Borrisokane-born James Donnelly murdered Patrick Farrell near Lucan, Ontario on this day in 1857.
The murder started a 30-year blood feud which has captured the imagination in Canada ever since. The story of the ‘Black Donnellys’ and their demise has inspired books, plays, a television show, and even a craft beer.
James and his wife Johanna Donnelly arrived in Canada from Tipperary in the 1840s along with their son James Jr. The couple subsequently had seven more children, six boys and one girl. In Canada, they settled in Biddulph Township, near Lucan, Ontario. The area, about the size of Tipperary, became a virtual colony of Tipperary in the 1840s, with perhaps the greatest concentration of its emigrants in a rural setting anywhere.
Localised rivalries had followed many of these families from Tipperary and this was exacerbated by competition for land in their adopted country, where it was the norm for newcomers to squat on unoccupied territory, and establish ownership rights by clearing it.
The Donnellys did this to a 100-acre site, but then got embroiled in litigation by other claimants, losing half of it in arbitration. Nobody was happy with the outcome and a feud developed, escalating in 1857, when James Donnelly, the patriarch, killed one of his rivals, Patrick Farrell, and went on the run.
After that, ostracism may have added to the Donnellys' drift towards outlaw status. The seven Donnelly sons in particular were accused of many crimes in the years to follow yet few convictions were secured against them. In any case, Biddulph and its neighbouring township Lucan was notorious in subsequent years for lawlessness, with assault, arson, animal maiming, robbery, and even murder a regular occurrence.
The Donnellys were blamed for most of this, provoking in 1876 the formation of a vigilance committee. This did little to stem the trouble, and by 1880, some locals had had enough. One night in February of that year, about 30 vigilantes visited the main Donnelly home at midnight, killing four occupants: James, Johanna, their 25-year-old son Tom, and a niece named Bridget who had recently arrived from the Borrisokane area to live with the family. The vigilantes then moved to another house, where 32-year-old John Donnelly was shot dead.
Their massacre made the front of the New York Times, which reported that bodies had been "burned to cinders after having been first horribly hacked with axes and other iron instruments". One newspaper reported that “The massacre of the Donnelly family, in the township of Biddulph, by an armed mob, is a crime which has no parallel in the history of Canada”.
Many had no doubt as to the names of the guilty but despite two trials no one was convicted. Bob Donnelly erected a massive tombstone in 1889 to sit on the family grave in St. Patrick’s cemetery in Lucan. The tombstone sat on the site for 75 years when in 1964 the parish priest ordered it removed due to unwanted attention, the tombstone itself had become a tourist attraction.
The Donnelly descendants heard that the tombstone had been removed and approached the Catholic Church who denied removal of the tombstone. The descendants were required to seek legal counsel at which time the Catholic Church admitted to storing the tombstone in a barn by the church. The original tombstone was given to William Donnelly’s grandson, William Lord. The family erected a new tombstone but without the accusing words “murdered” under the names of the five dead.
Lucan author Terry Culbert, who wrote “Lucan: Home of the Black Donnellys”, recalls that “growing up in the 40s and 50s in Lucan, I clearly remember it being strictly taboo to mention the Donnelly name. We were told relatives of the vigilantes involved in the massacre were still residing in the area.”
Today, the Black Donnellys are a mix of history and legend. Their exploits and their grisly deaths the sort of story mothers use to frighten their children claims one Canadian blogger. The public appetite for more information about the Donnelly’s unsavoury demise has not waned. The story of the murdered family has appeared in books, tv shows and films, and there is a Donnelly Museum in Lucan.
Today coins, trinkets and roses are left on their grave in St Patrick’s cemetery by visitors on a daily basis as a way of showing homage and respect.
Sources:
https://pictongazette.ca/post/the-tale-of-the-black-donnellys-brought-to-life-in-picton
https://ghostwalks.com/articles/black-donnellys-massacre-ghosts
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/a-long-way-from-tipperary-to-an-irish-massacre-1.3714991
https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/arts-culture-entertainment/136309/The-Donnellys---Tipperary-s.html
https://www.donnellymuseum.com/history
