The Murders at Wildgoose Lodge
Agrarian Crime and Punishment in Pre-famine Ireland

On the night of 29-30 October 1816, eight people were murdered by burning to death in a house in a remote part of County Louth, known locally as Wildgoose Lodge. Those killed included a five-month-old child. Following the murder of Lynch, his family and servants, the local community closed ranks.

Local informers - neighbours, friends and possibly relatives - of those murdered as well as those tried gave corroborating evidence. In the end eighteen men were executed and then gibbeted or dissected, at least half of whom were innocent. This was an awesome local episode with national implications which makes for an absorbing and intriguing story.