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Joe Graham
Aug 22, 08 - 9:02 AM |
An Horrific Forgotten Wartime Murder
Soldierstown is just a few miles from Crumlin , close to Aghalee, a beautiful, pleasant townland and at its hub is Clenaghan’s Pub ,above, but there was a time that it caught international attention, sadly for the wrong reason. It was during the war years, 1942, when American Forces were stationed here and one night four U.S soldiers were getting a bit drunk and two of them were becoming abusive. These two had been noticed coming in and out of the bar all day and had consumed a lot of alcohol. The pub was owned by the Clenaghan family, a very old Irish family with long links with the Catholic Church, through the years it had provided many nuns and priests to the Church. Eddie Clenaghan, a son, a talented painter and sculptor who had trained under Sir John Lavery, the celebrated artist, who was a kindred of the family. Forty six year old Eddie was a small mild mannered man who lived at the house adjoining the Pub with his mother, Catherine and sister Winnie, Eddie also helped out at the bar. About nine o’clock on the fateful night the bar was quite full when Eddie’s brother , James, a farmer, noticed the soldier in charge leaving with one other soldier leaving behind their two rowdy friends. He followed the soldiers out and asked if they could take their friends with them , but it was to no avail. The commanding soldier seemed to be scared of the two and he and his friend left leaving the troublesome pair behind. Soon after however he got the bar cleared and locked up. A few minutes later he heard the window break, went out and saw the two drunken soldiers who wanted mire drink and shouted filthy names when told the bar was closed for the night. The pair eventually walked off on their way along the Soldierstown Road towards Aghalee. About 11.30pm Samuel Hendron was cycling along Soldierstown Road toward Aghalee , when he got to Forsyth’s Hill he heard moaning. Getting off his bike he discovered a man half lying on the road and half in the ditch, he had severe facial injuries. Henderson stopped a passing car and asked that the driver go for the police. When the police arrived they identified the unconscious man as Eddie Clenaghan,there was no sign of the bike that he had been known to have had with him earlier. Meanwhile just further up the road at Aghalee Bridge Matthew Wilson met a American soldier pushing a bike, the soldier offered Matthew the bike if he could go to his house and play a game of cards. Matthew noticed that the steel helmet the soldier was wearing was badly dented. Eddie Clenaghan was rushed to the Lurgan Hospital and remained unconscious until he died at 7am the next morning, The doctor told the coroner that same day that Eddie had died from a fractured skull and severe eye and chin violence, caused by a blunt instrument. Later that same afternoon an identification parade was set up involving 40 American soldiers in the line up, the huge number was considered extraordinary, but Eddie’s brother was able to walk directly to the two soldiers who were in the pub earlier and Matthew Wilson was able to identified one of them as the soldier he met at the bridge with Eddies bike. Both soldiers steel helmets were badly dented. There was little doubt they had used the steel helmets as hammers to bash Eddies skull. The two soldiers were named as 20 year old Embra H. Farley from Arkansas and 26 year old Herbert Jacobs from Kentucky, they were taken into American Military Custody and later brought back to the USA, apparently for trial. Eddie had what was described as ‘an immense funeral cortege‘, among which there were no less that 100 priests , from parishes all over Ireland, such was the loss felt by the, “ ...the brutal murder by cowardly assassins“, spoken by Fr. Pollen at the funeral. Today Clenaghan’s is one of Ireland’s finest Bars and Restaurants, a treat to visit. |
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Barney Watson
Sep 12th, 2008 - 12:01 AM |
Re: An Horrific Forgotten Wartime Murder
I had heard of this story as a child but was never able to see it in print so often wondered was it factual or not. Good work Joe. |
Raymond Hendron
Nov 15th, 2008 - 10:52 PM |
Re: An Horrific Forgotten Wartime Murder
I had an Uncle Sammy Hendron, I don't know if he found Eddie Clenanaghon But my Late Mother told me this story I also remember the late Miss Winnie Clenaghen. |
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