The Cormack Brothers and Terryglass

This Friday, February 14th, John Flannery will give a talk on behalf of Kilbarron Terryglass Historical Society on the trial and execution of the Cormack Brothers, with an insight into the local connection.

The County Gaol for the North Riding of Tipperary opened in July 1842. Between then and its closing, as a prison, in 1887, 17 unfortunates suffered the extreme penalty of being “hung by the neck, until dead”. Of those, the tale of the brothers – William and Daniel Cormack from Loughmore – is probably best known.

The brothers were executed together in May 1858 and vociferously proclaimed their innocence, right to the end and the placing of the hangman’s noose around their necks.

This talk looks at the events leading to the trial and execution of William and Daniel and also its aftermath, including the part played by members of the Cambie family in both the trial and the subsequent pleas for mercy. The talk will also look at the exhumation and reburial of the brothers in their native Loughmore in 1910, an event which proved to be one of the greatest displays of nationalistic fervour witnessed in Tipperary prior to the revolutionary period.

The venue is Terryglass hall and the talk commences at 8pm. Admission – members: €2; non-members: €5.

John Flannery holds a MA degree in History of Family from University of Limerick. He has acted as a history consultant on 'Who do You Think You Are' and also on Ceol Cogadh na Saoirse on TG4. He is past President of Ormond Historical Society and is a member of Tipperary in the Decade of Revolution. He has contributed to three series of history talks organised by the Tipperary County Museum, Clonmel.