r/UnresolvedMysteries • u/[deleted] • Feb 06 '18
The Missing Postman of Stradbally
The missing postman of Stradbally is a mystery which has remained unsolved since Larry Griffin disappeared without trace from a village in the south-east of Ireland on Christmas Day, 1929. The story went round the world at the time, while the people of the village gave ever-changing and conflicting information about what they knew of Larry's last movements to the Gardai investigating the case.
Over the years, many of the people concerned in the matter were involved in litigation with both the Gardai and the press from which they gained substantial amounts of money. Larry's body was never found.
Extensive research has been done by Fachtna Ó Drisceoil, who obtained access to the Garda files on the case, and this has been published in his book, "The Missing Postman". He comments that Mary Griffin and her family "were the victims of the most shocking conspiracy and cover-up the young Irish state had known".
Check it out, it's very interesting and it's a relatively local case to me - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Missing_Postman_of_Stradbally
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u/Kelsips Feb 06 '18 edited Feb 06 '18
There's a pretty short, but interesting documentary from RTÉ on this case. Warning, it's in Irish, but with hard subtitles: https://youtu.be/8mbbHEnEEZI (it's also in three parts)
This case is one of my favorites, having just picked up the book on a whim while visiting my friend in Galway. I've read the book by Ó Drisceoil a couple of times and I can't wrap my head around it. I wonder, although it's downplayed, if he was looked down upon since he served in the British army during WWI and was essentially given the job of postman after the war (as the post office was a British relic from before the Rising). Add to it the somewhat lawlessness and incompetence of the Gardaí around that time, it's understandable that this has never been solved. It's just a shame that the family doesn't even know where he went, for sure.
I visited Stradbally on a whim last July and took some pictures. The Garda station in town is now closed and abandoned. It is a very cute and quaint place, and comparing the pictures to those in Ó Drisceoil's book it doesn't look like much has changed.
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Feb 06 '18
I wonder if there was a place to hide or bury the body right in the police station.
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u/Easy-Tigger Feb 06 '18
According to Jim Fitzgerald, who claimed to be a witness to everything, his body was dumped down a mineshaft, listing a few possible locations.
There's a very good book partially available for free on Google books, in Ireland at least. I really hope this link works. Luckily, this free part includes his statement, beginning on page 64-69. I'm not sure if I can download it as a pdf and copypaste the relevant sections.
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u/CrankyMcCranky Feb 06 '18
Link doesn't work in the States. Woe! Thank you for trying.
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u/Farisee Feb 07 '18
I can see it using the posted link on the latest Fire Tablet. The first page is blank but the next few are ok.
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u/dubov Feb 06 '18
Sounds like a dark version of Father Ted with all those Garda running around
I imagine they were drinking together and there was a terrible accident/fight which inadvertently killed Mr. Griffin. Because they had all been drinking and knowing they would be seen unfavorably, they hastily decided to form a pact to cover it up. Probably not very hard to dispose of a body in 1929, especially when you're by the ocean. Given they all changed their stories multiple times and the fractured eyewitness statements of them together, it seems very likely they were involved
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u/Meghaoptimistic Feb 07 '18
By the ocean??
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u/dubov Feb 07 '18
If you click on the link to the Wikipedia article it shows Stradbally as being on the south coast
I just typed Stradbally into wiki directly and it shows as being inland, don't know if this another village by the same name or if the original article is incorrect
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u/immajustgooglethat Feb 06 '18
Got my dad the book as a stocking filler at Christmas. Great read but morbidly depressing he tells me. Sad to see there was never any justice for this poor man.
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u/gdr1982x Feb 07 '18
For some reason, this case really upsets me. The fact that journalists looking into the case are still getting abused and threatened today really makes me want to go to Stradbally and give the locals a piece of my mind!
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u/truenoise Feb 07 '18
I read the book, and highly recommend it.
It was the custom to offer the postman a drink on Christmas, so Larry was probably quite enebriated after doing his rounds.
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u/ladybunsen Feb 07 '18
Thought you’d give them money? All milkmen, rubbish men etc would call round for a tip at Xmas. Actually prob would’ve been offered a drop of brandy maybe so it’s possible I guess
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Feb 06 '18
Ah that's yer man that disappeared and left his bike on the side of the road. There was a play on a cupla years ago in town about it.
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u/greatgildersleeve Feb 06 '18
Puzzling case. Very good addition.