Captain Gallagher was a real person. He was born in Bonniconlon, but lived with his aunt in Derryronane, Swinford, near the wood of Barnalyra. When Captain Gallagher began his career as a highwayman, he operated in east Mayo and parts of south Sligo and west Roscommon. He held up mail coaches and travelers and raided wealthy landowners. Once they raided the home of a particularly hated landlord in Killasser. They stole his silver and valuables and forced him to eat eviction notices for his tenants.
When Captain Gallagher was finally caught, he spent Christmas recovering from an illness in a friend's house in the parish of Coolcarney or Attymass. A jealous neighbor of his host, a man whom Captain Gallagher had formerly helped, sent a message to the commanding officer of the Redcoats in Foxford that the outlaw was staying in a house beside his in Attymass. The officer called for reinforcements from Ballina, Castlebar and Swinford before attempting the capture. Two hundred British soldiers surrounded the house. In order to protect his host, Captain Gallagher surrendered without resistance. He was rushed to Foxford, tried, sentenced, and taken to Castlebar to be hanged. Before the execution, Captain Gallagher told the commanding officer that all his treasure was hidden under a rock in Barnalyra. After carrying out the execution, the officer rode to Barnalyra with a company of men. The ground was covered with rocks, making it impossible to tell which rock the treasure might be hidden under. All that was ever found was a sword with a jeweled hilt.
Some people believe that Captain Gallagher gave the location of his treasure hoping that he would be allowed to guide the officer to the treasure. Knowing that his companions were staying in a hideout on the Derryronane-Curryane border, Gallagher might have hoped for a rescue attempt by his friends. I will try to be as historically accurate as possible with this retelling, but some parts of this story will necessarily be fictitious. Thank you for reading!
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Captain Gallagher
Historical FictionEamon Gallagher is tired of being controlled by Englishmen and local lords. Vowing to change things, he takes to the highways and takes the name Captain Achrann. He and his friend terrorize the English outsiders and rich landowners, embarking on a j...
