logo
episode-header-image
Jul 7
26m 38s

Bonus - Satanic Panic in Palmerstown

GoLoud
About this episode

This episode was originally published as a Patreon exclusive on 2 December 2018

In this episode we take a look at the little-known so-called "satanic" murder of John Horgan (7) in Palmerstown, Dublin in 1973. John and his family lived in a quiet neighbourhood of 9 houses backing on to a field. It was there that his 16 year old neighbour, Lorcan Bale, took him and struck him in the back of the head, killing him.  Lorcan then brought John's body to the attic of his house - next door to the Horgan's - and trussed him up in the shape of a cross and in front of a home-made altar.

No real explanation for the murder would ever emerge. 

PLEASE NOTE  - For some reason - possibly autocorrect - I mention the "Skylark Hotel" in Dublin. No such hotel exists. What I meant to say was the Skylon Hotel.  I was half right? Sorry guys! My bad. 

Theme Song: 

Quinn's Song: First Dance by Kevin McLeod 

Sources: 

“The Devil is in the Detail”, in Broadsheet.ie https://www.broadsheet.ie/2016/page/382/ 22 June 2016

“Public servant and pillar of the church. guilty of the nation’s most gruesome ever ritual murder” from The Mail on Sunday https://dialogueireland.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/public-servant-and-pillar-of-the-church-guilty-of-the-nations-most-gruesome-ever-ritual-murder/ 14 August 2011

David Malone, The Boy in  the Attic (Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing, 2011)  Purchase here 

Up next
Aug 4
Bonus - Tom & Kitty Fitzgerald
This episode was originally published asa Patreon exclusive on 12 Jan 2020.In 2016, shocking news broke that an elderly couple were found dead in their own home in rural Co Mayo, and a younger man was found there too - badly injured. Over the following days, while family friends ... Show More
23m 34s
Jun 9
Bonus - The Mysterious Death of Patrick Nugent
This episode was originally published as a Patreon exclusive on 6 Oct 2019In the early hours of the 11th February, 1984, Patrick Nugent died in a car park in front of Bunratty Castle, Co Clare. There had been a party, and Patrick was working in the castle that night. A number of ... Show More
30 m
May 12
Bonus - Kilkenny City Cold Cases
This episode was originally published as a Patreon exclusive on 5 May 2019.Two women were murdered in the 1980's in Kilkenny. They were unconnected, and unsolved. It would be years before the two murders were "rediscovered" by the Garda Cold Case Unit - the National Serious Crime ... Show More
27m 53s
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
Episode 10: It’s Over
Writer Glenn Patterson finds out how, in May 1974, a tiny band of loyalists and unionists over fourteen days stages a strike that paralyses Northern Ireland, and slides it into anarchy. Then twelve years old, Glenn lived through these events, taking place in the context of a 'Tro ... Show More
25m 4s
May 23
Introducing - THIS IS ROBERT
When an innocent postman was shot in the head in Dublin in October 2008, it barely registered on that day's national news. Dad-of-two Robert Delany was shot because he broke up a pub fight involving the wrong man. He survived the hit on his life, which took place at his home in f ... Show More
1 m
May 23
Introducing - THIS IS ROBERT
When an innocent postman was shot in the head in Dublin in October 2008, it barely registered on that day's national news. Dad-of-two Robert Delany was shot because he broke up a pub fight involving the wrong man. He survived the hit on his life, which took place at his home in f ... Show More
1 m
Jul 31
Ireland's Liberator - The Life of Daniel O'Connell
This special episode of the Irish History Podcast, in partnership with An Post, marks the 250th anniversary of Daniel O’Connell’s birth.In this podcast, I explore the life and legacy of one of Ireland’s most influential figures. Known as 'The Liberator' O’Connell’s campaign for C ... Show More
43m 30s
Jul 3
Episode 686: Glen Helzer and the Children of Thunder (Part 2)
When Ivan and Annette Stineman disappeared from their home in Concord, California in the summer of 2000, it immediately raised red alarmed with those closest to the elderly couple. Those alarms proved to be justified when, a week later, the remains of the Stinemans and three othe ... Show More
41m 5s
Jun 30
Episode 685: Glen Helzer and the Children of Thunder (Part 1)
When Ivan and Annette Stineman disappeared from their home in Concord, California in the summer of 2000, it immediately raised red alarmed with those closest to the elderly couple. Those alarms proved to be justified when, a week later, the remains of the Stinemans and three othe ... Show More
48m 49s
Sep 2023
288: [FREE Weekly Episode] Serial Killer Jeremy Bryan Jones
On September 21st, 2004, a man was arrested in Mobile, Alabama for the murder of 43-year-old Lisa Marie Nichols. Lisa had been found shot to death in her home, which was then set on fire. 32-year-old John Paul Chapman was taken into custody, but detectives quickly found that the ... Show More
1h 6m
Dec 2024
Episode 630: Fan Favorite: The Unbelievable Survival Tale of Juliane Koepcke
This episode is a fan favorite that was originally published as Episode 476. We hope that you have a happy and safe holiday! Juliane Koepcke's story will have you questioning any recent complaint you've made. This woman was the sole survivor of a plane crash in 1971. After the pl ... Show More
1h 36m
Feb 2025
Paddy Cullen RIP | "God, wasn't I lucky" | From the vault
Three-time All Ireland-winning goalkeeper Paddy Cullen has died at the age of 80. Back in 2004, and ahead of the All Ireland quarter-final clash of Kerry and Dublin, Paddy joined Ger Gilroy to discuss Dublin's special rivalry with the Kingdom, and his own role in that. Paddy also ... Show More
7m 23s
Aug 2024
Rob Delaney, actor and comedian
Rob Delaney is a comedian, writer and actor who is best known for the television series Catastrophe, which he co-wrote and co-starred in alongside Sharon Horgan. He has also appeared in Hollywood blockbusters including Deadpool and Mission Impossible. Rob was born in Boston, Mass ... Show More
50m 16s