In the early hours of March 24, 1922, Owen McMahon, a Catholic publican, along with four of his sons and one employee, were brutally murdered in their home in north Belfast. Uniformed men, believed to be members of the Royal Irish Constabulary or Ulster Special Constabulary, carried out the killings. This horrific incident occurred during a period of intense sectarian violence in Belfast following the partition of Ireland. The McMahon murders became a symbol of the violence and intimidation faced by the Catholic community in Northern Ireland during this tumultuous era, highlighting the deep divisions and unrest.
