The Murder of Dr Muldoon: A Suspect Priest, a Widow's Fight for Justice

by Ken Boyle, Tim Desmond

A priest and his housekeeper abandon a baby girl on the doorstep of a house near the Black Church in Dublin's north inner city in February 1923. Three local women notice the couple's suspicious behaviour and apprehend them. The two are handed over to the police, charged and sent for trial. A month later, a young doctor is shot dead on the streets of Mohill, Co. Leitrim. The two incidents are connected, but how?

In the days following the shooting of Dr Paddy Muldoon, the name of a local priest was linked to the killing and rumours abounded of a connection to the events in Dublin a month earlier and also that an IRA gang had been recruited to carry out the murder. However, despite an investigation at the time, the murder remained unsolved for almost 100 years. Now, newly discovered archive material from a range of sources, including the Muldoon family, has made it possible to piece together the circumstances surrounding the doctor's death, and reveals how far senior figures in the Church, State and IRA were willing to go to cover up a scandal.

Genres: True Crime, History

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 14, 2019

Reviews

[Marc Mc Menamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptionally well researched its a brilliant piece of work told with great care and attention and comes recomended.

[Linda Edmonds Cerullo · Rating 4 out of 5]

True historical crime about a priest in Ireland at the beginning of the 20th century and his implication in the murder of a doctor. Some of the background concerning the IRA and the politics of that time were rather involved and difficult to understand if you are not familiar with the internal affairs and the warring between England and Ireland. However, this book is very well researched and Ken Boyle makes the case for who committed the murder and his reasons why it occurred. Just another example of the Catholic Church and the hold it had on people as well as the tension caused by the warring factions in Ireland at that time. It is a compelling narrative of a good man murdered and the coverup by both the Church and the government at that time. Very sad, but inspiring account of his widow's search for justice.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-written, engrossing non-fiction expose of the background behind, and the subsequent investigation of, the murder of an Irish doctor in rural Ireland in 1923. The background story is rather fascinating, so I won't spoil the "plot." I became interested in reading this book as I'm a friend of a cousin of the writer, but the book itself is well-done, clear and concise, and draws in the reader with the extremely clearly-described events that took place, culminating in the murder of an innocent man. Give it a try!

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this book quite repetitive and unclear in parts (like I'm still not sure who all of three men involved were) and it jumps around a fair bit also. Lots of information though for those interested in the subject and it did give me some insight into the crimes that occured at that time but ultimately, not my kind of book

[John Foley · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Dr. Muldoon" by Ken Boyle is a remarkable piece of non-fiction that intricately knits together the events leading up to, and following, the tragic murder of the titular character. The book provides an insightful, meticulously researched account that adds an intimate layer to our understanding of the formation of the Irish state.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

In only purchased this book because it was on the staff recommended shelf of every bookstore I went to in Ireland! However, I’m not sure why it was so highly rated. The story is quite tragic, and involves high levels of church and state. So maybe that was the reason. I found it poorly written and rather dry. Certainly an interesting case.

[Larah Bruen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I found this very interesting as the case happened quite close to my home, and I had never heard of it. I thought that it was well researched and nicely written.