by Joe Power
27. Denman, Terence, A Lonely Grave, p.134.
28. Gaynor, Eamon, op. cit., pp.73-74. Incidentally, Mr Patrick Power, Clare Castle, along with Canon Bourke, PP Clare Castle, were among those who proposed Mr Patrick Lynch for election. See the SR and CC, 15, 22 and 29 June and 3 November 1917. Ó Ruairc, Pádraig Óg, Blood on the Banner, p.65.
29. Maleady, Dermot, John Redmond, the National Leader (Kildare, Merrion, an imprint of Irish Academic Press, 2014), p.439. The letter was also published in the Freeman’s Journal of 29 September 1917. According to Maleady, Bishop Fogarty’s letter was printed in a pamphlet, which was widely distributed at the funeral of Thomas Ashe.
30. ‘The Great Bishop of Limerick’, Panegyric delivered by Dr Michael Fogarty at month’s mind in St John’s, Limerick 18 September 1917, pamphlet published by MH Gill and Son Ltd, Dublin, 1917, p.18. De Wiel, op. cit., pp.185,195; LDA/BI/ET/O/7 (Episcopal Correspondence), Fogarty to O’Dwyer, 5 May 1917.
31. SR, 16 June, 30 June, 7, 14 July, 11 August, 1, 8, 29 September 1917, 5 January 1918; CC, 16, 23, June, 9, 14, 21, 28, July, 4 August, 6, 13 October 1917.
32. SR, 16 June 1917; CC, 10, 24 November 1917. The list of hunger strikers, members of the Clare Brigade, IRA, included: P., A. and M. Brennan, Meelick; F. Gallagher, Meelick; J. Griffey, Meelick; H. Hunt, Corofin; J. Liddy, Cooraclare; William McNamara, Ennis; J. Madigan, Ennis; J. Murnane, Newmarket; M. O’Brien, Ruan; A. O’Donnell, Tullycrine; P. O’Loughlin, Liscannor; F. Shinnors, Ennis; M. Murray, Newmarket; and John Minihan, Corofin. In all, thirty-eight Republicans went on hunger strike, including Thomas Ashe, who died after force-feeding. The hunger strike weapon was initiated by the first Clare republicans arrested, the three Brennan brothers from Meelick and P. O’Loughlin from Liscannor. See also, Ó Ruairc, Pádraig Óg, Blood on the Banner, The Republican Struggle in Clare (Cork: Mercier Press, 2009), pp.66-72.
33. SR, 15 September 1917.
34. CC, 28 April 1917. See notice of her original appointment in SR, 19 July 1915; also, de Bhaldraithe, Padraig, ‘Sixmilebridge Clerks of Petty Sessions’, in The Other Clare, Vol. XI, pp. 22-26. I am grateful to Eoin Grogan from Killimer, for drawing the case of Georgina Frost to my attention.
35. CC, 31 March; SR, 7 April 1917.
36. Junger, Ernst, Storm of Steel, first published in Germany as Stahlgewitten in 1920; final edition 1961, translated by Michael Hofmann (London: Penguin Classics, UK, 2004), pp.127-8. Incidentally, Junger mentions that his company captured some British soldiers, including a Lt Stokes of the Royal Munster Fusiliers. Perhaps some Claremen were involved in that engagement? Jurgen was also impressed by the ‘bravery and manliness of the British soldiers’; op. cit., p.125.
37. SR, 30, December 1917; 12 January 1918.
38. SR, 31 March, 21 April, 16 June 4, 25 August, 8, 22 September, 3 November, 15 December 1917; CC, 26 February 1917.
39. SR, 16 June 1917.
40. CC, 24 November 1917, 19 September 1914 and 15 December 1916; SR, 1 December 1917. Power, Joseph, The GAA in Clare Castle, 1887-1987 (Clare Castle: Clare Castle GAA, 1987), pp. 28-29; and Power, Joseph, A History of Clare Castle and its Environs (Ennis: privately published, 2004), pp.219-221; Ger Browne, op. cit., p.15.
41. Information leaflet from Mr John Rhattagan, curator of the Clare Museum, Ennis. Information supplied by the French War Office to the Barrett family. See also www.marytfamilytree/jackbarrett.
42. Sheedy, Kieran, op. cit., p.786.
43. CC, 27 December 1917.
44. Based on lists published by Browne, Burnell and McCarthy, op. cit.
6
FROM CONSCRIPTION
CRISIS TO ARMISTICE
‘England has no moral right to introduce conscription in Ireland.’
Dr Fogarty
The shortage of voluntary recruits for the war, combined with a massive German onslaught on the Western Front, following the collapse of Russia in 1917, persuaded Lloyd George and the British Government to pass a Bill introducing conscription into Ireland. This, of course, was fiercely resisted by almost all sectors of society in Ireland, and Clare was no exception, uniting Home Rulers and Sinn Féiners, farmers, trade unionists and the Catholic Church in a mass campaign to resist any attempt to impose conscription. There was a general fear of another famine in Clare and many poor people were in great distress due to the high price of food and fuel. Sinn Féin became more active in the county and law and order was breaking down, with cattle drives and the ploughing up of fields on the large ranches. Clare was again put under martial law. The sinking of the mail boat, MV Leinster had a significant impact on the people of County Clare. The war finally ended in November of that year and a general election was held three weeks later, which ended in a success for Sinn Féin at the expense of the Home Rule Party, which was almost wiped out nationally. The weather was appalling in September, with adverse affects on the harvest. Finally, the dreadful ‘Spanish Flu’ epidemic affected the county towards the end of the year, resulting in many deaths. The Roll of Honour increased again this year, mainly due to the final German onslaught, which lasted from March until it petered out in July 1918.
In January Bishop Fogarty became totally opposed to the war and to conscription, and seemed to have been infected with socialist philosophy when he declared ‘Not one of these young Irishmen will fire a shot under compulsion in this war of plutocrats!’ Two months later he issued his Lenten pastoral prophesising a whole new order of society after the war ended:
We are now living in days of transition … Great empires are being dissolved … political institutions are undergoing daily dissolution and principles are universally avowed, which if they run their course, must completely change and re-arrange the face of Europe and European society … What the ultimate fate will be only God knows. That is God’s secret, whose all-powerful hand is now shaking the world to the centre. But there can be little doubt that a whole new order of things awaits mankind, when the war has finished the work of destruction.1
At the end of January Dr Fogarty became more outspoken on the national issue and became more supportive of the Sinn Féin policies. He sent a letter to Mr E.E. Lysaght of Raheen, Tuamgraney, who had just resigned in protest from the National Convention at the lack of progress on the issue of Home Rule. The bishop also condemned the proposals at the convention:
Can it be possible that they are contemplating above the heads of the people, another tragedy for Ireland in the shape of a sham Home Rule?
Any form of Irish Government short of the authority sketched in your letter, will not satisfy Ireland, or bring peace to this country and would only intensify our present confusion. A country without control of its own trade would be like the Irish farmer in the past who could not get his daughter married without his landlord’s permission.
If the great advocate of ‘self-determination’ for all nationalities of the world has nothing for Ireland but feudal slavery of that kind, then he [Lloyd George] had better leave the Irish deputation at home. The country is sick of all of this huxtering when the path of national interests is so very clear to every honest mind.2
Fear of Famine
A New Tillage Order was issued by the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction, Dublin in February.3 The phrase at the end of the advertisement stating ‘bad weather may be ahead’ unfortunately turned out to be an accurate prediction of what was to come in 1918. As we have seen, the weather of 1917 was very poor from an agricultural point of view, with unseasonably low rainfall and severe frosts in the early part of the year, followed by a deluge of rainfall during the summer and autumn, the peak harvesting season for hay, cereals and potatoes. Besides this, the German submarines were still sinking British merchant ships, trying to starve Britain into submission. Naturally, the harvests were poor and consequently food became scarcer and dearer. The bad weather, combined with bad harvests and scarcity of food may have contributed to the agrarian agitation of cattle driving and illegal ploughing in the springtime. There was, it seems,
a genuine fear of famine in Ireland at the time.
However, the farmers could not anticipate, control or predict the weather for the year ahead. They could only hope and pray for the best as they prepared for the spring sowing. The Saturday Record of 23 February published an appeal from Cardinal Logue, Catholic Primate of Ireland, to farmers to cultivate every possible acre of land: ‘we know from experience that, by a more extensive and careful tillage, we can not only produce food abundantly, to support our own people, but have a large surplus for export. Hence, in the season upon which we have entered, an effort should be made to cultivate every acre. It is our only security against want.’ The Bishop of Kilmore also issued an appeal to farmers: ‘the remedy against famine is in our own hands, for the country can produce more than enough to support ourselves, and I earnestly exhort the people to plant and sow the greatest amount of food crops they possibly can’.4
A NEW TILLAGE ORDER AND AN APPEAL
Extra 5 per cent on the larger holdings, full 15 per cent required of all others.
The Department have decided in view of the extreme need for further food production, to issue an Order, requiring an extra quantity of tillage on holdings of 200 arable acres and upwards. The extra quantity to be 5 per cent in addition to the 15 per cent over 1916 already required by the existing Order – or a total of 20 per cent on these holdings.
“Reasonable Effort” this year will not be enough. The full percentage will be required of everybody. Moreover, so urgent has become the need for more food that the Department appeal both to the occupiers of the larger holdings and to all others, down to the smallest cultivators, to till as much as possible over the amount actually required by the Tillage Order as bad weather may be ahead.
To accompany this great task not a day should be lost. The plough should be kept going every fine hour. Bad weather may be ahead.
Saturday Record, 9 February 1918.
Cattle Drives
Respect for law and order deteriorated rapidly in the early months of the year as cattle drives and other forms of agricultural agitation became widespread, reminiscent of the Land War. It is significant that the agrarian agitation and outrages usually took place in the early part of the year before new lettings would commence in March and before the growing season would begin in the spring. Besides the land agitation the Irish Volunteers became more active and bolder in parading and raiding for arms and attacking policemen. The county was becoming ungovernable as the security resources of the RIC were inadequate and seemed powerless to deal with the widespread political and agrarian agitation.
There were cattle drives in East Clare at places such as O’Callaghan’s Mills, Feakle, Tulla and Broadford during February. There were also drives at Doolin, the property of H.V. MacNamara, JP, DL, of Ennistymon. Here a crowd of between 200 and 300 ploughed up the land ‘without the slightest opposition from the police’. Lands were ploughed at Lemanagh, the property of Lord Inchiquin, of Dromoland. More land was ploughed up at Ballymangan, about 5 miles from Ennis on the estate of Mr Thomas Crowe, DL. A cattle drive took place at Caherphuca, Crusheen. Cattle were driven off the lands near New Quay belonging to Mr W.J. Corbett, JP, of Willbrook, along with cattle on the lands of Mr P.L.K. Dobbin at Kilkishen, who had to move to Kilkee for safety, as he was threatened and told, ‘his lands were required by landless people’. At Caher in East Clare a large crowd drove the stock belonging to Mrs O’Dwyer off her lands. This estate was the scene of evictions about twenty years earlier. After the drive, negotiations took place with Mrs O’Dwyer, who agreed to give certain lands to small farmers after 1 April.
Another significant cattle drive took place at Kilgorey. This farm, belonging to Dr Sampson, JP, of Moynoe House, Scariff, had been the scene of several cattle drives. On Wednesday 6 February a huge crowd of between 700 and 800 people gathered at the farm and drove the stock off the land to his house in Scariff. On the road to Scariff a party of between twelve and fourteen policemen were met and the police were overpowered by the mob. Some of their bicycles were smashed and their overcoats slashed. Later another group of three policemen were assaulted and badly beaten and rifles were taken from two of them before the third policeman fired a shot at the crowd, who dispersed. Near Killaloe two more policemen were assaulted and their rifles taken. Trees had been felled at Scariff to delay the police and another shot was fired by a police sergeant. The telegraph wires to Tulla and Ennis were cut as well, and trees were felled to block the roads and impede the movements of police and army. Trees were also cut down on the Ennis to Kildysart road near Cragbrien and at New Hall.
There were ‘exciting scenes’ at Ennis following court cases where some men from East Clare were found guilty of agrarian crime and sentenced to prison. A huge escort of police, more than 100 strong, brought the prisoners to the Ennis railway station for transport to Limerick Jail. The police were jeered at by a huge crowd who cried ‘how, how’ (cattle drover’s cries) at the police, who were also pelted with stones. Later that evening the police cleared O’Connell Square and adjoining streets by a baton charge. Two days later, on Sunday, the town of Ennis was the scene of much police activity as more than 100 RIC men patrolled the streets on foot, on bicycles, sidecars and motor cars. They watched a farm on the Clare Road where a cattle drive was rumoured. Another large body of police were vigilant on farms north of the town. Meanwhile, a body of young men visited a farm at Claureen and drove some cattle off the land. After this they marched triumphantly through the town.5
At Toureen, Barefield, the proposed letting of some lands on conacre was interrupted when a crowd of more than 300 people assembled at the farm and interrupted proceedings. Printed notices of the letting were torn down. The property was registered as belonging to Dr Sampson of Scariff, but two young men called O’Neill from Miltown Malbay claimed ownership of the lands due to their relationship with the late Mr Francis Hynes, of Toureen, who was controversially hanged for murder in a celebrated case during the Land War. Fr Crowe, CC, acted as spokesman for the people and told the Department of Agriculture inspector, Mr Dorgan, ‘that no bids would be made for the farm’. A large force of policemen arrived, but there were no disturbances. The letting of the farm did not proceed on this occasion.6
Memories of another more recent land dispute at Derrymore near Ennistymon were revived when two policemen, Constables Sullivan and Dennehy, who were guarding a family named Marrinan at a police hut in Derrymore were fired upon and wounded. The Marrinan family were Crown witnesses at the trial of two men, named Ryan and Hegarty, who were charged with the murder of a man named John Kildea, who was shot dead at the threshold of the Marrinan house in 1914. However, the jury disagreed on three occasions, once in Dublin and twice in Cork, and the two accused men were subsequently sent by the Crown to America.
On Sunday 24 February Michael Marrinan went to Mass as usual at Ennistymon and was accompanied by his two police escorts. After Mass the party was attacked by a gang of six masked men at as they were cycling up a steep hill about a mile-and-a-half from Ennistymon. The men shouted ‘hands up’ and demanded the weapons, at the same time knocking the policemen down. Some revolver shots were fired at the policemen and both constables were injured, Sullivan in the arm and Dennehy in the thigh. The masked men then cut the straps of the rifles, which were strung across their backs and seized them.7
Clearly, the motive for this attack was political, the acquisition of weapons, and not agrarian. This, from a police point of view, was more worrying as the Irish Volunteers were clearly behind this attack.
On the same day another cattle drive took place at Clare Castle on the McInerney farm at Manusmore. More than 200 acres of the farmland had been advertised for grazing in February on conacre in eleven divisions. A crowd of more than 300 men, one of whom was in a Volunteer uniform, drove 104 cattle and twenty-five sheep from the farm, which had been let on conacre (rented for eleven months), by Mrs McInerney, who was recently widowed. Three policemen were present but were unable to prevent the cat
tle drive. The cattle were then driven towards Castlefergus, where there was a temporary police barrack with three constables. When they were near the barrack, according to the police report, someone in the crowd allegedly shouted, ‘Close in and kill them and take the barrack!’ The RIC men after firing some warning shots into the air over the crowd then fired into the crowd and wounded three men, John Ryan, Pat O’Neill and James Liddy. After the shooting the crowd scattered. A large force of police arrived later, accompanied by a party of soldiers. The people denied that any such cry ‘to kill the police’ was made. Unfortunately, Mr John Ryan died from his wounds five days later.
Jim Reilly was a member of Sinn Féin and the IRA, who was then living in Clare Castle. He was one of six men arrested for the cattle drive at Manusmore. When they were arrested, they left the courthouse singing ‘A Soldier’s Song’. After four months in jail they were released without charge. Jim recalled that the motivation for the cattle drive was ‘that the people were in dread of a famine and that they went to the people with land and asked them to till the land and grow vegetables’. He said ‘that Captain Blood [of Ballykilty Manor, Quin] refused and all his cattle were driven off ’. He also said that Sinn Féin organised a potato market in Ennis.
Jim Reilly’s recollections, recorded more than fifty-nine years after the event, are significant as they suggest that the cattle drive was motivated for honourable reasons and that Capt. Blood had leased the lands at Manusmore. That explains why the cattle and sheep were being driven towards Castlefergus, which is on the road to Ballykilty Manor (Captain Blood’s home). Jim also stated that the Sinn Féin club, which was below the main gate of Sutton’s Coal Yard in Clare Castle, was visited by a party of Scotch Borderers, who wrecked the building and took away the roll book. Jim’s reminiscences about the raid on the Sinn Féin club are corroborated by an article in the Saturday Record of 5 January, 1918, which states:
