Killing of Two Jewish Men in
Dublin
The Killing of Two Jewish Men in Dublin
Introduction from Chronology
Following the killing on October 31st, another Jewish
man, Emmanuel Kahn, is shot dead in Stamer St in
Dublin. His companion, David Millar, is
shot in the arm but survives. There are
a number of unanswered questions about these killings.
More Detail
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 Free State 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 Free State 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 resigned 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, there is no explanation
as to why the killings were two weeks apart.