Nicholas McDonogh

1822 was a tumultuous year in Ireland. A famine erupted in Munster and Connacht when the potato crop failed but it had nothing of the excess of mortality of the later Great Famine of 1845 to 1852. That same year also saw the introduction of the 1822 Constabulary Ireland Act which for the first time established a countrywide police force for the country. The Act established police in each of the four provinces with Chief Constables appointed by the administration in Dublin Castle. The First Chief Constable appointed to Athy was Nicholas McDonogh (1783-1864). We don’t know much about McDonogh’s time in Athy nor his service in the Town, but he was involved in a notorious shooting incident in November 1823 which, at the time, must have cast significant doubt over the authority of the Police in the town. Newspapers at the time reported that McDonogh was out ‘wildfowling’ near Stradbally with a friend by the name of Forbes. It was reported that when they were passing a local farmhouse, they were attacked by a large mastiff type dog which McDonogh in an act of self-protection shot dead. It appears that a farm labourer on hearing “the report of the gun and the yell of the expiring dog” rushed out to confront the shooter. Accounts differ as to what occurred next. The friends of the farm labourer would say that he went out to remonstrate with McDonogh over the shooting of the dog while Forbes claimed they were being pursued and threatened by the farm labourer. In any event, McDonogh raised his gun at the then unnamed farm labourer. The Farm labourer remonstrated and asked him not to fire his gun as he is merely seeking to see exactly what had happened with the dog. Notwithstanding this plea, McDonogh fired his gun hitting the man in the thigh and killing him. By this point another man appeared and incensed by the shooting of his companion pressed forward and in the words of the reporter cried out “villain you have murdered the man”. McDonogh then appeared to have fired a second time hitting the second man in his stomach who also died. Conscious, their actions would cause ructions in the locality they sought refuge in the house of a Mr. Montgomery where crowds soon gathered seeking to take Forbes and McDonogh prisoner. As matters were coming to a head, the Reverend Fr. Pelan, presumably a local catholic clergyman, arrived on the scene and urged calmness on the crowd. He negotiated for Forbes and McDonogh to give up their guns and under his protection conducted them to another house in Ballylinan. By this point events were moving fast. A party of soldiers from the 78th Foot , a Scottish infantry regiment, based in the barracks of Athy arrived in considerable force. Whether or not they had been summoned because of the shooting incident or whether they were just out on patrol is unknown but their presence immediately heightened tensions. The house in Ballylinan was attacked by a crowd. The Highland soldiers of the 78th Foot fired on the crowd but luckily no injuries were sustained. Before matters could descend into complete chaos, Mr. Clancy, the Chief Constable of the Stradbally Police arrived. A reporter wrote that Clancy “Upon reaching the village, he found not only that but every road leading to it thronged with the peasantry, infuriated to the last degree, and the act of pulling down the house in which the gentleman had taken refuge. Two of the Stradbally police were struck with stones as they passed – nevertheless – Mr. Clancy got off his horse and went among the outrageous populous. He soothed, threatened and pointed out the madness of their attacking armed men and the further loss of lives and consequent misery to many of their families, that there was likely to be the consequence of their doing so. He pledged himself no matter who the parties were who unfortunately killed the men, he would not stop until he lodged them in jail, after a considerable time spent in exertions of this kind, the peasantry became tranquil, threw away stones and other weapons they had provided, cleared a passage for him and showed every inclination to be guided entirely by his wishes, in fact, proved they only wanted some person to whom they could confide to secure and bring the prisoners to justice”. Clancy’s approach defused the situation and with two Constables he conducted the prisoners back to Stradbally. From there McDonogh and Forbes were committed to Portlaoise jail. Ultimately the two men would be tried and while I have been unable to establish the outcome of the trial of Mr. Forbes, McDonogh was convicted of manslaughter. The victims unnamed in the press report at the time were two brothers William and Joseph McDarby. McDonogh was sentenced to nine months imprisonment and rather extraordinarily after only serving four months in prison returned to his post as Chief Constable in Athy in 1824.