School: Béal an Átha Móir (B.)

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1. The Land War

   

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   Crops, in the district failed in 1879. The failure was not quite so great as that of 1846, but it was great enough to cause poverty. As in 1846 many people kept up the outward show, and did not acknowledge to their neighbours that they were trying to eke out an existence on one meal a day.

   Rents of roughly one pound per acre were charged by the landlords, and many of the tenants were unable to pay. The Pay No Rent Manifesto was not adhered to except in a few townlands in the district. One area, Stroke, Lower Drumreilly Parish, Ballinamore adhered to it. A few of the tenants were able to pay their rents (including ''Mickins'' Dolan), Francis Dolan's father, but these joined with their neighbours who were unable to pay.

   The landlord and his baliffs evicted twelve of these tenants, burned their houses, imported protestants named McGurdy and Percival from Ulster built slated houses for them on commanding heights, and a force of police was stationed beside them for protection.

   These planters were locally called Emergency men. Branches of the Land League were formed. The first Branch was formed in Ballinamore see p.138. Lower Drumreilly soon followed suit. The local priests became chairmen or Patrons of the branches. Very Rev. Dommich McBreen, P.P.,V.F., Ballinmore (b 18.. d. 1908), and Rev. Pat Gilchriest, P.P. Lower Drumreilly who is still living at . were very prominently identified with the league.

   The Emergency-men were boycotted. When they had cattle for sale

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. place-space-environment
      1. land management (~4,110)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Pete Harkin

   Gender

   Male