Former Mayo garda who captured Mountbatten murderer has passed away
A retired garda whose alertness led to the arrest of Thomas McMahon, the only person ever convicted of the murder of Lord Louis Mountbatten and three others in 1979, has passed away.
Seamus (Seamie) Lohan (71), a native of Gallows Hill, Castlebar, will be laid to rest in Shrule tomorrow.
He passed away unexpectedly on Monday after a short illness.
Garda Lohan, subsequently promoted to the rank of Sergeant, stopped a vehicle while on checkpoint duty in Granard, Co. Longford, in the hours before the explosion which ripped apart Mountbatten’s pleasure boat off the coastline at Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo.
Thomas McMahon, a front seat passenger, and the driver were taken to the local garda station as it was suspected that their vehicle had been stolen.
While detained, news came through of the explosion at Mullaghmore which claimed the lives of Lord Mountbatten, his grandson, 14-year-old Nicholas Knatchbull, and 15-year-old Paul Maxwell, a local boat-hand.
The dowager Lady Brabourne (82), who was also on the boat, died from her injuries 24 hours later.
Six years ago, Sergeant Lohan, then retired from the force, was one of the special invited guests when Prince Charles visited Mullaghmore, the seaside location where his granduncle Lord Louis Mountbatten, and other family members was killed by the remotely detonated IRA bomb.
At the time of the Royal visit Mr. Lohan modestly played down his role in bringing Thomas McMahon to justice.
“It was all about luck, being in the right place at the right time," he insisted.
He added: “I became suspicious when I noticed that the driver’s hands were shaking. He was unable to get his key into the lock of the boot. I had to open the boot myself.”
Thomas McMahon was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1979. He was released in 1998 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
Mr. Lohan will be laid to rest in his adopted Shrule tomorrow (Friday) following Requiem Mass in the local Church of St. Joseph.
Predeceased by his daughter Elizabeth and sisters Maureen and Alicoque, he is deeply mourned and sadly missed by his loving wife Kathleen (neé Gillespie, Knockmore), daughters Marie, Christine and Helena, son James, brother John, sister Nuala, grandchildren James, Seán, Rory, Florence and Heather, son-in-law Ollie, daughter-in-law Melanie, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, cousins, relatives and friends, to whom deepest sympathy is tendered.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
Members of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) as well as the Garda Siochana Retired Members’ Association (GRSMA) have been amongst those to express condolences online to Mr. Lohan’s family on their loved one.
“Seamie was a great friend, fun to be with and contributed greatly to our activities”, a GRMSA tribute stated.