Kevin O’Higgins was one of the most divisive figures in the early years of the Irish State. Reviled by anti-Treaty republicans, he was an advocate of the Free State government’s execution policy during the Civil War, signing execution orders for 77 prisoners, including the best man at his own wedding. In July 1927, aged 35, O’Higgins was assassinated on his way to Mass in Co Dublin. In his new book Walled in by Hate, Father Ted co-creator Arthur Mathews examines O’Higgins through the prism of his friends and enemies, the relentless murder manhunt that followed his assassination, as well as his relationship with Hazel Lavery, wife of painter John Lavery. In this extract, Mathews gives a flavour of what happened in the aftermath of the killing…
IN the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Kevin O’Higgins, a list was drawn up of more than 30 suspects. Another report looked at organisations with a possible motive for killing O’Higgins.
One theory suggested that it could have been “an attempt by Soviet agents to create a favourable atmosphere here for the development of a Soviet offensive against Britain as a counter-stroke to the recent Anglo-Russian breach”. However, even the author of this hypothesis thought it was “far-fetched”.
More realistically, the authorities suspected that the culprits were amongst O’Higgins’ sworn enemies from the Civil War. An IRA veteran called Michael (‘Mick’) Price was one of those detained by the gardaí, who seemed convinced of his involvement in the murder. Some time later he was placed in front of seven people who had witnessed the shooting at an identity parade.
Before his appearance, however, Price had grown a moustache. The superintendent in charge of the case smelled a rat: had someone somehow got the information out to the accused that he was to be put in front of people who had seen the murder and was he trying to change how he looked?
The authorities went to great lengths to determine the effect that Price’s controversial new moustache might have on the witnesses who would view him in the identity parade. Garda Commissioner Eoin O’Duffy wrote for advice to Scotland Yard and received a reply from a helpful detective there:
“As a sort of similar instance we had a case of a tall thin man who used to commit burglaries. He had inside his waistcoat an inflatable bladder which made him look like a big fat man. Directly the burglary was committed he deflated himself and then became a thin man. At the identification he was shown with the bladder blown-up to make him look like a fat man and to have the same appearance that he had on committing the burglary.”
In the event, none of the witnesses pointed the finger at Price, who, to the relief of the authorities, had removed his moustache voluntarily. Three other witnesses refused to even attend the identity parade. One of these evaded the authorities when a car was sent to collect him. Presumably all three were either republicans or afraid of republican reprisals from the dangerous type of men who had killed O’Higgins.
If you can arrange for a Catholic detective (no planter need apply) to see me at a fixed place in Belfast I will give all the necessary information. The above is a venomous anti-Irish crook who goes to our country (the 26 counties) very often at weekends to stir up discontent amongst our Celtic people against our government…
— Henry Murray
A witness who did show up claimed that one of the suspected assassins had spoken to him before the attack, exclaiming menacingly, “What do you want?” The witness described this man as having “false teeth; front plate of upper jaw badly fitting and inclined to fall down when he spoke, exposing gum”.
Another suspect was Seán MacBride, the son of Maud Gonne and the executed 1916 leader John MacBride, who was put on trial for the crime. His mother complained about her son’s arrest for the murder, and also on behalf of the other suspects who had been taken in. In the case of one of the arresting officers she spotted a possible ulterior motive:
“Amongst the Republicans recently arrested and charged on suspicion with the murder of Mr O’Higgins, and since released, was a man on the eve of his marriage. It was no coincidence that the sergeant of the CID who arrested him was the rejected suitor of the bride, or that it required application by counsel in court to return the new wedding suit seized by the police.”
Some people used the murder as an excuse to accuse a person whom they didn’t like or had some grudge against, but who was highly unlikely to have had anything to do with the killing. A woman in Donegal swore that she heard a one-legged shoemaker who lived in the same boarding house as her saying to some men, “Here’s the ammunition and a revolver and do your stuff – get O’Higgins.”
From Belfast, Henry Murray wrote to the authorities accusing a man called Gilbert Turnbull:
“I have startling information to give regarding the above [Turnbull] in connection with the murder of our late Vice President. If you can arrange for a Catholic detective (no planter need apply) to see me at a fixed place in Belfast I will give all the necessary information. The above is a venomous anti-Irish crook who goes to our country (the 26 counties) very often at weekends to stir up discontent amongst our Celtic people against our government… Crooks and the British Murder Gang Secret Service Agents of the Turnbull type must be taught that our country is the wrong place for them, and Turnbull may have the rope around his neck sooner than he expects when you have received the necessary information.”
Perhaps an even more unlikely assassin was 48-year-old Mrs Hopkins, the wife of a district magistrate in Eltham. A man wrote to the police in London:
“She is a revolutionist and is in the plot of killing O’Higgins. She is going to Dublin on Friday next… [She] always carries a loaded revolver and would shoot to kill, 5ft 6, brown eyed, hair bobbed, walks very bad like a cripple, fawn velour hat, dresses in very short clothes for her age, wears white silk stockings. She is known at Eltham; now go ahead and catch her. She is a bad woman and should not be allowed go free about this country. She is a clever revolutionist and out to harm old England.”
Needless to say, Mrs Hopkins was never charged with the crime. Nevertheless, unhinged letters like these full of wild accusations from very odd, vindictive individuals were carefully collected along with many others in the files about the murder of the late vice president.
This edited extract is taken from Walled in by Hate - Kevin O’Higgins, His Friends and Enemies by Arthur Mathews, published by Merrion Press
