John O'Hanlon (Galway) (1889 – 2 October 1920) was shot by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

forces during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

. O'Hanlon was a native of Lackaghmore,

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

. A detachment of the

Black and Tans The Black and Tans () were constables recruited into the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) as reinforcements during the Irish War of Independence. Recruitment began in Great Britain in January 1920, and about 10,000 men enlisted during the conflic ...

arrived at his house and he ran out the back door. He made it as far as the

stile A stile is a structure or opening that provides passage for humansrather than animals such as livestockover or through a boundary. Common forms include steps, ladders, or narrow gaps. Stiles are often built in rural areas along footpaths, fen ...

but the area was surrounded and he was shot dead. The unit said that they had called on him three times to stop. His wife was absent from the house and it was not till the following morning, on Sunday, that she returned home and found his body. His funeral was held at Lackagh but on word from a local policeman it was shifted back an hour from three o'clock. At three o'clock two lorries of

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. A sep ...

arrived and became angry to find the funeral over (a local paper later related that had ''come from

Tuam Tuam (; , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midland Region, Ireland, midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parishe ...

direction and were firing the whole way out and several people travelling on the road had narrow escapes''). They fired shots into the graveyard, in the village of

Turloughmore Turloughmore ( ; ) is a village in County Galway, Ireland. The name means "the large lake," a notable feature of the area, together with the Clare River (''Abhainn an Chláir''). Turloughmore lies on the N63 national secondary road. It is a sm ...

and severely assault many people on the fair green. They then followed Mrs. O'Hanlon's family, shooting at and assaulting the family. He was survived by his wife, Mary Curley and two children, including a nine-month-old son. This son, Billy, in later life gave an interview concerning the events of that day as related by his family and neighbours. Billy had twelve children with his wife Lizzie, and died in 2016. O'Hanlon was secretary to the local branch of

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...

and one of several civilians and nationalists to die in County Galway during 1920.

References

* ''In Their Own Words: The Parish of

Lackagh Lackagh () is a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Galway, Ireland. It is approximately halfway between Galway city and Tuam (east of a line between these two towns) and bounded by the parishes of Athenry, Abbeyknockmoy, Corofin, ...

and its People'', ed. Liz Blackmore, John Cronin, Donal Ferrie and Brid Higgins,

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

, 2001. . {{DEFAULTSORT:OHanlon, John People from County Galway 1889 births 1920 deaths Deaths by firearm in Ireland Irish Republicans killed during the Irish War of Independence