asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware that an armed raid by nine or ten men in civilian dress who said they were Gárdaí and members of the Detective Division of the Gárda Síochána, was made on the house of Timothy Murphy, Windgates, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, between 12 and 1 a.m. on December 9th, 1925, on pretext of looking for escaped prisoners; that Mr. Murphy, it is stated, was roughly handled and died as a result on December 21st, 1925, and whether he will have an investigation made into the matter.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - A MAYNOOTH RAID.
I have had careful inquiries instituted into the matters referred to in the question, and I am satisfied that the statements contained therein are inaccurate. The facts of the case are as follows:—
A party of detectives, accompanied by a Gárda in uniform from Celbridge Station, arrived at the house of Timothy Murphy between 11.50 p.m. and midnight on the night of the 8th-9th December last to search for prisoners escaped from custody and for arms. On arrival they demanded admittance, informing the occupants that they were police and had come to search the house and that they were accompanied by a Gárda in uniform from Celbridge known to the occupants. Admittance was refused. Mr. Murphy was then asked to come to the window to identify the Gárda in uniform. This he refused to do. Fire was then opened upon the Gárda from a window in the upper portion of the house. The detectives returned the fire. It is necessary to explain that the Gárda believed that the men whom they were seeking were armed, and naturally the fire from the house had the effect of convincing them that the men they were seeking were in fact in the house. Eventually some of the detectives forced open the door and entered the house. A number of doors inside the house, which were locked, were also forced open. After entering the house, all the rooms, save one, which was locked, were searched. The party met Mrs. Murphy, wife of Timothy Murphy, who at once identified the Gárda in uniform. Mrs. Murphy was asked to state who were in the house, and replied that she herself, her husband, and her maid were the only occupants. She was asked who was in the locked room, and stated that her husband was. She was asked to request him to stop firing, which she did, stating that there was a Gárda from Celbridge there, whom she knew. Mr. Murphy refused. He was again asked to go to the window and told that a light would be flashed on the Gárda so that he could identify him and be satisfied the party were police. He refused to go to the window. The maid was then sent to the door to ask Mr. Murphy to open it. He again refused, saying " You can leave a Guard there until morning." An employee of Mr. Murphy's, Lawrence Dunne, who slept in a room in a loft outside, was then brought in, and he and the Gárda in uniform went to the door of the locked room, and the Gárda said: "Your man, Lawrence Dunne, is here now and recognises me as a Gárda from Celbridge Station." Mr. Murphy still refused to open the door. During the colloquy Mr. Murphy had threatened to shoot anyone who entered the room. The door of this room was finally forced and Mr. Murphy was found in the room. He had a revolver containing six spent cartridges, of which some were on the floor. He apologised to the Gárda for the trouble given, and said that he believed them to be robbers. The detectives were in the room for a period of from seven to ten minutes. During this time they searched the room. No detective laid hands on Mr. Murphy. When leaving they took with them the revolver.
Mrs. Murphy has made and signed a statement concerning the search in which the following passage occurs:—"They remained in the room with my husband for about seven minutes. They were kind to my husband and were a very nice crowd of chaps. I am positive they did not interfere with my husband in any way, and they did not pull him about or touch him at all. I liked the boys who called. They took the revolver and shot-gun with them and departed on friendly terms with my husband, and when they were leaving I thanked them for their courtesy under the circumstances."
I do not know if the pneumonia which Mr. Murphy subsequently contracted was in any way due to the events of the night in question, but if it were I am satisfied that Mr. Murphy was not roughly handled, and that any exposure suffered by him was attributable solely to his own action in refusing to admit the Gárda after every opportunity was afforded him of satisfying himself as to their identity.
In view of what the Minister has said, may I ask if there is any way of satisfying householders that people stating they are detectives demanding admittance are what they represent themselves to be? I ask that because of the fact that the people about the neighbourhood are quite satisfied that Mr. Murphy did not understand that the men seeking admittance to his house on the 9th January were Gárdaí. It would mean that a repetition——
The Deputy cannot make a speech now.
I am only dealing with the Minister's reply. I rather think that something should be done to prevent a repetition of this kind of thing, and to ensure that the Gárdaí would have proper authority. We all know that people come to men's houses in the middle of the night demanding admittance, who have no right to be there at all, and who are not Gárdaí.
I do not know what more could have been done by the party of Gárdaí than was, in fact, done on the occasion. Members of the Detective Branch carry identification cards, and these could have been produced to Mr. Murphy if he had asked for them. He did not ask for them, and he refused to come to the window to identify the uniformed man from the Celbridge Station. When his wife and his employee assured him that the men were Gárdaí, and that there was a Gárda in uniform from the Celbridge Station with them, it did not seem to bring about any particular improvement in the position. Looking at the matter from the facts as reported to me, I cannot see that any further step could have been taken to satisfy Mr. Murphy as to the identity of the party or to allay his fears that they were other than what they represented themselves to be.