Death of Michael Leahy explained

Michael Leahy
Birth Date:1822
Birth Place:County Kerry, Ireland
Death Place:County Kerry, Ireland
Death Cause:Drowning
Known For:Being drowned for supposedly being a changeling

Michael Leahy was a child who died by drowning in 1826 in County Kerry, Ireland.[1] Leahy was four years old at the time of his death.[1] He was believed by some in his community to have been a changeling and the drowning was the result of an attempt to cure him.[1]

Ann Roche was indicted for Leahy's murder and tried in Tralee.[1] Roche was described by the London Morning Post as being "an old woman of very advanced age".[1] She claimed to have supernatural abilities and healing skills.[2] She ordered two people to bathe the boy in the river Flesk every morning.[3] The two bathed him for three mornings.[3] On the third morning he was held under the water for longer than usual and died.[3]

Mythological background

A changeling was a child left by fairies after they had stolen a healthy human child.[4] The suspicion in Leahy's case resulted from his illness.[1] He could neither speak nor stand.[1] Under cross-examination a witness said that the drowning was not done with the intent of killing the child but to cure him – "to put the fairy out of it".[3]

Legal verdict

The court, at the direction of the judge, found Roche not guilty of murder.[3] The judge said that the jury "would not be safe in convicting the prisoner of murder, however strong their suspicion might be".[3] Author Robert Curran says that the verdict is suggestive of the depth of belief in changelings in the community.[5] There were several similar cases in rural Ireland in the 19th century.[5] [4]

Popular culture

Hannah Kent's novel, The Good People, takes inspiration from this case.[2] Kent said that she could only find two primary source articles on the case after extensive research and many details about the case are unknown.[2]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Crofton Croker . Thomas . Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland . 1828 . John Murray . Harvard University . Preface, VII . 10 January 2021.
  2. Web site: Kent . Hannah . How Much Actual History Do You Need for a Historical Novel? Hannah Kent on Searching for the Life of Her Main Character . lithub.com . 20 September 2017 . 10 January 2021.
  3. Book: Crofton Croker . Thomas . Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland . 1828 . John Murray . Harvard University . Preface, VIII . 10 January 2021.
  4. Web site: Mike Dash . Ghosts, witches, vampires, fairies, and the law of murder . 11 July 2009 . 10 January 2021. Mike Dash .
  5. Book: Curran . Robert . A Bewitched Land: Witches and Warlocks of Ireland . 2012 . The O'Brien Press . No page numbers given . 9781847175052 . 10 January 2021.