On March 24th, 1922, a chilling incident occurred at the residence of Owen McMahon, a Catholic publican from north Belfast. It was in the wee hours of the morning when five individuals garbed as police officers launched an attack on McMahon’s household. Present were McMahon himself, his five offspring, and a worker, Eddie McKinney, who were all herded into the living area of the premises. The intruders proceeded to discharge their weapons, resulting in the death of McMahon, four of his sons and McKinney. These morbid assassinations were deemed abhorrent even by the brutal norms of those times, especially as the newly-formed Northern Ireland was its backdrop. The involvement of state agents and the unresponsiveness of the Northern Ireland administration in seeking justice, particularly given the assailants were never held accountable, further reinforced the Northern Catholics and Nationalists’ perception of Northern Ireland’s governance indifference towards their wellbeing.
Edward Burke, through his exceptional writing, has depicted an encompassing perspective of the McMahon case. His book unravels the intricate bond between the reign of the Unionist-governed Northern Ireland, the negligent security arrangements amidst that period of rampant aggression, and the inexplicable alliance between the state of Northern Ireland and loyalist paramilitary factions. Moreover, it sheds light on the implications of Northern Ireland’s convoluted security situation on the Irish Free State nearing civil unrest. Burke’s narrative relays various potential culprits, majorly state-affiliated individuals, finally zeroing in on a potential assassin; a loyalist paramilitary and honoured British Army retiree. Interestingly, he successfully forms an image of the person responsible, using resources procured from archives typically averse to disclose content deemed confidential, even decades post the murderous event.
Burke’s book performs a detective role probing into a century-old cold-case, the McMahon case. However, the case represents more than a standalone event, rather it’s a component of a wider cycle of gruesome acts committed throughout Northern Ireland’s troubled history, all bearing telltale signs of government collusion. In such instances, administrative powers exhaust every effort to dodge thorough examination and the deliverance of justice. Burke’s book shines a light on this ominous theme, revealing state participation in such crimes is a recurring event. Perseverance and patience, therefore, will be imperative in the continuous quest for truth and justice moving forward.