Newspaper articles


The Times
Contributed by Mary Heaphy
1918

1918

January 7 1918

The Nenagh Murder.

At the Inquest in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, on George Sheehan, who was killed
in his own house while trying to prevent three masked and armed men from
stealing a rifle belonging to his son, a soldier, home on leave from France.
Mrs Sheehan aged 70, stated that while she and her husband were in the house
after her son had gone out three masked men entered. Her husband grappled
with one of them, and shots were fired. Her husband cried out that he was
wounded. The men then left with her son's rifle. Sergeant Daughton, of the
Royal Irish Constabulary, said that the old man, who was 76 years of age,
told him that he had his assailant under him on the ground, when the latter
shot him in the stomach with a revolver. He continued to hold him by the
throat, and the man then shot him in the wrist and disabled him. The Police
and Military are searching for the stolen rifle.



January 12 1918

Three arrests have been made of men alleged to have been concerned in the
murder of the old army pensioner George Sheehan, at his home near Nenagh, a
short time ago. Sheehan lost his life while trying to prevent three masked
and armed men from stealing a rifle belonging to his son, a soldier home on
leave from the front. The men arrested are three brothers named O'Brien, the
sons of a woman who was postmistress in the Silvermines district, of
Tipperary, up to a few weeks ago. Two of them are National School Teachers,
and the third who was a postman for a time, is a Captain in the Sinn Fein
Volunteers, Their Father who is dead, was a Policeman. The accused men, who
are in Limerick gaol, have been remanded for 8 days.