Join Claire Bradley as she discusses the La Mancha murders, remembers the victims and considers the long-term impact on the town.

On 31st March 1926, a fire at La Mancha on the Swords Road led to the discovery of six bodies of the McDonnell siblings and two staff members. The McDonnells had come from Galway just a few years before but were already planning to move away from Malahide. Their gardener, Henry McCabe, was ultimately arrested, tried and hanged for the murders. 100 years on, Malahide still doesn’t talk about this terrible crime.

In this lecture Claire Bradley will sensitively remember the victims and consider the long-term impact on the town.

Claire Bradley is a local professional genealogist who specialises in Irish family history. She studied History at Trinity and from her research in the repositories of Dublin she gravitated towards a career in genealogical research. Claire completed a Certificate in Family History from UCD and graduated with a Masters in the History of the Family from the University of Limerick in 2021. She is on the Register of Qualified Genealogists.

This talk is part of the Festival's 'History at the Library' day which takes place on Saturday, 3rd October 2026. Click to book the other talks taking place that day:

10am - A Very Long Courtship: Fingal and Europe before the EU – Dr Declan Brady

11.30am - 50 Years: Ireland and the EU – Dr David McCullagh

3.15pm - Malahide Castle – Fingal’s house of European culture – Cathal Dowd Smith

Description supplied by the event organiser.