School: Coolderry
- Location:
- Coolderry, Co. Offaly
- Teacher: L. Mac Conriada
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0818, Page 092
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- An Old Story
About fifty years ago there lived in Ballaghmore an extensive farmer named Delaney. He had one wild son who was very fond of shooting. At that time it was a serious crime for a middle class farmer to carry fire arms. On one occasion when the father when to pay his rent to the landlord he refused to take it on the grounds that he allowed his son with dog and gun the shooting of the game. The old man doubted the story and the land lord gave his author as George Ely the agent. The agreement came to between them was to have the dog shot and the gun forfeited. When young James heard this he made a resolution to shoot Ely. He lay in wait and shot him on his rounds. Of course there was no doubting it was he fired the fatal shot and the townland was surrounded with soldiers and policemen. The local Catholic Clergy meanwhile condemming the murder said that James Delaney would be in their midst and a sight of him they would never see. He made some hair breadth escapes but was never caught, he died a few years ago at an advanced age. There are some nice poems composed about him as he was considered a hero by some and a criminal by others.
