Come All You Roman Catholics

DESCRIPTION: Father McFadden is in Derry jail. Sub-inspector Martin had arrested him after Sunday Mass. "David ... by the Lord's command" killed Martin by sling shot "The people laughed and cheered" to see Martin taken away. "The Devil met him at the gates"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1979 (Tunney-StoneFiddle)
KEYWORDS: violence homicide prison clergy police Devil
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Tunney-StoneFiddle, pp. 13-14, "Come All You Roman Catholics" (1 text)
McBride-FlowerOfDunaffHillAndMoreTradSongsInnishowen 28, "Father McFadden" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9459
NOTES [128 words]: McBride-FlowerOfDunaffHillAndMoreTradSongsInnishowen: "[Father McFadden] formed local branches of the Land League in West Donegal."
See the reference to the 1888 imprisonment of Father McFadden of Donegal in Derry Prison "for an agrarian speech" (source: Chapters of Dublin History site, Letters and Leaders of my Day Chapter XXII "Parnellism and Crime" (1887-8), by T.M. Healy). The description there has no "David" and sling shot. Instead, thinking that Martin had struck McFadden with his drawn sword, the congregants rooted up the pailing from McFadden's garden and "battered in Martin's skull." Some of the attackers were arrested with McFadden. The story of the convictions, plea bargaining and sentencing is told there from the defense attorney's viewpoint. - BS
File: TSF013

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