The Killing of Michael Walsh, 19 October 1920

On the evening of 19 October 1920, one hundred years ago today, Michael Walsh – an urban councillor and proprietor of the Old Malt House at High Street, Galway – was taken from his premises by Crown forces, marched to the Long Walk and shot dead. His body was recovered from the River Corrib the following morning.

Michael Walsh (Micheál Breathnach) was born in Headford, Co. Galway on 20 September 1881 to Michael Walsh, a shopkeeper, and his wife, Bridget (née Creaven). Along with his brothers, Michael worked as an assistant at his father’s shop in Headford before moving into Galway City, where he took over a shop and public house – the Old Malt House – that once belonged to the family of Pádraic Ó Conaire, the Irish-language writer.

The Old Malt House was targeted again just four weeks later – this time Michael Walsh was present and working alongside his 17-year-old assistant, Martin Meenaghan. Shortly before 10pm, five men wearing civilian clothing and carrying revolvers entered the premises. Speaking with English accents, they ordered the customers out, closing the doors after them. Claiming to be English secret service men, they raided the till and cash-box and took cigarettes and other goods. When Meenaghan poured a glass of rum for his employer, the intruders warned: “it is only going to waste: you will be dead within an hour”. When Walsh asked for a priest, he was told “the priests are worse than yourself; you will not get a priest”. They then accused Walsh of shooting policemen before leading him down Quay Street in the direction of the Spanish Arch.

The following morning a blood-stained hat was discovered on the Long Walk; nearby were two large pools of blood and a spent cartridge. Walsh’s remains were then discovered beneath the surface of the Corrib. He had been shot once in the temple. IRA Volunteer Martin King (who would later win an All-Ireland senior hurling title with Galway in 1923) and his brother, John King, recovered the body from the river, along with Michael Healy and Tim Lally.

His killing shocked and outraged Galwegians of all political persuasions. Large crowds lined the streets of Galway on the day of the funeral. As a mark of respect, all work in the city was suspended and all shops were closed. Military and police were stationed at the Pro-Cathedral and at various points throughout the town. In a show of force, a squadron of mounted Dragoon Guards, with their sabres drawn, lined the route to the cemetery at Bohermore, and an armoured car followed the funeral procession. Fearing trouble, the military and police prevented sympathisers from going any further towards the cemetery than Eyre Square.

When questioned in the House of Commons about the killing, the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Hamar Greenwood, stated: “I have no information, and I do not accept as true the allegation that the murder of this man was committed by uniformed men. There is no such force as the auxiliary police in Galway or elsewhere in Ireland. There are members of the auxiliary division of the Royal Irish Constabulary. These men are all ex-officers, and I will not accept, except on the clearest and most conclusive proof, the allegation that any of these ex-officers now serving in the auxiliary division are guilty of murder” (HC Debate, 21 October 1920). In the aftermath, a military court of inquiry into the death of Michael Walsh took place at Renmore Barracks; its findings were not made public. In 1921, Michael Collins instructed the Galway Brigade IRA to try to identify those involved in the killing of Michael Walsh and others; in relation to Walsh, they ascertained that it was carried out by a Black and Tan named Miller, along with two others who were unidentified.

Michael Walsh is still remembered in Galway. Every year since 1921, an anniversary mass takes place for him at the Augustinian Church on Middle Street. A memorial plaque to him was unveiled on the Long Walk on 22 October 1967; it was replaced by another in November 2005, following the construction of the Dun Aengus complex on the Long Walk.

This post is part of a series researched and written by Brendan McGowan, Education Officer at Galway City Museum, to mark the Decade of Centenaries. If you have any information, stories or photographs relating to the War of Independence in Galway, please contact Brendan by email at museum@galwaycity.ie

1. Michael Walsh (Micheál Breathnach, 1881-1920) from “Mise” by Colm Ó Gaora
2. Agnes Walsh, widow of Michael, and her eight children, late 1920. Courtesy of Margaret Henderson (granddaughter of Michael Walsh)
3. Michael Walsh outside the Old Malt House on High Street, Galway. “The Old Malt House, like the Town Hall or the Courthouse, has become one of the institutions of Galway. It has been the popular venue of many a learned discussion on matters municipal and national; and it remains a widely patronised and well-equipped emporium, where groceries, ever fresh and of the widest range, are always kept in stock. Mr. Michael Walsh, the present popular proprietor, served his time in Galway, and is almost as well-known as the Old Malt House itself, the traditions of which he maintains with honour and credit to himself and advantage to his customers” (“Connacht Tribune”, 16 December 1911). Courtesy of Dr Jim Higgins, City Heritage Officer
4. Walsh’s Old Malt House is today Ó Máille’s Original House of Style
5. Advertisement for Walsh’s Old Malt House in the “Connacht Tribune”, 29 May 1909
6. Letter on headed paper written by Michael Walsh, dated 21 September 1920, in which he writes: “I would have written yesterday but was a bit up sit over a visit from the Black & Tans”. Courtesy of Joan Power, Cork (niece of James Quirk)
7. Headstone of Micheál Breathnach (Michael Walsh), Bohermore Cemetery, 19 October 2020. In the row behind and to the right is the resting place of the Irish-language writer Pádraic Ó Conaire who, as a boy, also lived over the premises known as the Old Malt House.
8. Memorial print of Michael Walsh, surrounded by shamrock and with a ruined abbey in the background (perhaps Ross Errilly, near his native Headford), with the words “Erin Macusla Macree” – an anglicisation of the Irish mo chuisle, no chroí (my pulse, my heart). Courtesy of Margaret Henderson (granddaughter of Michael Walsh)
9. Memorial plaque commissioned by Michael ‘Tiny’ Walsh (son of William and grandson of Michael) and unveiled at Long Walk in November 2005. Funded by O’Malley Construction, which built the Dun Aengus complex at Long Walk, it was engraved by stonemason Pat Bracken. In English, it reads: “In Memory of Michael Walsh of the ‘Old Malt House’ High Street who was murdered at the spot by the Black and Tans on the 19th October 1920. R.I.P.”
10. Sons of Michael Walsh – William, Fursa, John, Michael Joe, Edward (Éamon) and James (Séamus) – at the unveiling of a plaque to the memory of their father at Long Walk, Galway on 22 October 1967. The plaque was unveiled by Seán Turke, Galway Old IRA. Canon James O’Dea, parish priest of Clarinbridge, presided and Thomas Tierney, Mayor of Galway, attended on behalf of the Council. Courtesy of Margaret Henderson, granddaughter of Michael Walsh. It read: “CUIR PAIDIR LE NANAM AN FÍORGAEIL MICHÁL BREATHNACH A DUNMHARAÍODH AG DUBH-CHRÓNAIGH SHASANA. LAIMH LEIS AN LATHAIR SEO SAN OÍCHE 19 X 1920. SOLAS NA BHFLAITHEAS DA ANAM. PRAY FOR THE SOUL OF MICHAEL WALSH SHOT BY THE BLACK & TANS NEAR TO THIS SPOT”. Courtesy of Margaret Henderson, (granddaughter of Michael Walsh)