Who killed the Franks family?

Agrarian violence in pre-Famine Cork

Denis A. Cronin

‘Cronin crystallises the issues involved by focusing on one incident that occurred in 1823 when a family, the Franks, were killed by unknown attackers. He explores why the Franks were attacked, who might have been involved and the response of the authorities. As elsewhere in Ireland, it is a tale of a disaffected peasantry, authorities who could be as cruel as the men they pursued, and trials in which many believed the wrong men were convicted', Books Ireland.