The mayor who hanged his son

James Lynch FitzStephene was elected mayor of Galway in 1493. Soon after he visited Spain, and in particular Cadiz, where he was well treated by a man named Gomez. When he returned home, he brought the son of Gomez with him for a visit, promising his parents he would look after him.

Lynch had a son of his own names Walter. Walter and the Spaniard became friends. Walter was in love with a local girl called Agnes, but he didn't confine his affections to her. Walter got the impression that Agnes may have become interested in Gomez and she didn't deny it. One night in a rage, Walter stabbed Gomez and threw his body into the sea.

After doing it he ran away into a nearby wood where he spent the night. He was soon full of remorse for what he had done and returned to town in the morning to confess what he had done and face the consequences. He was arrested by his father and brought to prison, which was next door to the Lynch household.

Walter was well liked throughout the town. Many of the townspeople didn't want to see him severely punished, regardless of the crime he had committed. Pressure was being brought on his father and all the other law keepers to be lenient.

The trial was quick consisting mainly of the perpetrators confession. The mayor who was also the magistrate and who had authority over life and death in these matters, found him guilty and sentenced him to death. This wasn't easy on him because he was a proud and loving father who had only one son, but who saw his role in upkeeping the law as too important for sentiment.

On the night before the sentence was to be carried out, Mayor Lynch went to Walter's cell, accompanied by a priest. They spent the night there, comforting Walter and seeing to it that he didn't escape.

In the morning, Walter was to be brought to another part of town to be executed. A crowd had gathered intent on freeing the prisoner. The guards who were to bring Walter to his place of execution lost their nerve when faced with the mob and more or less left the mayor to his own devises.

The mayor had got his son into their own house, and brought him upstairs. He slipped a rope around his neck and securing the other end of the rope to an iron protruding from the wall, he embraces his son and threw him out of the window. Within moments Walter had hanged.

After this event James Lynch FitzStephene is said to have become a recluse and never to have appeared in public again. The house which stood in Lombard Street is no longer there, but the part of the house, including the window where the hanging took place has survived and now stands in nearby Market Street.