The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1882-07-01 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

BAD NEWS FRODI IRELAND.  I This week the usual amount of bad news has come from Ireland. We hear of defenceless women having been outraged, of persons cruelly evicted having I died, of cattle having been maimed, of men having been intimidated, and of murders hay' ng been committed under circumstances of fearful atrocity. On Tuesday the Dublin correspondent of the Daily News telegraphed as follows: "Information was received this morning at Athboy, Co. Meath, of a diabolical attempt at murder. The particulars are as follows: The-victim is one Thomas Magaghey, living at Kilkeelan, near Athboy, an old man of about sixty or sixty-five, quiet and inoffensive, hardly capable of incurring the displeasure of anyone. He is a constabulary pensioner, having left the force some twenty years ago. Magaghey and his family live quietly in tha lodge-house of Mr. Flood, a farmer, whose residence is but a few hundred yards distant, and who frequently employs Magaghey and hia oone in farm work. This morning the old man was sitting in the kitchen of his house reading a newspaper to the members of his family who happened to be present, as also to a friend who had just dropped in, when they were startled by the abrupt entrance of two men. Magaghey started up, but his assailants, immediately recognising him, presented a carbine or blunderbuss, and fired at him point blank, the contents lodging in his shoulder. Though almost mortally wounded, the old man rushed at his would-be murderers, who at once got out of the house. Magaghey then sank down exhausted. His daughter, looking through the window, saw four men coolly walk away. No one attempted to molest them, or to follow. So great is the terrorism that no trace of the assassins can be obtained." A significant sign of the times is the feet that the ; following circular, marked "strictly ' private," is being circulated amongst the Orangemen of County Armagh : ' " It having come to the knowledge of certain persons that a rising (if the rebels is contemplated soon and suddenly in Ireland, all Protestants, of all denominations and patties, are hereby warned to be prepared for the worst,  and to be ready to face the foe." Daring the small hours of Saturday morning a serious riot broke out in the southern suburb of Cork. Nuthbers of.t people had remained up during the, night, celebrating St. John's Eve by . lighting bonfires, and shutters were torn from shop-windows wherewith to replenish the fires. The owners, on remonstrating, were stonect and had their premises further wrecked. The riots were renewed on Saturday night and continued on Sunday night. Then, on Thursday, an atrocious double murder of an agrarian nature was committed, about half a mile from Loughrea, the victims being Mr. J. H. Blake, of Rathville, Kiltulla, Athenry, agent to the Marquis of Clanricarde, and his steward, Thady Keane. They were returning together with Mrs. Blake on a car from Naas, and when they reached the spot mentioned they were fired at from behind a wall which had been loop-holed for the purpose. Mr. Blake and Keane were both shot dead, but Mrs. Blake appears to have escaped unhurt. The murder had evidently been most carefully planned, the circumstances attending it being almost exactly similar to those which characterised the murder of Mr. Bourke and the dragoon Wallace at Ardrahan. In each case a  wall had been loop-holed to afford cover for the murderers, as the victims in both eases were riding on a car. The police are stated to be in pursuit of the murderers, but up to this no arrests have been reported. The parties were coming from mass, it being a Roman Catholic holiday. Mr. Blake was an aged gentleman with a young family. Besides being Lord Clanricarde's agent he was a magistrate and grand juror. Until recently he was popular, but lately had incurred the hostility of the extreme anti-landlord party. His servant was a countryman. Previously they had been under police protection, but had neglected the precaution on this occasion.