Murdered mayors of Limerick - Limerick’s distinctive contribution to Ireland’s quest for freedom
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LAST SUNDAY marked the centenary of the deaths of Joseph O’Donoghue, Michael O’Callaghan and George Clancy.
O’Donoghue was a young member of the IRA; O’Callaghan had just retired as Mayor of Limerick; and Clancy had just been elected Mayor of Limerick.
The brutal killing of the three men by British Crown forces, particularly the savage deaths of O’Callaghan and Clancy in front of their terrified wives, made headlines all over the world. It made a particular impact in America when, shortly after the murders, Kate O’Callaghan, the widow of Michael, published a 32 page pamphlet with the help of the Benjamin Franklin Bureau. The name of the pamphlet, ‘The Limerick Curfew Murders, 7 March 1921, Presented by his Widow,’ was compelling as were the contents.