# The Carrickshock Massacre: Ten Minutes That Shook Irish Policing

An episode of [The Póilíní Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/6809845024), 17 Sep 2026, 36 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6a82c4496e5b5bfda6633d7e/e/6aaa9eadbf7eb386d3a85b2f/media.mp3

In this episode of The Póilíní Podcast, writer Helen Moorhouse and retired Garda Sergeant and police historian Dr John Reynolds, unpack the Carrickshock Massacre: the brutal tithe system that provoked it, the newly formed Peace Preservation Force sent to enforce it, and the catastrophic misjudgements that turned a routine errand into a bloodbath. They trace what happened to the survivors, the collapsed murder trial defended by Daniel O'Connell, and how an event largely forgotten outside Kilkenny lived on in ballads, folklore, and even GAA rivalries — becoming a rallying cry invoked all the way through to the War of Independence. Drawing on eyewitness letters, police depositions, and John's own decades on the beat, this episode is a story of policing caught in the crossfire of colonial injustice. Presenters - Dr John Reynolds, Helen Moorhouse Producer - Daryl Moorhouse Sound Record and Mix - Sean Byrne Recorded at Tinpot Productions Studios Find out more or get in touch here Póilíní, commonly misspelled as 'polini' or 'paolini' or even 'poleini', is the Irish word for 'police'. The Póilíní Podcast covers stories from over 200 years of Irish policing history, from the Royal Irish Constabulary, to the Dublin Metropolitan Police, to An Garda Síochána. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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