the coolmeelagh evictions

Uí Cinsealaigh Historical Society

The Coolmeelagh EvictionsAuthor(s): Rory MurphySource: The Past: The Organ of the Uí Cinsealaigh Historical Society, No. 16 (1988), pp. 45-52Published by: Uí Cinsealaigh Historical SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25519984 .

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45

The Coolmeelagh Evictions Rory Murphy

feaTfi^ HE COOLMEELAGH evictions were a series of two evictions

jP||j Ks|j which occured near Bunclody on the Wexford-Carlow

l&M HH Wicklow border in the years 1881 and 1882. There were seven

Iraggsiiill families involved and their holdings were on the BRADDELL and BATT estates. These evictions occurred at a time when the Land

League was sweeping the country and the agitation for Fair Rent was

gaining support from many quarters. In 1879 Michael Davitt had launched the National Land League and,

with Charles Stewart Parnell as its president, there were great expectations amongst the tenant farmers of liberation from Rock Rents.

Many of the landlords were absentees and their only concern was to wrest the greatest possible income, in the form of high rents, from their

unwilling tenants. These rents were sometimes four times the land valuation levels set by Griffith in the 1850s. Tenant farmers looked with

great hope towards the Land League and branches were formed

throughout the country. Gregory Murphy, Ballinaberney, and Martin Doyle of Bunclody

organised a branch of the Land League in Bunclody in 1880. It was to cater for Bunclody, Kilmyshal, Kilrush, Castledockrell and

Marshalstown. Neither Fr Sylvester Cloney, P.P., Kilrush, nor Canon

Busher, P.P., Bunclody, were supportive of the movement. In the Wexford People newspaper of 24 November 1880 a letter

appeared from Greg Murphy, vice-president of the branch, referring to the inaugural meeting at which Fr P. Doyle, C.C. Kilmyshal, presided.

All went well at the meeting until the selection of a day for a public meeting, to which outside speakers would be invited, came up for discussion. The name of Canon Tom Doyle, P.P., Ramsgrange,1 was put forward as the speaker to address this important meeting. One member,

Andrew O'Neill, announced that Canon Busher had waited on him on

the previous night and had said that he would join and contribute one

pound, on condition that Canon Doyle would not be invited; if it were to be otherwise, Canon Busher would withdraw his name and subscription, and would speak against the meeting. Canon Tom Doyle, known as 'The

RORY MURPHY: Served as President of Macra na Feirme and Chairman of the Agricultural Research Institute; currently Vice-Chairman of Wexford County Council and of the South-East Tourism Organisation; one of the founders of the National Heritage Park at Ferrycarrig.

(1) See Seamas S. de Val, 'Father Tom - the Land League Priest', The Past, No. 12 (1978) pp. 23-30.



46 The Past

Land League Priest', was a native of Tombrick, and son of Patrick

Doyle, the seizure of whose cattle for tithes had led to the 'battle of the Pound'on 18 June 1831.2

The meeting decided 'that Canon Busher was too harsh on a man who had given such service as Canon Doyle', and Gregory Murphy stated in a

letter, 'that, with all due respects to Canon Busher, I think it would be unconstitutional and unprincipled for any public body to submit to the

despotic dictates of any outsider'. This incident created a lot of friction, with denials and counterdenials. Animosities did continue and, as late as

1885, Canon Busher walked out of a Dispensary committee meeting when Gregory Murphy was elected secretary.

Other meetings were held at Kilmyshal and at Castledockrell. Amongst the resolutions passed was one 'commending those who accepted rents in accordance with the Griffith Valuations' of thirty years before.

Relief, in the form of a Land Bill, had been promised by the British Prime Minister, Gladstone, but, in the meantime, in an effort to curb the activities of the Land League, a 'Coercion Act' was passed in the

Westminster Parliament in February 1881. A protest meeting was held in

Bunclody on 24 April 1881 and 7,000 people attended. Rev. John Corish, C.C., presided. Amongst the speakers was Tim Healy, M.P.

Despite the activities of the Land League, the eviction of John O'Neill of Prospect took place. Major Braddell was O'Neill's landlord and 18

months' rent was due. O'Neill occupied a total of 179 acres, most of it

rough grazing on the slopes of Gibbet Hill but with some wet low land. The Griffith Valuation on this land was ?45; O'Neill was paying ?118.

Major Braddell had a letter in the Wexford Independent in August 1881 outlining the facts of the O'Neill case as he saw them. This

represented O'Neill as a man who had many debts in Bunclody shops. The O'Neills were thrown out of their homes and farm at Prospect, Coolmeelagh, on 21 July 1881. On the following day a protest meeting was held in Bunclody. Although Coolmeelagh was outside the area of the

Bunclody branch of the Land League, there was grave concern.

Solidarity was called for in the fight against rack rents. O'Neills were evicted but their house was not destroyed. They got

shelter in a neighbour's barn and remained there while the fight to save their chattels was on. O'Neill's cattle and crop still remained on the land; the landlord had no rights to them. On 29 August a force of police from

New Ross and district arrived in Bunclody to effect the final stage of the eviction on the following day.

The shopkeepers of Bunclody refused food, drink or lodgings to this force who were compelled to sleep in the barrack yard.3 The local police tried to force the townspeople to relent but to no avail. Names of those

who refused goods and services were taken. Throughout the evening of

(2) See Seamas S. de Val, 'The "Battle of the Pound'", The Past, No. 9, pp. 43-47; alsoBtm Cl6id(, pp. 165-190.

(3) People, 31 August 1881



The Coolmeelagh Evictions 47

29 August, crowds of young men followed the police from house to

house, jeering and taunting them as they tried to get shopkeepers to

change their minds. The police finally drew their batons and dispersed the young men, some of whom were severely injured. The next day, more

police were drafted in to the town from other areas.

Many people were gathered in Coolmeelagh. Some were harvesting O'Neill's corn crop with their scythes and carrying it to James Molloy's land for safety. Others were there in expectation of a clash. The police

met strong resistance in their efforts to drive off O'Neill's cattle. They baton charged the protesting crowds; some were badly injured. The baton charge had been made without authority and a magistrate present called off the attack.

One young man who was singled out for a brutal assault was a John Whelan from Glenashouk. Some time previously, his father had been

selected to contest a seat on the Board of Guardians in the Shillelagh district at the behest of a group of Catholic landowners led by Fr Drury, parish priest of Tomacork. At that time there was no representative of the Catholic landowners on the Board. Whelan had lost the election by one or two votes. It was claimed that a number of voters had been intimidated by a Fitzwilliam-led faction into changing their votes under threat of reprisal, even though the Ballot Act of 1872, introducing secret

voting, was in force at that time. Whelan senior had two sons and one daughter. His other son, Patrick,

was ordained to the priesthood and was appointed curate in Tomacork in

1867; he died there the following year. There is a plaque on the wall of the church in Tomacork to his memory.

The brutal attack on John Whelan was regarded as having been

specially planned. He never recovered from his injuries and died some time later on.

While six policemen were administering the beating to Whelan, one of the mowers, Myles Doyle, ran to his assistance and pushed his scythe between Whelan and his attackers. A policeman, in attempting to strike another blow, hit the scythe handle and his baton fell to the ground. A

travelling woman picked it up and attempted to run off with it. As the

police closed on her she threw the baton over the fence into the bog. She received a severe beating for her intervention. Pat Murphy came to her assistance.

Friends drove O'Neill's cattle on to James Molloy's farm for safety. Molloy was a next-door neighbour and supporter of the O'Neill's.

James Molloy had come from the Craanford area to marry into Philip Dillon's 52-acre farm. The Griffith valuation on this holding was ?14 5s Od.

A huge protest meeting was held in Clonegal on the evening of 29

August. Arrangements were made to rescue O'Neill's crop, and a couple of days later over 200 people gathered to assist in this work. The police also attended and took the names of all who were at work. As the crop was mown, it was carried on to Molloy's haggard for threshing later on.

The boycott in Bunclody continued and nobody would serve the



48 The Past

Crown agents. Two blacksmiths were brought in to shoe the police horses and 'those of certain boycotted people'. The word 'boycott' had

just been coined. On 25 September 1880, the people of Ballinrobe had first taken this action against Captain Charles C. Boycott and a new

weapon was in the hands of the people and a new word had come into the

English language. After the O'Neill eviction, an 'emergencyman' named G? P? from a

neighbouring county was brought in to look after the holding. O'Neill's cattle continued to enter on the disputed land. Major

Braddell sued O'Neill for trespass. The case was heard at the Petty Sessions in Bunclody in late September. The area around the courthouse on Church Street was thronged with people. The case was dismissed and an impromptu meeting was held in the Market Square.

Major Braddell was about to take other people to court also, but Fr

Delaney, C.C., Clonegal, intervened, and it was announced 'that Major Braddell had come to an amicable arrangement with O'Neill'. If he had, it did not last. On 30 November both John O'Neill and his neighbour, James Molloy, were arrested and taken to jail in Dundalk on charges of 'intimidation and for persistently driving cattle in on the evicted lands'.

They were kept in jail until the case was heard at the Petty Sessions at

Bunclody on 25 February 1882.4 Major Braddell had 60 charges against the two men. The defence was that the fences were broken and the cattle

were wont to stray. G?P?was there to prove the charges. Fines of one

shilling on each of 16 charges were imposed. All the other charges were

adjourned and 'that nothing more be heard provided the fences were

repaired'. After the turmoil, the O'Neills went to live in Kildavin. The family

scattered mainly to Australia and America. His daughter Ellen married Edward Murphy of Ballinvalley, grandmother of the present Edward

Murphy of that address. Letters from his son, Dan O'Neill, tell us that he lived at Bracewell Street, Charters Towers, Townsville, North

Queensland, where among other things he spent some time prospecting for gold.

John O'Neills mother, Catherine, remained in the Kildavin area until her death in 1895. She is buried in Clonegal cemetery with her husband who had died in 1859. His son Pat went to the United States and died there in 1896 aged 50; another son, Phelim, died in New York in 1910

aged 61. We have no record of John's death in Australia. It is said that his daughter returned to the district in the 1940s and walked the roads she had traversed when going to school in Clonegal.

A year later, the second of the series of evictions took place. On 13 June 1882 Patrick Murphy and Myles Doyle of Corragh were evicted from their lands and their homes were levelled. Three other families were also evicted -

Sinnotts, Tobins and Rochfords were also turned out on the road, but not with the same brutality as the Murphys and the Doyles.

(4) People, 1 March 1882




All of them were tenants of the BATT ESTATE. William Batt was an absentee landlord and Major Thomas Braddell was his agent. The Braddell and Batt lands adjoined each other.

The eviction of Murphys and Doyles was carried out with particular savagery; the walls of their dwellings were levelled; the thatched roofs

were set on fire; every utensil in both houses was destroyed. Those who endeavoured to salvage anything were bayoneted or pick-axed. Murphys and Doyles were left with nothing but the clothes they wore.

Pat Murphy's father, James, was still alive at that time - he, in fact,

was the tenant of the land. James Murphy died on 25 March 1886 aged 86 years.

The People newspaper on the following day described the evictions:

'Yesterday a number of evictions were carried out in the north of the

County. Early in the day the clatter of horses' hooves along the road attracted the attention of the country people. It was soon ascertained that the expedition was destined for the estate of Captain Batt, a non resident landlord. The Deputy Sheriff and his bailiffs with ten

Enniscorthy emergencymen specially selected were sent from various

parts of the County. A portion of the 37th Regiment with ambulance

baggage made up the cavalcade. 'There were five tenants to be evicted at a place called Drumderry (sic)

a few miles distance from Newtownbarry. 'The emergencymen were provided with crowbars and pick-axes and a

fitter gang could scarcely be selected to perform the work of the crowbar

brigade. The unusual sight in this County of farmers' homesteads being given up to flames was witnessed. Two buildings were levelled to the

ground and in the other three the occupants were out on the roadside.'

After the evictions the Murphys got shelter in Doolan's Barn in

Garryhasten, near where John Foley's house now stands. Francis Doolan is listed in the Griffith Valuation lists as holding 152 acres.

Neighbours joined forces and in four weeks had built a house for

Murphys on the FRENCH ESTATE in Abbeydown. This house is now occupied by the Hosey family. The Murphys lived there for nine years.

The Doyles were accommodated too. A 'Land League Hut' was built for them beside the main Bunclody/Carnew road, opposite to where

O'Neills cottage now stands. This was the same action as had been taken some months earlier for the evicted Kinsella girls at nearby Kilrush.9

Myles Doyle had come from Craanford area and had married into Patrick Quigley's place at Corragh. This was a 57 acre holding with a Griffith valuation of ?18 10s Od. Doyle had married Quigley's niece, Molly Finn, from Kilmyshal, wher her family were well-known

carpenters and wheelwrights. The Murphys had been in Corragh for

generations.

(5) See Seamas S. de Val, Bun Cididt, pp. 274-278.



50 The Past

'This 'Land League hut' was to be Doyle's home for the following nine

years. Myles Doyle died on the same day as his ninth child, John, was born. It was said that it was the only house in the parish where a birth and a death occurred on the same day. Pat Murphy brought young John

Doyle to be baptised in Clonegal. Some time later he was called on for a similar mission for the Molloy family where a son was also born. This child was christened Charles Stewart Molloy after the president of the Land League. Fr Gilligan who performed both ceremonies, was one of the two curates in Clonegal at that time. Murphys and Doyles got their lands back under the Ashbourne Act. Neither was compensated for the loss of home or chattels.

In an effort to rebuild his life, Patrick Murphy became a machinery contractor with a 'horse-powered' threshing machine, a mowing machine

equipped for cutting corn and a small range of other implements. His accounts book is still extant in the Murphy home.

A man named L-from an adjoining county took over Murphy's farm in March of 1884 and held it until Murphys were reinstated in 1891.

While the new occupier was in possession of the land, G-P acted as his servant. A gate was erected on the lane-way leading to

Murphy's farm. A right-of-way existed over this lane but was ignored by the new occupier.

Murphy removed the gate on a number of occasions, and P-re erected it. Finally, the whole episode came to a head. Pat Murphy,'then 28 years of age, brought Ned Tobin and Myles Doyle as witnesses and

they made'their way to the gate where G-P-was standing guard. Murphy was armed with an axe and a crowbar; he asked P- 'who had erected the gate?' P-said 'The boss had.*

Murphy said 'I have come to knock it down.' P-asked 'When?'

Murphy replied 'On this present moment.' P-said 'You had better

give notice to the boss.' Murphy told him 'notice whom you like.'

Murphy then went to the gate; P-was there with him. P

produced a revolver lapped in a handkerchief and dared Murphy 'to lay a hand on that gate*. Murphy put his hand on the gate and opened it. P-removed the handkerchief from the gun, pointed it at Murphy and said, 'Go on now!' Murphy raised the axe and struck the gate with it. p-did not fire. Murphy then broke the gate up; P-departed for Bunclody and the police.

That evening Tobin and Doyle were arrested. That night Murphy was taken from his bed and arrested. All three were lodged in the 'black hole' of the police barracks in Bunclody. They were brought before Mr. J.

Daly Devereux, J.P., next morning. Mr Devereux was prepared to allow them out on bail. Murphy said

they could get 'all the bail they wanted in Newtownbarry'. Sergeant Delaney refused to allow them out of his custody to go get bail. Sergeant Delaney then handcuffed Pat Murphy but not the other two; he brought the three of them on a car and deposited them in the 'black hole' in

Enniscorthy police station. That night they were transferred to Wexford

jail. They were left two days without food. After a week in Wexford jail




they were brought before the magistrates at Wexford Court. The case

against them was dismissed and they were released. Next day fresh charges were preferred against them. These were heard

at Newtownbarry Petty Sessions; these charges were also dismissed. The three men then took a civil action for wrongful arrest, internment

and continued persecution. The case was heard in the Circuit Court in Tullow in October 1884 before Dr W. F. Darley, County Court Judge, and a jury. Dr Falconer prosecuted on behalf of the three men. Tullow courthouse was thronged for the trial. After a day-long hearing, with evidence given by Mr L-, described by Dr Falconer as 'a

masterful man', G-P-and Sergeant Delaney, severe cross

examinations, and an epic summing up by the judge, the jury found in their favour and granted each of them a decree for ?30 against the

occupier. This case was fully reported in the papers. It aroused considerable attention because of the strength of the National League in the Wexford and Carlow area at that time.

Mary Doyle and her family continued to live in their old home in

Corragh. She died on 19 August 1950 at the age of 98 years. Pat Murphy died at Corragh on 19 November 1936 aged 82 years and

is buried with his father in Clonegal cemetery.

From Pat Murphy's account books we have taken the following prices at that time to put the amount of the fines into context:

Two cattle for ?12 2s 6d; one mare ?4 7s 6d; one cow ?8 10s Od; one heifer ?4 5s Od; one sow ?1 5s Od; springer heifer ?9 10s Od; one ton

turnips 13s.

SOURCES Rev. Stomas S. de V4I, Bun Cldidf Files of The People Newspapers, Wexford The Wexford Independent The above Mary Doyle (R.I.P.) Her nephew, Myles Doyle, Coolroe (R.I.P.) James Murphy, Corragh, son of Pat Murphy Joe Anderson, Coolmeelagh Edward Murphy, Ballinvalley, grandson of Ellen O'Neill

Notes to the above article Fr Thomas O'Neill, P.P., Baltinglass, was a brother of John O'Neill of

Prospect. Fr Daniel Gilligan, who was curate in Clonegal 1876-83, had

complaints made to his bishop by the Braddells. His bishop ordered him to go to Braddell and apologise,. His apology was not very sincere! On

calling to Braddell's door he was invited in. He declined to enter. He, quite formally, said that his bishop had told him to call on Major Braddell and to apologise for any actions of his which had caused distress; he was here to do just that. He then left. Fr Gilligan is described as a simple, holy, old-fashioned priest.

Both the Batts and the Braddells had been in Coolmeelagh for quite



52 The Past

some time. In 'The Wexford Journal* of 15-19 February 1776 the names of Thomas Braddell and of William Batt had appeared as 'subscribers to the Association for the suppression of the Whiteboys*. Some relevant dates:

The land agitation, for which Michael Davitt will be for ever

remembered, began at Irishtown in Co. Mayo on 20 April 1879. The Land League of Mayo was founded at Castlebar on 16 August

1879. On 21 October 1879 the Irish National Land League was founded at

Dublin. Michael Davitt was its founder, Parnell its first president. The Ladies' Committee under Miss Anna Parnell was set up 26

January 1881. The Bunclody branch of the Ladies' Land League was set up on 23

October 1881. The Land League was proclaimed unlawful on 20 October 1881.

Parnell and other Land League leaders had been arrested seven days earlier; they were released from prison on 2 May 1882. Cavendish and Burke were murdered on that same day.

On 17 October 1882, the Irish National League was founded in place of the Land League. The new Coercion Act came into force on 12 July of the same year.

HOME RULE MEETING IN ENNISCORTHY 1875

In October 1875 a monster meeting was held in Enniscorthy in support of Home Rule. There was an impressive array of public representatives and notable politicians present: Isaac Butt, M.P.; Charles Stewart Parnell, M.P.; the two Nationalist M.P.s for Co. Wexford ? Sir George Bowyer and Chevalier Keyes O'Cleary; William A. Redmond, M.P., and A. M.

Sullivan, M.P. Isaac Butt was the principal speaker and was followed by A. M.

Sullivan. Parnell then spoke and concluded his speech by saying: 'Whether for education, Home Rule or Amnesty, England must yield if Irishmen are determined upon it.'

He was referring to a resolution passed with acclamation earlier during the meeting, demanding 'Home Government for Ireland,

Denominational Education, Fixity of Tenure at valuation rents, and

Amnesty to the Political Prisoners'.



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