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| Hanging at the Cross Hanging at the cross where the streets meet in Newtownsands. Told by Con Shine (carpenter). Written by J.B. Connell (NT Moyvane) My father remembers the white boys. There was a landlord in Kilbaha called Wall. There was another in Moyvane named Sands. Sands knew the names of all the white boys in the district. So did Wall. The white boys trusted Sands. But they were afraid that Wall would tell all the names. So they decided to do away with wall. Wall was afraid of them. He made up his mind to take a house in Glin and went the Kerry line to Glin . But he came back by Newtownsands way. The white boys watched him they attacked his house that night and the firing went on till morning. In the morning they set fire to the house and Wall was burned to death. 200 soldiers came from Limerick the following day. They were to kill everybody they met. But Sands met them over on the Tarbert road near Johnny Nashs and told them not touch anybody that he would have all the white boys arrested that he knew them all. The soldiers did no harm then. They went to Kilbaha and the first they met were my father and my uncle Johnny threshing in the haggard. Sands said they are two honest boys, they�re a widow sons they never did harm to anybody. And so they did noting to them. My father was about 18 at the time. Sands gave the names of all the white boys and they were arrested and tried in Tralee. Three of them were sentenced to be hanged one of them was ordered to be brought to Newtown to be hanged his name was Neill (Nayle). He was the ringleader he was hanged in Newtown by the soldiers. They drove 2 poles in the ground below at the cross and put another pole across they then put him standing in a horses car put a rope around his neck then pulled away the car and left him hanging there. He was hanging there all day. The soldiers use to come often and give him a swing for sport and leave him swing away for himself. All the doors were shut that day. You would not see a head out the door. In the evening they took him down and carried him to Tralee in a car. But they lost him above at Shea`s height Clountubrid. They turned back and found him again and carried him to Tralee. The other two were hanged in Tralee on of them was Mulvihill. I do not know who the other man was. Wall lived in Kilbaha where the road turns up to Kennelly`s house. Note Michael Mulvihill tried Tralee 3rd march 1809 .He set fire to Walls House . Executed 29th July 1809 . Danny McMahon claimed that Wall was not at home the attackers set fire to his house took the child from the maid and tossed it into the burning house . Report in Limerick Chronicle 15th April 1823. Kelly white boy attack Kitson on Sept. 1821. |