest's head instead of his brother's. The priest appeared to another brother that night and said "they minded him badly". Twas then they knew that the priest's head was taken.
The men took the priest's head to Killowen and laid it on the flag of the door and the head was bleeding. The mark of the blood is still on(continues on next page)
- Informant
- Denis D. O Sullivan
- Gender
- Male