The Killings at Loughglynn Woods

Introduction from Chronology

A joint BA/RIC patrol surrounds an IRA safe house near Loughglynn (or Loughglinn) Wood, Co. Roscommon. The four IRA men inside try to escape but two are killed and another captured.

More Detail

When the RIC and BA, under Captain (or Lieutenant) S. F. McKay of the BA’s Leicestershire Regiment, come close to an IRA safe house near Loughglynn (or Loughglinn) Wood, Co. Roscommon, the four IRA men inside try to escape. According to O’Callaghan, three are captured after a gun fight during which one British soldier (Private Davis) is wounded. All three are savagely beaten and two, Sean Bergin and Stephen McDermott, are shot dead by their captors. The third captured man, Joe Satchwell, is taken prisoner and brought to Castlerea. The fourth IRA man, Thomas (Toby) Scally, managed to escape but he was wounded. O’Callaghan also says that it was established afterwards that the British were acting on information from an informer.

O’Halpin and Ó Corráin give three of the same names as O’Callaghan but instead of Joe Satchwell gives the name of Matt Kilcawley. They concur that Bergin and McDermott were killed but say that the other two IRA men were captured. They say that Lieutenant Makay maintained that Bergin and McDermott were mortally wounded and died within half-an-hour. He also said that he “received private information” that armed rebels were in the area. The IRA blamed Paddy Egan for informing. He was the I/O for the South Roscommon Brigade. Egan fled the country.

Burke names Joe Satchwell as the man who was captured and also says that Thomas Scally escaped.

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