Killing of Two Jewish Men in Dublin

There was an article on these killings in the Irish Independent on June, 2007 by Andrew Bushe available here: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/killing-spree-led-to-fear-of-pogrom-on-dublin-jews-26299611.html.

Both Dorney and Bushe say that suspicions for these killings fall on ex-Squad member and pro-Treaty army Intelligence Officer, James Conroy, and two brothers Ralph and Fred Laffan. Ralph Laffen is charged with murder after being identified by David Millar. However, Ralph Laffen says that he was mis-identified and implicates his brother Fred (who was an officer in the pro-Treaty army) and James Conroy. Ralph Laffen is found not guilty of the murder charge but, while out on bail, had fled to Mexico to join his brother who had already gone there. Conroy resigns from the army in December 1924.

Bushe says that an investigation carried out in 1932 indicates that the motive for the murders was that a woman acquaintance of Conroy’s has alleged that she had been criminally assaulted by a Jewish dentist and this is what led Conroy to carry out his vendetta against the Jewish community. (This explanation does not give a reason why Conroy would carry out his vendetta against random members of the Jewish community rather than the alleged perpetrator of the criminal assault. Also, no explanation as to why the killings were two weeks apart.)

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