John Roche (detective)

John Roche (11 June 1905 – 4 January 1940) was a Garda Síochána Detective who was assassinated on the 3 January 1940, becoming the first Garda casualty of the Emergency Period.[1]

John Roche
Born(1905-06-11)11 June 1905
Abbeyfeale, County Limerick, Ireland
Died4 January 1940(1940-01-04) (aged 34)
Cork, Ireland
OccupationDetective Officer in the Garda Síochána Detective
Known forAssassination by Tomás Óg Mac Curtain
First Garda casualty of the Emergency Period

Early life

John Roche was born on 11 June 1905 in Abbeyfeale, County Limerick.[2] His mother, Mary Anne Woulfe (12 July 1872 – 16 October 1944) came from a landed Catholic family, the daughter of merchant John Richard Woulfe.[3] His father, Edmond J. Roche (15 November 1873 – 31 December 1945), was a peace commissioner.

Assassination and legacy

On 3 January 1940, Roche was shot fatally by Tomás Óg Mac Curtain, an IRA commandant and the son of Lord Mayor Tomás Mac Curtain.[4] Roche and two others had attempted to question Mac Curtain about criminal activities when he produced a revolver. Roche was taken to the North Infirmary Hospital and died from his wounds the following day.[5]

A cortège funeral was held on 6 January. Roche's coffin was carried from Cork to Mallow and to his final resting place in Abbeyfeale, where Gerald Boland, Minister for Justice, tendered his sympathy. Other attendees included Michael Kinnane, Patrick Brennan, Patrick Carroll, and James Hickey.[6][7]

Mac Curtain was initially sentenced to death, following an inquest held on 8 January, but he was later granted clemency and released after seven years. Roche's murder subsequently inspired greater IRA opposition amongst Irish Catholics.[8]

References
  1. Colm, Wallace (8 May 2017). "Garda assassinations and IRA executions during the Emergency". The Irish Times. Dublin, Ireland. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  2. "Roche, John". An Garda Síochána. An Garda Síochána. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022. Ballybehy South, Abbeyfeale
  3. "Mary Anne Woulfe". FamilySearch. Intellectual Reserve, Inc. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2022. Mary Anne Woulfe
  4. "Tomás Mac Curtain, Lord Mayor of Cork". The Irish War. The Irish War. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2022. Mac Curtain's son
  5. Poland, Pat (22 February 2022). "Six Cork gardaí who died in line of duty". EchoLive.ie. Cork, Ireland. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  6. "His Last Sad Homecoming: Funeral of Shot Detective". Irish Independent. 8 January 1940.
  7. "Shot Detective". Belfast newsletter. 8 January 1940.
  8. Colm, Wallace (8 May 2017). "Garda assassinations and IRA executions during the Emergency Period". The Irish Times. Dublin, Ireland. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
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