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School: Murher (B.) (roll number 13540)

Location:
Murher, Co. Kerry
Teacher:
Tomás Ó Conaill
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0405, Page 004

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0405, Page 004

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  1. The Hanging at the Cross (where the two dtreets meet in Newtownsandes)

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    My father remembered the Whiteboys. There was a landlord in Kilbaha named Wall. There was another in Moyvane named Sandes. Sandes knew the names of all the Whiteboys in the district. So did Wall. The Whiteboys trusted Sandes, but they were afraid Wall would tell all their names. So they decided to do away with Wall. Wall was afraid of them. He made up his mind to take in house in Glin, and went the Kerry line to Glin about the house, but he came back this (Newtownsandes) way. The Whiteboys watched him; they attacked his house that night, and the firing went on till morning. In the morning the set fire to the house and Wall was burned to death.
    Two hundred soldiers came from Limerick the following day. They were to kill everybody they met, but Sandes met them over on the Tarbert road near Johnny Nesk's and told them not to touch anybody, that he would have all the Whiteboys arrested, that he knew them all.The soldiers did no harm then. They went to Kilbaha, and the first them met were my father and my uncle Johnny threshing in the haggard. Sandes said, "They're two honest boys, they're a widows sons, they never did harm to anybody". So they did nothing to them. My father was about eighteen at that time.
    Sandes gave the names of all the Whiteboys and they were arrested and tried in Tralee. Three of them were sentenced to be hanged. One of them was ordered to be brought to Newtown to be hanged. His name was Neill (pron. Nayle). He was the ringleader. He was brought to Newtown by the soldiers. They drove two poles in the ground below at the Cross and put another pole across. The then put
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    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    History Edit
    Topics
    1. agents (~1)
      1. people
        1. secret societies (~18)
          1. Whiteboys (~74)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Tomás Ó Conaill
    Gender
    Male
    Occupation
    Múinteoir
    Informant
    Con Shine
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    84
    Occupation
    Carpenter
    Address
    Newtownsandes, Co. Kerry