Captain Patrick J MacCormack

[mhifle]

Hi,

Would anyone have any information on this man.

I think he was from Castlebar and served in Royal Army Veterinary Corps.

Regards Mark

[bmac]

See

Hansard

Case H. Gresham Hotel, Sackvillestreet. Two murders. Here a party of fifteen to twenty men entered the open door of the hotel, held up the boots and the head-porter with revolvers and forced the latter, Hugh Callaghan, to lead them to rooms occupied by Ex-Captain Patrick McCormack, formerly a captain in the Army Veterinary Corps, and Lieutenant L. E. Wilde. The party, one of whom carried a huge hammer, knocked first at Room 14 occupied by Mr. Wilde. He opened the door and asked, "What do you want?" By way of answer three shots were fired into his chest simultaneously. The party then moved to Room 24, which they entered and found Mr. McCormack sitting in bed reading the paper. Without any communication five shots were fired into his body and head as he sat there. The bed was saturated, and the body, especially the head, was horribly disfigured

[chrisharley9]

Try Here

Hi Mark

He is also a possible non commemorated

Chris

or maybe not

[mhifle]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for link. There was a question on a Castlebar website if he was acting as a British Agent or just in the wrong place.

It looks like he was not the intended target.

Thanks Bill for the information from Hansard

Mark

[corisande]

It looks like he was not the intended target.

Mark

On researching the victims of Bloody Sunday, I was looking at Patrick MacCormack

State of my researches is here

It is very difficult to secure the last bits of evidence on this.

Undoubtedly his mother Kate did write to Richard Mulcahy in 1922. There is a copy of this letter from Kate MacCormack to Richard Mulcahy, 23 Mar. 1922, NLI Michael Collins’s papers, A/0535X. But I cannot find a reply

If you try Google, the "cut and paste" jobs say that Collins did state MacCormacks innocence but I cannot find the actual reference to where he might have said it, rather than to have been asked to say it.

I can only find one reference to him in London Gazette "1919 June 1. temp. Lts. to be temp. Capt. P. J. MacCormack. Gazette ref" I admit my skills in plumbing the LG are not good. Ideally another reference or two from LG would be useful, as indeed your Army lists

One can also see clearly that he was a vet, and not, as it were pretending to be one. He is in 1911 census as a vet in Castlebar, living with his widowed mother (see my page on him).

I have not found his actual qualification (would it be UCG?)

[mhifle]

Hi,

The only P J MacCormack I can find on the Army Lists is serving with the Australian Field Artillery.

Regards Mark

[corisande]

Thanks for looking

[corisande]

I have tracked down Collins reply on McCormack, and it is very interesting as it reveals that not everyone on the "list" were put there my Collins. Dublin Brigade IRA added some more of their own, and of course some of the casualties were "collateral". My thoughts on McCormack now is this - he was an innocent man, and Collins did acknowledge that he was not an Intelligence Agent, and Collins had not put him in the list

1920 Demobilised (9 to 12 months before his murder) and appointed official starter at the Alexandria Turf Club and was engaged in the purchase of horses there. His mother's letter to Collins which is available in Collins Papers, shows that McCormack came to Dublin in the employ of a Mr Montessian with a mission to purchase horses from Mr J. J. Parkinson. In a 51-year career that began in 1896, Senator J J Parkinson amassed an Irish record total of 2,577 winners. Montessian had cabled McCormack £1,200, of which McCormack had spent nearly £700 on ’Hotel Bills etc. and on the necessary outfits for his wife and child whom he intended taking back with him to Alexandria. It was only because of problems in arranging passage for his family and horses that he had not been able to sail back to Egypt as originally planned on 16 October.’ What is important is that Mulcahy and Collins both accepted Mrs McCormack's views. Indeed Collins, in a confidential note to Mulcahy, went a great deal further, and set down what must now be seen as astonishing admissions about the planning of the Bloody Sunday attacks.

"With reference to this case, you will remember that I stated on a former occasion that we had no evidence that he was a Secret Service Agent. You will also remember that several of the 21 st November cases were just regular officers. Some of the names were put on by the Dublin Brigade. So far as I remember McCormack’s name was one of these. "

He advised his Defence Minister to tell Mrs McCormack that ’there was no particular charge against her son, but just that he was an enemy soldier’. Perhaps the most revelatory part of this note is the remark that a number of the victims were selected by the Dublin Brigade, an ordinary fighting formation without a specialized intelligence apparatus. Thus purely military targets, not necessarily connected in any way with secret intelligence work, and not known to Collins’s own organization, were added to the "Bloody Sunday" operation -

[mhifle]

Hi,

Thanks for the update

Regards Mark

[mhifle]

Hi,

If this is a picture of Captain P MacCormack is it possible to identify his medal ribbons?

Regards Mark

[mhifle]

Thanks for looking

I have found him on the 27 Nov 1919 Army List

Royal Veterinary Corps

Temporary Captain

MacCormack P J 1June 1919

Regards Mark

[corisande]

Mark

Struggling with keeping up with all the info online but I have just refreshed my page on MacCormack

I have only found 1 LG entry for him, and that ties to your Army List date.

It should be possible to get his Veterinary qualification date and where, but I cannot find it online.

I will be interested to see if anyone can identify the medal. See MIC he qualified for BW & VM. I do not know if it is a flaw in the photo, or whether he has an oak leaf. I have no idea on identifying medals, and await the arrival of the cavalry with this one.

[mhifle]

Hi,

Just had a suggestion for the medal ribbons.

Mark

 

 

[corisande]

Order of the Nile looks reasonable, but would be more reasonable if we could find citation.

Other things missing are his marriage..

...and his burial

I cannot find either

[mhifle]

Hi,

This is from the Times 25 Nov 1920

Regards Mark

[corisande]

I guess given the prevailing situation in Ireland the families of the two who were buried in Ireland )MacCormack and Fitzgerald) chose to keep their heads down

I have traced Fitzgeralds family another generation with difficulty, but MacCormacks I have not managed. If you can find living members of the family, yo can sometimes make a lot of progress.

[mhifle]

Hi,

Here he is on the 1901 census.

Regards Mark

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/page...Street/1584420/

[corisande]

Mark

note he is a "draper" in 1901, but has gone on to be a "veterinary surgeon" by 1911

[mhifle]

Hi,

This might be his father's death notice?

Regards Mark

Index of Irish Death Notices "Mc/Mac"

MacCORMACK, Patrick W; 28; Castlebar MAY IRL; Cork Examiner (COR IRL); 1892-12-28; dja

http://www.irelandoldnews.com/obits/obidxmc.htm

[corisande]

Mark

Don't think so.

1.The murdered Patrick MacCormack was born 1877

2 the dead man appears to have been born 1864, so could not have been the father of the murdered man.

3. The is a remote possibility that Kate's first husband died and a man 17 younger than herself, but probably not on the cards. She was 54 in 1901 census.

[corisande]

From the Irish Registrars Records

Samuel M'Cormack

Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958

birth: 1844

death: Dec 1890 — Castlebar

record title: Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958

name: Samuel M'Cormack

registration district: Castlebar

record type: DEATHS

registration date - quarter and year: Oct - Dec 1890

estimated birth year: 1844

age: 46

volume: 4

page: 59

Would have put him at 57 in 1901 if he had lived, and Kate was 54

Also 1876 marriage

Name Samuel M'Cormack

Registration district Castlebar

Record type MARRIAGES

Registration date - quarter and year 1876

Volume 9

Page 72

Think I would be fairly sure Samuel was the father of the murdered man

A bit of plumbing would give you Kate's maiden name - but there are a lot of Kate/Catherine married in Castlebar that year, the right one should have, I think, the same page reference, and I cannot find it. There must be a way for getting the married pair, but I cannot work it out

I think it was that Castlebar forum that gave "The only son of Patrick and Kate MacCormack who owned the Commercial House, a large drapery and millinery store, in Main Street, Castlebar." I have my doubts on them, as the store was in Market St, not Main St. And we do not know where they got Patrick as the father.

Without getting the murdered man's birth cert one would not be sure

[mhifle]

Hi,

This chap has helped me in tracing some family information in Castlebar in the past. I have sent him a mail.

Regards Mark

Ivor Hamrock

Local History Department, Castlebar Central Library, John Moore Rd, Castlebar, Co. Mayo.

Phone: +353 (0)94 9047953

Email: ihamrock@mayococo.ie

http://www.mayolibrary.ie/en/Genealogy/

http://www.mayoancestors.com/Default.aspx?SID=703925

[corisande]

Thanks

He looks a useful contact. I have found that some of the county libraries are very good, others well.

[mhifle]

Thanks

He looks a useful contact. I have found that some of the county libraries are very good, others well.

Hi,

I have just sent him a mail.

Mark

[mhifle]

Hi,

I have some more information

Regards Mark

Educated at Castleknock, Dublin University, and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Passed Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons examination with honours Dec 1909

Worked with Agricultural Committee at Castlebar.

During the war accepted a commission in 1917 and joined the RAVC, being stationed at Newbridge, subsequently going to Egypt.

Service in Veterinary Corps at the Curragh and in Egypt

During 1918 connected with Remount Department in Egypt