Life and Execution of Father Nicholas Sheehy
Execution
On March 15th, 1776, Reverend Nicholas Sheehy, the parish priest of Clogheen, South Tipperary, was executed at Clonmel jail. His death marked a significant moment in Irish history, as he had devoted his ministry to advocating for the impoverished and disenfranchised members of his community. Historical evidence suggests his conviction and subsequent execution were politically motivated rather than based on substantive evidence.
After death from hanging, the body was decapitated and the head was placed on a sword. This then was fixed to a wall in a public place near the jail and where the head was left to decay for 20 years. The headless body was harnessed to a horse and dragged through the streets of Clonmel. Having completed this ignoble procession, Fr. Sheehy’s body was made available to his Clogheen parishioners who gave him a respectful burial in Shandrahan cemetery a little away from the village.
In the following months, additional executions took place. Edward “Buck” Sheehy, a cousin of Father Sheehy and father of Colonel Sheehy (who later served as aide-de-camp to Wolfe Tone in the French military), was executed two months after his kinsman. On the same day as Father Sheehy’s execution, Edmund Meehan of Grange was also put to death, having refused to provide false testimony against the priest despite pressure from authorities. During the execution, three women—including Father Sheehy’s two sisters and Edmund Meehan’s wife—broke through the guards. From the gallows, Meehan addressed his final words to his wife: “O Biddy, Biddy dear. May God pity you and may He protect our six children – my poor wife.”
Early Life
Nicholas Sheehy was born in 1728 and his father, Francis Sheehy, was a native of Dromcollogher, Co. Limerick. This is where he grew up with his brothers Brian, William and Roger before seeking his independence by acquiring an estate in Glenaneiry, near the picturesque Nire valley at the foot of the Comeragh Mountains in Co. Waterford. Having settled there, Francis married a member of the Power family of Bawnfune outside Clonmel. This family were respected not because of their social standing and wealth but because of their consideration and generosity to poor, needy peasant country folk.
At that time, Catholic farming people very much were second class citizens. Those who were fortunate enough to be able to rent a few acres from a landlord worked hard rearing a few cattle or sheep. Nevertheless, their main task was to grow potatoes and wheat to feed their families. To clothe them, the production of wool and flax was much needed so that usable clothing could be made.
Nicholas had his childhood education at home, and he also attended some private schools in Waterford. Then, he moved to France to further his education ahead of commencing training for the priesthood in Louvain, Santiago, Salamanca and Rome. Thus, he lived in Belgium, Spain and Italy before he was ordained to the priesthood at Rome in 1753.
Return to Ireland
Following ordination, he returned to Ireland to minister in parishes (like Newcastle) around south Tipperary and Waterford before being appointed parish priest of Clogheen and Burncourt. He was admired as a priest with a passionate sense of social justice and practised herbal medicine too. His sense of social justice brought him into conflict with local landlords because he campaigned vigorously against evictions. He also opposed the enforcement of a British law forcing Catholics (who hardly had enough themselves anyway) to pay tithes (or monies) to support the Church of Ireland clergy. Some Catholics found themselves under such pressure that they converted to Anglicanism.
At that time, the big landowners of south Tipperary feared another invasion like the one associated with the war of successions to the British throne fought by followers of James and William of Orange seventy-five years earlier. So they started a campaign against Fr. Nicholas that claimed that he was advocating a rebellion against the Crown. They also added that they feared being massacred by the distrusted Irish Catholics, who had associations with France through having fathers and sons fighting in the French army. This agitation against Catholics and the Catholic clergy was not helped by members of a secret oath-sworn organisation with a very strong presence in south Tipperary. Downfall
The Whiteboys or Levellers movement had its origin in Kilmallock in 1760 when William Fant, an attorney, became enraged by the treatment meted out by the rich landlords to the downtrodden, suffering ordinary people of rural Ireland. The objective of this organisation of gangs of country people, especially the youth, was to carry out intermittent raids on the properties of landlords by night. Levelling protective walls and fences as well as digging up trees and other items together with sometimes killing cattle on estates was the cause of their getting the name “Levellers”. The title “Whiteboy” arose from the uniforms that they wore, which included a white cockade hat and a white shirt pulled over their ordinary clothes to conceal their identity when engaged in their destructive raids. The organisation spread rapidly throughout the country and especially in south Tipperary. Sometimes, as many as three hundred young people would take part in a raid.
Fr. Sheehy at one stage was accused by his enemies of taking part in the levelling of fences around common land in Dromlemmon. Although any doubt about his condoning the violent actions of the Whiteboys contrasted with his outspoken philosophy of life, which was “Live and let live”, he was arrested for this alleged offence. Because the prosecutors could not find any Catholic prepared to give evidence against him in court, the case was dropped. Even so, this did not deter his opponents from continuing their campaign against him.
At that time, there lived a man of low social standing who was an informer, and he became a suspect for stealing a chalice from a little church near Ballyporeen, the ancestral home of the late former President of the U.S.A., Ronald Reagan. This man’s name was John Bridge, and he was reproached by Fr. Sheehy, an action that led to an accusation of an assault on Bridge with a warrant being issued in the name of the priest. Aware of the determination of his enemies to build up accusations against him, Fr. Sheehy then went into hiding.
Ironically, a Protestant farmer friend named William Griffith, who lived near Shandrahan cemetery, suggested that if he took refuge in a tomb in the graveyard by day, he would invite him to sleep in his house by night. This offer was taken up by Fr. Sheehy so he spent his nights with Griffith and at dawn entered the tomb where he spent his day in prayer and offering up his daily Mass. This state of affairs was continued for twelve months. Feoghanagh
Father Sheehy sought refuge at his cousin’s residence in Feoghanagh, traveling by night on horseback to Appletown Hall. During his time there, he reportedly conducted mass services at the nearby Auglish cemetery. As his period in hiding continued, he grew increasingly troubled by how his fugitive status prevented him from fulfilling his priestly duties.
Believing in his innocence, he decided to confront the charges against him. He corresponded with Mr. Waite, the Irish Secretary, proposing to surrender under the condition that his trial be held in Dublin rather than Clonmel, where he believed he would receive a fair hearing. Upon receiving written assurance from Waite accepting these terms, Father Sheehy surrendered himself and was transported to Dublin under military escort.
Trial
The trial of Fr. Sheehy never got underway officially. The provost’s preliminary investigation of the evidence did not prove that he was guilty of the treasonable offence of promoting a rebellion against the Crown. Also, there was no evidence to prove that he had any hand or part in the activities such as the destruction by the Whiteboys of the common land owned by a landlord who lived near Clogheen. Fr. Sheehy was acquitted of these charges at the King’s Inn but was to be imprisoned in the Lower Yard of Dublin as a result of further charges instigated against him.
The authors of these charges included a clergyman and landlords from south Tipperary. They also were to have bribed people of the lowest orders of society to perjure themselves as proof of the allegations in court. This campaign was brought to a climax when John Bridge went missing. This was the informer suspected of stealing the chalice from the little church at Ballyporeen and provided a real opportunity to charge Fr. Sheehy with his murder.
A lady of low moral repute, Moll Dunlea, was bribed to bear false witness against the priest. She swore under oath that she saw Fr. Sheehy and other men carrying the dead body over a bridge near the estate. That bridge is known as Black Bridge today. Others testified that, on the same night, they saw a body being carried in a field beside the same bridge. Yet when the site of the supposed grave was dug up, not a body was found.
Even so, among the list of charges prepared against Fr. Sheehy was the murder of John Bridge. The re-arrest for those charges took place in Dublin, and he was handed over to the military in Clonmel to be court-martialled, having been brought on horseback from Dublin with his hands tied behind his back and his legs shackled by a chain that went around the horse’s underside.
On Thursday, March 13th, 1766, Father Sheehy and Edmund Meehan, a local farmer and father of six, were brought before the court in Clonmel. The magistrate presented multiple charges against Father Sheehy:
- The alleged murder of John Bridge, who was reportedly killed by a blow to the head with a briar hook
- Incitement of criminal activities against landowners
- Conspiracy to assist a French invasion
The proceedings took place in an environment of considerable tension. In this atmosphere, the prosecution’s case relied on testimony from witnesses whose credibility was highly questionable, and who were allegedly induced to give false evidence through financial incentives.
After hearing the testimony, the jury, composed entirely of landowners, deliberated briefly before returning a guilty verdict on all counts. The magistrate then delivered the sentence: death by hanging, drawing, and quartering, concluding with the customary pronouncement asking divine mercy and an acknowledgment of the convicted’s sins.
In response to his sentence, Father Sheehy expressed gratitude to the magistrate and offered a prayer for mercy upon him. He then delivered a reasoned statement protesting what he viewed as a miscarriage of justice, addressing the allegedly false testimony and highlighting the persecution faced by Catholics, including himself and Edmund Meehan. He concluded his address with the statement: “I leave it to God to distinguish between the innocent and the guilty.”
Aftermath
Following the verdict, Father Sheehy’s defence attorney reportedly addressed the jury with a dire prediction about divine retribution. The jury’s impartiality was later called into question, particularly given subsequent events involving those connected to the trial.
In the aftermath of the execution, public demonstrations occurred throughout Clonmel and neighbouring areas. During one such protest in Kilkenny, the executioner, Darby Brahan, was fatally attacked by demonstrators.
Multiple individuals connected to the trial reportedly met unfortunate ends in the following years:
Thomas Maude, the MP for Tipperary who selected the jury, suffered from severe mental illness before his death, allegedly expressing delusions about Father Sheehy. Several jurors experienced various misfortunes: John Bagwell developed a debilitating mental condition, William Bagwell died by suicide, Matthew Jacob succumbed to a seizure, and William Barker died suddenly. Others associated with the case, including Moll Dunlea, Shaw, Ferris, John Dunville, Alexander Hoops, and Osborn Tothall, all reportedly met tragic or unusual deaths.
Perhaps most significantly, John Bridge—whose alleged murder had been central to the case against Father Sheehy—was later discovered living in Newfoundland, Canada. When located after a two-year search, he was reportedly unaware that anyone had been tried for his murder.
These events contributed to ongoing questions about the justice of Father Sheehy’s trial and execution. In the period following Father Sheehy’s execution, religious tensions intensified significantly, and Whiteboy activity increased throughout the region.
A particularly notable practice emerged: people would gather at the site where Father Sheehy’s head was displayed, collecting drops of blood with their hands. They would then proceed to the Clogheen Church of Ireland and the residence of Reverend John Hewetson, who had participated in selecting witnesses for the trial, where they would make the sign of the cross with their bloodied hands. This ritual became a symbolic act of protest against what many Catholics viewed as religious persecution.
According to local accounts, Father Sheehy’s head remained displayed on a spike outside Clonmel Gaol for twenty years, and observers noted the unusual absence of scavenging birds during this period. After persistent appeals, his sister Catherine finally received permission to retrieve the head. She transported it to Clogheen and arranged for its burial alongside Father Sheehy’s body in Shandrahan cemetery, near the tomb where he had sought refuge during his time in hiding. The incident continues to resonate in South Tipperary’s collective memory, along with the remembrance of the four men who were executed after refusing to testify against Father Sheehy.
Remembrance
In 1867, when Clogheen’s parish priest proposed constructing a memorial at Father Sheehy’s grave, Lord Lismore opposed the plan and stationed soldiers to prevent its construction. However, more than a century later, in 1991, the Clogheen community successfully erected a memorial at the site. The structure features a tomb enclosed by decorative steel railings, topped with a crucifix. An accompanying headstone bears the following inscription:
1728-1766
Within this graveyard
lies the remains of
Fr. Nicolas Sheehy
P.P. Of Clogheen
Executed in Clonmel
March 15th 1766
Erected by the people
of Clogheen. March 1991.
A Celtic cross commemorating Father Sheehy stands prominently near the entrance of Clogheen’s Gothic parish church. Local residents continue to visit his grave to offer prayers and petitions. A notable tradition emerged among emigrants from the area, who would take a small amount of soil from the grave site to their new homes abroad, maintaining a connection to their heritage and to Father Sheehy’s memory.
Among Father Sheehy’s personal effects at the time of his arrest was a set of mass vestments left at Appletown Hall, Feoghanagh. These vestments were later presented by a descendant of Roger Sheehy to Bishop Dwyer of Limerick, who was also a family relation. One item from this set—a stole, the liturgical garment worn by priests during the administration of sacraments—was entrusted to the Sheehy family of Dromcollogher. The stole has been preserved through generations in a custom-made wooden reliquary at Woodfield.
An account exists regarding the stole’s perceived healing properties, involving the late Dr. Robert “Bob” Sheehy, a general practitioner in Dromcollogher. According to the story, while caring for his elderly mother during a period of senility, he encountered difficulty one night when she was experiencing agitation and sleeplessness. Acting on impulse, he retrieved the stole from its reliquary and placed it on his mother’s forehead while offering a prayer. The account states that his mother immediately became calm and slept peacefully through the night.