Durham E-Theses Fr Patrick Lavelle: the rise and fall of an Irish nationalist, 1825-1886 Moran, Gerard Patrick Joseph How to cite: Moran, Gerard Patrick Joseph (1992) Fr Patrick Lavelle: the rise and fall of an Irish nationalist, 1825-1886, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5804/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 This is a study of Father Patrick Lavelle, one of the most radical members of the post­ Famine Irish Catholic Church. Lavelle, who came from a comfortable tenant-farming background in Mayo, pursued his clerical studies in Maynooth and from an early stage displayed an aggressive and uncompromising manner. His confrontations with John Miley at the Irish College, Paris; Bishop Thomas Plunket in Partry, Cardinal Paul Cullen, John O'Connor Power and others gained him a reputation as a pugnacious and zealous opponent. However, the more gentler side of his nature was revealed when he met Sir Arthur Guinness in Cong in the 1870s. While Lavelle is commonly regarded as a tenacious radical, it is often overlooked that he laboured relentlessly for his poor, oppressed parishioners of Partry against the twin dangers of Evangelicalism and famine. His pastoral duties were similar to those of other clerics in the west of Ireland and highlight the importance of the priest in the survival of their congregations. Lavelle's fame is normally associated with the Fenian movement, in which he defended the right of Irish people to rebel against tyrannical government. This policy brought him into conflict with Paul Cullen who continuously endeavoured to have Lavelle suspended by • i' the Vatican. Lavelle argued that the Fenian organisation had never been specifically named by the Church. He was able to pursue his radical course in Britain and Ireland because of John MacHale's protection. It is argued that Lavelle espoused militant nationalism because of the demise of constitutional nationalism, a positi_on ~~pt~4 _llY mrutY _other Irishmen. Once-it-became-dear tllafUiePeniiris could not deliver on the national question, Lavelle and others reverted to parliamentary agitation and the Home Rule party. During this period Lavelle's fame declined, symbolising the clergy's fading power in Irish politics in the 1870s and the rise of the Catholic urban middle classes. Nevertheless, Lavelle has to be regarded as the link between the radical pre-Famine Irish Church and the socially aware clerics of the post-Land League Church. IFir IF21ttirii~Ik IL21w~nn~~ lflln~ ~§~ mnmcdl IF21llll <D> fr ?allTil llrri§Jffi N a ~ft (fJ) IDlmillislt9 JL ~2§ c 1l. 88(6) Gerard Patrick Joseph Moran, M.A., H. Dip. in Ed. A thesis submitted for the degree of Ph D. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Department of Theology, University of Durham. September, 1992. CON'II'JEN'll'§ Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ .i Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 1. !Froltllll M!UllDDatglln ~o Mlatyirnoo~lln 9 ].~~- ].~§~. "The Early Career of Patrick Lavelle" .................................................................... 5 Notes ..................................................................................................................... 8 2. lLmv~nn~ mirn!lll tlln~ ll~rnslln Collllege9 lP'mirfis 9 ll~54loll~S~. "The making of a rebel" (a) Lavelle's appointment to the Irish College, Paris ................................................ 9 (b) Lavelle and the appraoching storm at the Irish College, 1854-1858 ................ 13 (c) Lavelle's explusion from France, March 1858 ................................................ 21 Notes ................................................................................................................... 25 J. lLaveDDe amll ~lin~ IP~rotesta!Irnt CirUllsadle Dim lP'atn1:ry9 ll~53o(Dll "The emergence of the patriot priest of Partry" (a) Lavelle and the Evangelicals Crusade in Partry ................................................ 28 (b) The Evictions, 1860-61 .................................................................................... 54 Notes ................................................................................................................. 7 ~. lLaveDHe a~rndl the !Feillians. Part ll. l86llo65. "Defending the right to revolt" (a) Lavelle and the MacManus funeral, 1861.. ....................................................... 81 (b) Conflict and confrontation, 1862-65............................................................... 87 Notes .............................................................................................................. 141 5. lLaveDie and the Fenians. Part 2. ll865Q 1370. (a)_ The_road_to.rebellion,-186.S,J868 ..................................................... -.. ;........... 152 (b) The drift towards constitutional nationalism, 1868-70................................... 166 Notes ............................................................................................................. 183 6. lLavelle and Partry. 1861 o69. (a) Life in Partry after the evictions ..................................................................... 189 (b) Landlord-tenant relations in Partry, 1868-9................................................... 206 (c) The Land Act of 1870................................................................................... 220 Notes ............................................................................................................. 226 7. lLaveBie and the Political Situation. ].870°86. (a) Lavelle and the Home Rule movement, 1870-74........................................... 231 (b) The 1874 general election .............................................................................. 251 (c) Lavelle's political demise, 1874-86 .................................................................. 261 Notes .............................................................................................................. 270 ~. lLavelllle smll 111!ne lLsnndl OIUlestfimn. U~'7«D~~6 •. (a) Lavelle and Sir Arthus Guinness's estate......................................................... 276 (b) Lavelle and the Land l..eague ........................................................................... 280 Notes ............................................................................................................. 299 Conclusion........................................................................................................... 302 Bibliography ........................................................................................................308 11 1rllue copy~rfiglhll!: olf thfis tlluesfis ~rests wiitllu tllue mllDtlhloir. No qllDotmtnonn 1f1rom fit slluoulldl !be p11Diblnfisllued witlhloiUit lhlfis p!rBO!r W!rfiUenn app!rovaD anndl nnn1l'mrmatnonn dle!rfivedl Jl'Irom fit sllum.nlldl be acllmowlledlge«ll. 11 0 '!!!:> .,-,_' . - , . ~ ~ ...... ' ...... \ ... ,, \ , I I 'c:o _,. ... .,-•, ...., I I COUNTY MA)'O ' r''' I"' !. \ 'I @ I (larernor-rts ,_.,'I , I ,---""'- ' (' ..... ( ,~ ----- ~ '~ r' I"; .. ., ' '-, I I I T uarn I I "' \... I COUNTY GAlWAY \ ' .. ' ' I l I\ ... ---- i 0 10km \ I.. \.. /'I ._,,_ /' \ I I '" , ........ ,,' I COUNTIES MAYO and GALWAY @ LJnd ove~ lOOm County boundary '«.. "'~·· Father Patrick LaYcllc at Cong Abbey in the 1870s (Photo courtesy or Wynne Collection, Casllebar). AcllrnowlledgemeB111ts. It is the most pleasant of obligations to thank those who have helped me with this great work, which has occupied a large part of my time over the last five years. I am most grateful to the many institutions and their staffs that have facilitated me. I would like to thank The National Library of Ireland, the Manuscript Department of Trinity College, Dublin; The National Archives; Dublin City Archives; The Dublin Diocesan Archives; The Irish College, Paris; The Valuation Office, Dublin; Mayo County Library and Galway County Library for making my research work a most enjoyable affair. To the many people who have offered suggestion, provided assistance and listened to my obsession with Father Patrick Lavelle over the years I would like to thank them for their endurance and patience. I must especially mention David Sheehy, Prof J.S. Donnelly, Prof Emmet Larkin, Marcus Bourke, Bemedette Cunningham, Prof Gearoid 0' Tuathaigh, Father Jarlath Waldron, Jarlath Duffy, Liam Bane, Dr W.E. Vaughan and Dr Emmet O'Connor. A special word of gratitude must go to Dr Raymond Gillespie, Prof Gary Ownes, Martin O'Hare and Chris Day for reading chapters of the thesis and