During the land agitation which was on from 1830 to 1890 there was a batch of volunteers called the moonlighters. Their aim was to put down landlordism, and assist the tenants. They went around in the night-time, and told the tenants not to pay their rent, and if they did they were severely punished. Then any of the tenants who were put to any cost, for not paying their rent. had their losses made good, as the moonlighters had a fund to pay their expenses. They had to do all this work at night, for in those days the country was full of landlord spies, who would soon inform on the moonlighters and the government was always ready to put down, any movement that was for the good of the Irish people. That is why they were called