Patrick and Harry Loughnane - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Family background

Patrick was 29 years of age and Harry 22 years. Patrick Loughnane was a local IRA leader and Sinn Féin secretary, he was also active in the local GAA. Harry, his younger brother, was president of the local Sinn Féin club and a goalkeeper with Beagh hurling club. They lived at the family farm at Shanaglish, near Kinvara

Kinvara

Kinvara is a sea port village located in the south of County Galway in the province of Connacht on the west coast of Ireland. Kinvara is also the name of the parish in which the village is situated. Kinvara is occasionally spelled Kinvarra in English; this may be seen on some maps and road signs,...

, with their mother and sister.Harry spent much of his time playing with children and one day hoped to be a primary school teacher but ill health prevented this from happening. Patrick played full-back for beagh and was described as a "tower of strength". He had regretted not taking part in the Easter rising of 1916.

Arrests and deaths

While working on the family farm in Shanaglish on the evening of November 26, the two brothers were arrested by the Black and Tans. Nothing was heard of, nor from, the boys until a week after their arrest when a group of Auxiliaries called to Mrs. Loughnane to inform her that her sons had escaped their capture. Ten days after they had been arrested their bodies were found in a muddy pond near Ardrahan

Ardrahan

Ardrahan is a village in County Galway, Ireland.-History:Richard de Brugo conquered Galway in 1236, and granted the land to Maurice Fitzgerald who built the castle whose ruins still stand today...

.

Exactly what happened to the two brothers will never be known. It is believed that after being arrested the brothers were beaten for hours in Gort Bridewell. From there they were tied to the tailgate of a lorry, bound to each other, and dragged along the roads to Drumharsna Castle, the headquarters of the Black and Tans

Black and Tans

The Black and Tans was one of two newly recruited bodies, composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary as Temporary Constables from 1920 to 1921 to suppress revolution in Ireland...

where they were beaten again. At 11pm that night they were taken from Drumharsna Castle to Moy O’Hynes wood where they were shot. Witnesses have recounted that on Saturday morning, Harry was still alive and was heard moaning. On Sunday morning, the Auxiliaries took the bodies to Umbriste near Ardrahan where they were set alight.

Aftermath

After their bodies were discovered they were examined by a local doctor. They were badly burnt and it was found that the letters ‘I.V.’ were cut into the charred flesh in several places, two of Harry’s fingers were missing and his right arm which was broken completely across the shoulder was hanging off. Both of Pat’s legs and wrists were broken. The doctor thought it possible that hand grenades had been put into their mouths and exploded.

A local doctor examined the remains carefully. They were badly burnt and what appeared to be the letters `I.V.' were cut in the charred flesh in several places. Two of Harry's fingers were missing and his right arm, broken completely across at the shoulder, was hanging off. Both Pat's wrists and legs were broken. The doctor noted that it looked to him that hand grenades had been put in their mouths and exploded.

Funeral

Despite a heavy Black and Tan presence in the area, Volunteer officers held an inquest and the verdict was inscribed on the breast plates of the coffins: At two o'clock in the afternoon, the two coffins were taken down the road to the cemetery and laid side by side in a separate plot. As soon as the last sods had been placed in position six local Volunteers stepped forward and fired three volleys.

A detailed account of the events surrounding the killings was kept by the Irish nationalist and playwright, Augusta, Lady Gregory

Augusta, Lady Gregory

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory , born Isabella Augusta Persse, was an Irish dramatist and folklorist. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrote numerous short works for both companies. Lady Gregory produced a number of...

, which contain first and second-hand accounts the events of the time.

External links

http://books.google.ie/books?id=xscRAhBt2JgC&pg=PA145&lpg=PA145&dq=the+loughnane+brothers+of+gort&source=bl&ots=8p43l5rP-M&sig=m2kzSk3SVQ51nKQIcA9jAOqjvOs&hl=en&ei=kIrgSv2zBYiqmwPpwv2mAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CBMQ6AEwBDgU#v=onepage&q=&f=false
http://smeagol.library.nuigalway.ie/cgi-bin/col_level.cgi?POL4
http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/history/chapter183.html
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/claremuseum/acquisitions/patrick_harry_loughnane_mem_card.htm

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Family background

Arrests and deaths

Aftermath

Funeral

See also

External links