The Gallaghers of Ballinrobe

not in the habit of getting drunk or taking too much drink.”
Uncle Jim testified that his brother had left for
Kilmaine on his bicycle with friend Willie Walsh. He told
the inquest he did not see John again until he was brought
home dead by the Civic Guards. He further testified John
was 25 years old.
Members of the jury at the inquest in Cornaroya
(identified as Michael Burke (foreman), Richard Burke,
senr.; Martin Flannery, Thos. King, James Kavanagh,
James Walsh, John J. Moran, and Richard Burke, junr.)
were reported to agree with the testimony of two doctors
who said the cause of death was a hemorrhage, or bleeding
into the brain, caused by a fall from the bike. One doctor
testified the injury was not the result of “great violence.”
Still, Uncle Owen and others would never dismiss the
possibility the full story was never told. Sixty years after
the incident, Uncle Owen would still become angry. He
insisted, “John was too good of a rider and knew the road
very well; someone hit him or got in his way.” He thought
because of skid marks the bicycle made in the road
someone may have unexpectedly stepped in front of the
bike. Cousins Eugene and Peter Gallagher would not
disagree.
The following are excerpts from The Western
People account, which appeared on Page 10 of the
newspaper. The multi-deck headline reads:
TWO BALLINROBE INQUESTS.
YOUNG MAN’S FATAL FALL AFTER KILMAINE SHOW.
OLD MAN FOUND DEAD IN BED
WITNESS COMMENDED FOR PROMPTITUDE.
FALL FROM A BICYCLE.
“... Peter Paul Connell said he went to the show on
the bus, and arrived about 1 p.m. He stayed in Kilmaine till
about half 10 that night. He (Connell) had a cup of tea in
Murtagh Philbin's forge on the way home, and left about 11
o’clock. From that he went to Vean’s, and stayed about an
hour. When he was about one and a half miles from
Kilmaine on the Ballinrobe road a motor car came along.
As it came up, he was watching it to try and get a lift when
something tripped him. The car pulled up, and in the light
he saw a man lying in the road. A bicycle was on the road,
and he got into the car and told the driver. The driver said
he should get out and someone got out and looked at the
man. Then they drove back to Kilmaine, and he walked on
to Ballinrobe. At Ballynew boreen another car passed. He
stopped to rest for 15 minutes or so, and then went and
slept in a hayshed at the back of the house he lodged in.
(Superintendent Dunphy asked Connell:) Did any
Family friend and neighbor Willie Walsh is shown outside the
Gallaghers' Cornaroya home. In 1930, he traveled to
Kilmaine with John Gallagher. He told the inquest that when
he was leaving Kilmaine, he talked with John, who said to
head home without him. Walsh said his friend appeared quite
sober. He added John did not have a light on his bicycle.
bicycle or car pass you or meet you on the way home? -- No.
I don't remember anything (Connell responded).”
LYING ON THE ROAD.
“William Walsh said that when he got to Kilmaine
on Thursday evening he parted with Gallagher, who went up
(to) the village to see some friends. He met Gallagher again
about 9 o’clock, when there was another young man with
him. When asking Gallagher if he would come home, he
replied that he would go in about 10 minutes. About 15
minutes later, he met Gallagher again, and (Gallagher) said,
“You can be going home; don't be waiting for me.” Then he
said to go quietly by (the Gallagher) house and not disturb
his parents. He was quite sober. (The Walsh house was a
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