The Missing Postman

Postman Larry Griffin vanished during his rounds in Stradbally on Christmas Day 1929 but what really happened to Griffin? Fachtna Ó Drisceoil weaves the pieces of this mystery together, using new evidence which paints a sordid portrait of lies, half-truths, conspiracy, intimidation and Garda brutality in the 1920s. CHRISTMAS DAY 1929 was an ordinary working day for Larry Griffin, the postman in Stradbally, Co. Waterford. But he didn’t return home after work. Apart from an abandoned bicycle on a country road, no trace of him could be found. Despite the lack of a body, ten local people were charged with his murder. The defendants included two gardaí, the school teacher, the publican, his wife and two of their children. But when the state’s only witness to the alleged murder withdrew his evidence, the case against all of them collapsed. Using newly available evidence from Garda files, which paints a sordid picture of lies, conspiracy, intimidation and Garda brutality, The Missing Postman re-examines the case and asks – What really happened to Larry Griffin? Postman Larry Griffin vanishes during his rounds in Stradbally on Christmas Day 1929. The only clue to what happened was an abandoned bicycle on a deserted country road. The story of the Missing Postman as it became known, made the headlines nationally and overseas, when ten prominent local people were arrested and charged with his murder. The defendants included such pillars of the community as two local Civic Guards, the school teacher, the local publican, his wife and two of their children. &newpara;For eighty years the doors of Stradbally and the Garda files on the case remained firmly shut against anyone trying to investigate the story. Numerous successful libel actions taken by the former defendants further discouraged media interest. However all those involved have passed on. Government files, which cast new light on the case, have recently become available, and in this extraordinary new book, Ó Drisceoil weaves the pieces of the puzzle togther, and reveals the shocking answer to the question - What really happened to Larry Griffin?