The Irish standard., 1905-04-29

dlrectlOnS lot an opportunity TO Still
up strife in the country. They are
anxious for another spell of Coercion
and the Dublin Coercionist news
papers have sought to unfold an awfu
tale on the Clanricarde estate. 1t does
not matter thraneen that Connaught
is wrapt in profund peace and power
ty. Was it not there the Plan OF
Campaign was once in operation, and
, are not the lands of large numbers
of evicted tenants in the hands OF
planters? An ideal spot; and, better
still, Mr.. Shaw Tener, who still wears
a coat of mail inside his shirt, is eager
and anxious to supply the particulars
A special correspondent writing re-
Gently in a Dublin Unionist paper
says:-
During the. last few days l have
driven through the district extending
from Loughrea to Portumna, Portum.
ma to Woodford. Woodford to Kill
chriest, and back again to Loughrea.
| have had protracted interviews with
Mr.. E. Shaw Tener, j. P, agent to
the Marquis of Clanricarde; Mr.. H.
H. Lewis, ]. P; Mr.. Farren, ]. P, and
several others, who are intimately
acquainted with the locality, and were
able to tell me great deal concerning
its history during the last 20 odd
years. and the present position of
affairs"
Now, have driven over this same
ground, but in quite different COM
pany. l have had protracted inter-
views, not. indeed, with such people
as Mr.. E. Shaw Tener, agent to the
Marquis of Clanricarde; Mr.. H. H.
Lewis, J. P; Mr.. Farren, ]. P, and
others of the same kidney, but with
Priests, Poor Law Guardians, District
Councillors, Magistrates, Tenants,
Evicted Tenants, Laborers, Police
men, and have even gone the length
of having a chat with an Emergency
man. l have met the people "who
are intimately acquainted with the
locality, and were able to tell me a
good deal concerning it's history dur
ing the last 20 odd years" Not only
that, but they were able to tell me
good deal concerning the history"
of Mr. E. Shaw Tener, Mr.. H. H.
Lewis, J. P. and Mr.. Farren, J. p.
The impartial history of the locality
during the past 20 odd years is hard
ly to be derived from the evictors
and their agents. Neither can much
reliance be placed, venture to
suggest, upon the account supplied by
them of the present position of affairs
The Clanricarde estate in Co. Gal
way is divided as follows -Woodford,
$4,000 acres; Lougrea,' $4,000 acres;
Portumna, 10000 acres; and Eyre
court, 5000 acres. In addition to the
above there are 10000 acres in other
parts of the country, making 10000
acres in all Prior to 1886 there
were 1,5OO tenants on the estate. Dur
ing the Plan of Campaign some 200
tenants were evicted. About 60 of
these effected settlements, and the re-
naming lao were never allowed back
Their farms were handed over to As
planters, OF whom 80 are in the Por-
tumna. and Is in the Woodford
districts. The planters hold between
them some 5000 acres of land Driv-
ing through the country 1t is easy to
distinguish the planters residences,
for the landlord, who precipitated a
terrible struggle rather than concede
Il just demand to his tenants, built
spacious slate houses for the planters
on the evicted lands. | find from the
evidence of Mr.. H. NJ. Metcalfe, given
at the Morley Commission in 1892,
presided over by the present Lord
Justice Mathew. that the total number
OF evictions on the estate at the 1st
of May, 1879, was 239 The police
attended on 81 occasions one day
each. The highest number of police
that attended on any one day was
314. The total number that attended
was ,3,532. The military attended on
"a occasions. The highest number of
military present on any one occasion
was 2O4.
The President asked was that on
the 9th of August, 1886?
Witness-Yes.
The President-And upon that oc.
casion there was one eviction, and one
| tenant turned out?
| Yes.
There were 314 police present and
2h4 military?
| Witness-Yes.
A long period has elapsed since
then, and the experience is that all
over Ireland the feeling of bitterness
between landlord and evicted tenant
has subsided. The sore is being
healed by mutual effort Not so, how.
ever, on the Clanricarde property
There the planters still. as strangers
in strange surroundings. are main
tanned by the landlord They till
sufficient of the land to grow crops
to supply their own immediate wants
They are not subjected to tyranny OF
oppression of any kind. They are
| cimn1v cfronporc In tho ,1ictriot orj