The Veiled Woman of Achill: Island Outrage & A Playboy Drama

by Patricia Byrne

At Valley House on Achill Island in 1894, an English landowner, Agnes MacDonnell, was brutally attacked and her home burnt. James Lynchehaun, her former land agent, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. He escaped twice and won a groundbreaking case in the United States successfully resisting extradition. . A Franciscan monk in Achill, Brother Paul Carney, who had befriended and assisted Lynchehaun, wrote up the fugitive’s story, and Lynchehaun became a folk hero. John Millington Synge visited Mayo in 1904/1905 and decided to locate The Playboy of the Western World in north Mayo. Lynchehaun was one of Synge’s inspirations for constructing the character of Christy Mahon. The crime, the trial and escapes, and the island tensions are unravelled in a gripping account.

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2012

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is based on the true story of a man who was accused of severely injuring a woman and setting fire to her estate on Achill Island, IRE. In fairness, I would rate this a 3.5. The book speaks to the animosity between British landowners and their tenants who worked for little money and had to pay a monthly rent for the land or get evicted. For readers who enjoy tales of Ireland, I would recommend this book if for nothing else than the historical perspective it provides.