Queen V Patrick O'Donnell

In 1883, Patrick O'Donnell shot James Carey aboard a steamship off South Africa. Carey was the most notorious informer in Ireland, and his testimony had led to the conviction of leading Fenians involved in the Phoenix Park murders. O'Donnell, a soft-spoken labourer from the Donegal Gaeltacht, was celebrated in Ireland as a patriot for the deed. The book asks what drove a man of his background to take such action, and why the President of the United States and the French writer Victor Hugo both asked that he be spared the gallows.

The author builds the story from court transcripts and official papers held in archives in Ireland, Britain, South Africa and America, along with many other sources. The result is a reconstruction of the courtroom proceedings, the political intrigue surrounding the case and the personal relationships that shaped events.

The book includes material from British Home Office files that remained closed for a century. These records shed new light on what happened to O'Donnell after his conviction.