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The social composition of the Land League

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2017

Sam Clark
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Extract

The historical importance of the Irish National Land League lies primarily in its contribution to the politicization of Irish agrarian society. During the years 1879-82 the Land League conducted a tenant right campaign embracing virtually every county in the south and west of Ireland, and an extensive portion of the midlands as well. In these areas it organized an impressive network of local branches, which drew large numbers of farmers into political activity. The movement was not, however, organized by farmers alone. The central direction of the agitation was assumed by a contingent of Irish nationalists, while local leadership was provided, in large measure, by a discontented segment of the town population. Townsmen were numerically well represented in the Land League, they played an instrumental role in initiating the agitation, and they continued, once league branches had become established, to help organize meetings and enforce the league’s authority in local land disputes. Hence, though the Land League was principally a farmers’ organization, and though, in the end, it served to politicize Irish farmers, it was the the product of an alliance between two distinguishable social groups.

Type
Research Article
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 17 , Issue 68 , September 1971 , pp. 447 - 469
Copyright
Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 1971

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References

1 The term nationalist, as used in this paper, is meant to include not just separatists, but also those who advocated various schemes of legislative independence.

2 Moody, T W, ‘The new departure in Irish politics, 1878-9’ in Cronne, H. A., Moody, T W and Quinn, D. B. (ed.), Essays in British and Irish history in honour of James Eadie Todd (London, 1949), pp 325–33 Google Scholar; and ‘Irish-American nationalism’ in I.H.S., v, no. 60 (Sept. 1967), pp 438–45 Google Scholar.

3 Connaught Telegraph, 9 Aug. 1879, p. 4.

4 Ibid., 9 Aug. 1879, p. 4.

5 44 Vict., c. 4.

6 S.P.O., Irish crimes records, 1881.

7 Census of Ireland, 1881: part 11;, general report, p. 112 [C 3365, H.C. 1882, lxxvi, 536.

8 Davitt, Fall of feudalism, p. 147.

9 Information on P W Nally was obtained by interview with his nephew Kenneth Nally, 23 Jan. 1971, Rockstown House, Balla, Co. Mayo.

10 Special comm. 1888 proc, i, 55.

11 Devoy, John, ‘Michael Davitt’s career’ in Gaelic American, 3 Nov. 1906 Google Scholar.

12 J. G. Carter, sub-inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary, Claremorris, to H. L. Owen, chief inspector, Mayo, 29 Jan. 1879 (S.P.O., C.S.O., R.P. 1880/5141).

13 Connaught Telegraph, 15 Jan. 1881, p. 5.

14 The valuation and location of the land and buildings a person holds can often be used to judge whether or not he is a farmer. This information may be obtained from the land valuation records (Valuation Office), which will hereafter be cited as V.O. followed by the electoral district, the approximate year in which the relevant book was recopied and the page reference. For example, the citation for James Daly of Irishtown is V.O., Kilvine, 1867, pp 2, 7, 21, 48.

15 V.O., Kilvine, 1867, pp 8, 38.

16 Slater’s commercial directory of Ireland, 1881 (Manchester, 1881 Google Scholar), c, 3 (hereafter cited as Slater’s, 1881 followed by a lower-case letter to indicate the province and then by the page reference).

17 Special comm. 1888 proc, ix, 539.

18 Connaught Telegraph, 21 Apr. 1879.

19 Hansard 3, ccxlvii, cols 434, 694-5.

20 Davitt, Fall of feudalism, p. 164.

21 John Mallon, superintendent of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, to the commissioner of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, 19 Feb. 1880 (S.P.O., C.S.O., R.P. 1880/5271).

22 Dictionary of American biography (New York, 1930), v, 51

23 Special comm. 1888 proc, i, 55.

24 Connaught Telegraph, 16 Aug. 1879. The others who took the floor were William Judge, a shopkeeper from Claremorris (Slater’s, 1881, c, 36), P. J. Monahan, a shopkeeper and hotel-owner from Ballinrobe (Slater’s, 1881, c, 16), Thomas Reilly, a shopkeeper from Balla (V.O., Balla, 1869, p. 39), Patrick Ryan, a farmer from Ballyhean (V.O., Ballyhean, 1865, p. 69), and Stephen Heskin, a farmer from The Neale (V.O., Neale, 1869, pp 7, 9, 51-2). The executive consisted of John J. Louden, James Daly, P W Nally and Hugh Feeney, a shopkeeper and publican from Castlebar (Slater’s, 1881, c. 29-30). It is true that both Louden and Daly held farm land, but they were not principally farmers.

25 Report of the inspector-general of the Royal Irish Constabulary, 30 Oct. 1879 (S.P.O., C.S.O., R.P. 1880/13905).

26 Connaught Telegraph, 21 June 1879, p. 5.

27 Woods, G. J., ‘The catholic church and Irish politics, 1879-92’, unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Nottingham, 1968, p. 37 Google Scholar.

28 Roscommon Journal, 25 Oct. 1879, p. 2.

29 Slater’s, 1881, c, 61-2.

30 Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards . . ., p. 317 [C 1492], H.C. 1876, lxxx.

31 These four were: Major J. T D’Arcy, a landowner from Ballina-sloe (Return of owners of land . . . p. 315), Francis Finlay, a shopkeeper in Roscommon (Slater’s, 1881, c, 61), George Fannon, also a shopkeeper in Roscommon (Slaters, 1881, c, 62) and William Tully, the proprietor of the Roscommon Journal (Slater’s, 1881, c, 62). A man referred to as Dr Fox also took the floor, but his occupation could not be determined: he was not listed in Slater’s, 1881, nor in the Irish Medical Directory, 1879 (Dublin, 1879).

32 Roscommon Journal, 22 Nov. 1879, p. 2.

33 Return of the number of police employed in protecting process servers from ist January to 30th June 1880, as reported by the constabulary, p. 2, H.G. 1880 (sess. 2, 280), lx, 451.

34 Arthur Wyse to chief secretary (copy), 23 Nov. 1879 (S.P.O., C.S.O., R.P. 1880/12061).

35 The number of agrarian outrages reported by the constabulary were as follows: 1879: 863; 1880: 2,590; 1881: 4,439; reported in Return of the outrages reported to the Royal Irish Constabulary office from ist January 1844 to 31st December 1880, p. 23 [G 2756], H.C. 1881, lxxvii, 909; Return of the number of agrarian offences in each county reported to the constabulary office in each month of the year 1881 . . . p. 3, H.G. 1882 (8), lv, 3.

36 Davitt, Fall of feudalism, p. 301.

37 N.L.I., Irish National Land League papers, MS 8291; PC 658-60

38 Connaught Telegraph, 26 July 1879, p. 5.

39 Ibid., i Nov. 1879, p. 3; 15 Nov. 1879, p. 5; 3 Jan. 1880, p. 4; 17 Jan. 1880, p. 5.

40 Roscommon Journal, 16 Oct. 1880, p. 2; 3 July 1880, p. 1; 7 Aug. 1880, p. 2; 4 Sept. 1880, p. 2.

41 Executive of Fuerty branch referred to in Roscommon Journal, 4 Sept. 1880, p. 2: Andrew O’Leary (V.O., Athleague West, 1866, p. 55) and J. Kilroe (V.O., Fuerty, 1880, p. 23); executive of Kilglass branch referred to in Roscommon Journal, 16 Apr. 1881, p. 2: Stephen Cox (V.O., Ballygarden, 1865, p. 2) and Patrick Cox (V.O., Kilglass North, 1872, p. 10); executive of Kilgefin branch referred to in Irish crimes records, 1881, ii, 268-9: John Dolan and William Hanly. Since this article was written the author has collected a larger sample of fifty-three members of seven different branches in Connaught: all but six were farmers, at least as judged by their land holdings.

42 These three were: Luke P. Hayden, Michael Noud and Patrick Burke; referred to in Roscommon Journal, 29 Oct. 1881, p. 2.

43 Roscommon Journal, 4 Dec. 1880, p. 2; 19 Mar. i88i, p. 2; additional information was obtained by interview with James White, grandson of James White, 23 Jan. 1971, Glooneenbane, Fuerty, Co. Roscommon.