Irelands first serial killer? Maybe?

We are once again going to talk about serial killers, this time we are going to Ireland. At the same time, we also have to go back to the 18th century.

We are talking about Dorcas Kelly, perhaps Ireland's first serial killer

Also known as Darkey Kelly, Dorcas Kelly was an Irish brothel owner and alleged serial killer who was burned at the stake in Dublin in 1761.

Darkey Kelly, was sentenced to death in 1760 for the murder of shoemaker John Dowling at St. Patrick's day. Kelly was executed in 1761 on Gallows Road where she was both hanged and burned at the stake. (I won't go into great detail as this is a cruel way to be executed!)

After her execution, several of the prostitutes from Kelly's brothel choose to hold a wake for her, 13 of them were arrested for disorderl. - There must have been someone who thought she didn't deserve them mourning her death

In 1788, a newspaper announced that Kelly's brothel had been searched by authorities and that the investigators had found the bodies of 5 different men. However, this has had no bearing on her sentence, as this was a discovery after her execution.

But not only that, there were also rumors that Kelly had become pregnant with the sheriff's child, when she demanded financial support, the sheriff accused her of witchcraft and having killed their child in a satanic ritual.

Since no body was ever found and Kelly had been burned at the stake, this rumor has never been confirmed.

If you are just as keen to hear about various serial killers, then please write a comment about who you would like us to talk about next time.

If you would like to try your hand at being an investigator, we have several mysteries from the 1900s.

But you can find all our mysteries here: www.solveamystery.com/products

Sam True crime Geek