On this day in 1922, Sergeant John Walshe became the 46th and last RIC-man to be killed during the Civil War in Tipperary.
At 10.30pm on Tuesday May 23rd, three men called to a house near Newport where Walshe was visiting his wife and three children. The men spoke to Mrs Walshe and asked to see her husband, stating that he was required at the barracks. As soon as he appeared at the front door, he was shot several times and died instantly.
No member of the public attended the removal and no inquest could be held as jurors refused to attend. In the aftermath of the killing, a campaign of anonymous posters and letters directed all former RIC members to leave the Newport area.
Walshe’s murder brought the total number of RIC members killed during the civil war in Tipperary to 46 – making Tipperary one of the most violent counties during the period. In total nearly 500 RIC members were killed during the conflict.
Sources:
John Reynolds, 46 Men Dead: The Royal Irish Constabulary in County Tipperary 1919-1922, p158.
