The fascinating story of Jeremiah Lynch

ON a recent Sunday, The Islandman bumped into a man by the name of Donal O’Neill of Dunboyne, County Meath, who was on holiday in Valentia

His father was James O’Neill of Valentia, and his uncle was John Patrick O’Neill of Lower Ballyhearney.

Donal submitted the following information from a newspaper article of July 1953 concerning his grand-uncle Jeremiah Lynch. Jeremiah was a brother to Julia Lynch, who was the mother of the aforementioned James and John Patrick O’Neill.

Jeremiah was also the brother of the late Jack Lynch of Direen near Aghatubrid, and the uncle of the late Jerry Lynch of Direen.

The newspaper article reads as follows:

Mr Jeremiah Lynch, who died in hospital at Winchester on Monday at the age of 65, was one of the most capable members of the Flying Squad originally formed after the 1914-18 War by Scotland Yard to deal with racecourse gangs.

A native of County Kerry, he was a schoolmaster in early life but threw up his post in Dublin in 1912 to join the Metropolitan Police.

During his service he distinguished himself on many occasions, and when he retired in 1937 he had over 50 commendations to his credit.

His career was a vindication of Scotland Yard’s policy of making an all-round efficient detective rather than a specialist.

Powerfully built and good-tempered, he inspired respect in the criminal underworld of London.

He had too a subtlety of mind which he put to good purpose in trapping spies during the 1914-18 War, and he was one of the officers who built up the case against the notorious confidence trickster, popular editor of John Bull, and member of parliament, Horatio Bottomley.

Since his retirement he had lived in Alton, Hampshire. Lynch married, in 1923, Ellen Margaret Dalton, daughter of James Cornelius Dalton, Mayor of Westminster and Deputy Lieutenant of London; and sister of Colonel Sir John Cornelius Dalton, A. M.I.E.E., F.C.I.S., barrister-at-law and director of companies who was in charge of energy supplies in London and south-eastern England throughout the Second World War.

Jeremiah and Ellen Lynch had one daughter, born [in] 1925, and lived at St Vincent’s Square, Westminster, until 1941, when they moved to the south coast.

Interestingly, because of his background (his uncle was regarded as a leading Irish poet and academic, and one of the prime movers of the Gaelic literary revival) he moved in Irish literary circles in London.

Among his close friends were the Irish writer, and president of University College Cork, Denis Gwynne, and the veteran Irish High Commissioner to London, James Dulanty.

After retirement, in the 1940s, he co-founded an import-export company, Irish Industries Ltd, based in St Stephen’s Green, Dublin.

Although teetotal, he was virtually a chain smoker and was a member of a couple of gentlemen’s clubs in Pall Mall.