Archaeological forensics
Mountjoy prison was the scene of many executions over the years. Illustration: The Illustrated London News, 1866, via Getty Images
One of the obstacles was patchy record keeping, especially for the years after independence. Under British rule, grave locations were well recorded; in the Free State less so. It seems unlikely, for instance, that William Mitchell, a member of the Black and Tans hanged in Mountjoy in 1921, will be the subject of a celebratory funeral, assuming anyone still remembers him.
The only member of the crown forces hanged for murder during the Troubles, Mitchell was the subject a book a few years ago, DJ Kelly’s Running with Crows.And if they were to be given a homecoming, it turns out, they wouldn’t have to go far. Meredith agreed eventually and the production was a surprise Broadway hit of 1958, a months-long run ending only when the theatre was demolished.On a day trip to Galway last weekend, a friend and I saw the Druid production of Endgame, Samuel Beckett’s bleak comedy on the human condition.
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