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The 'Hanging Tree' Cross
This small wooden cross, approximately 8ins. (20cms) tall, was carved from the remains of a 'hanging tree' that had fallen during a storm in 1918. It was from this tree that Fr. Conroy, P.P. of Lahardane was hanged for his alleged part in the rising of 1798.
French troops, under the command of General Humbert, had landed in Killala and were making their way to Castlebar through the village of Lahardane. The French officers visited Fr. Conroy, who had studied in France and who spoke the language, and this fateful visit, was to prove to be his downfall.
After the defeat of the expeditionary army in Ballinamuck, the Sheriff, Dennis Brown, accused Fr. Conroy of having showed the invasion forces a little used path through the mountains to Castlebar, thus giving them an element of surprise, that resulted in the rout of the town's Redcoat garrison. (This defeat became known as 'The Races of Castlebar'). The priest was found guilty and was subsequently hanged. His body was taken to Tubbernavine for burial and the funeral was witnessed by a young altar boy, John McHale, who was later an Archbishop of Tuam and was to become known as 'The Lion of the Fold.' It was said, that the trauma of seeing his parish priest's funeral, had shaped his thinking thereafter, and made him the formidable campaigner he was to become.
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