m w NUI MAYNOOTH OllftetJl «a fcili'Mfirt Hi Muad LAND AND POPULAR POLITICS IN COUNTY KERRY, 1872-86 by DONNACHA SEAN LUCEY, M.A. THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF Ph.D. DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND MAYNOOTH Supervisor of research: Professor R. V. Comerford JUNE 2007 Abstract This thesis explores the issues of land and popular politics at a regional level concentrating on county Kerry between 1872 and 1886. This was a period which witnessed salient political, social and economic transformations within Ireland and particularly in Kerry. In 1872 landlordism appeared to have had a hegemonic control over large areas of agrarian and political matters. Local government, parliamentary politics and land ownership were firmly within the control of the gentry. By 1886 this had irrevocably altered. Successive land legislation had removed much of the landlord’s control over rent and the principle of a peasant proprietorship was largely accepted if not established. During the period Irish nationalism underwent one of its most formative eras in which it developed into the dominant political force in southern Ireland. In examining these processes in county Kerry, this work has analysed the objectives, social composition and activities of various political and agrarian movements. In particular the Kerry Tenants Defence Association of the 1870s, Land League (1879- 82) and Irish National League (1882-86) are examined. The work highlights continuities and differences between the movements to provide an in-depth analysis of agrarian and popular political activity in the county. CONTENTS Acknowledgements. i List of tables. ii Abbreviations. iv Introduction. 1 Chapter I: Background to the land war in county Kerry. 13 Chapter II: Depression and the emergence of ‘radical’ agitation. 46 Chapter HI: Land League agitation: 1881-82. 71 Chapter IV: The Irish National League, Fenianism and Parnellism. 106 Chapter V: The operation of the Irish National League. 155 Chapter VI: Agrarian violence and Nationalism. 200 Conclusion: 253 Appendix: 267 Bibliography: 278 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to thank a number of people for their assistance in the completion of this thesis. I would in particular like to thank my supervisor Professor R. V. Comerford for his invaluable encouragement and assistance throughout the course of this study. I would also like to thank academic and post­ graduate colleagues who I have met in the Department of History, N.U.I. Maynooth and who have provided me with friendship and intellectual stimulation. These include; Dr Fergus Campbell, Dr Terence Dooley, Dr Georgina Laragy, Feichin McDermott, Dr Dympna McLoughlin, and Stephen O’Connor. I would also like to thank Dr Frank Cullen for his assistance during the production of maps for this work. My sincere thanks to the directors and staff of the following libraries and archives who have helped me during the course of my work; the National Library of Ireland, John Paul II and Russell libraries at Maynooth, the library of Trinity College, Dublin, the National Archives of Ireland, Dublin City Archive, the Valuation Office and University College Dublin Library. The staffs of the Kerry County Library Service deserve special mention. In particular Eamon Browne of the Local History and Archives Section in the Kerry County Library has been of great assistance to me throughout my research. Also, the late Cathy Murphy of Dingle Library was always a source of encouragement for me. I would like to thank a number of individuals whose knowledge of Kerry history has greatly added to my own understandings. These include Dr Paul Dillon, Bemie Goggin, Gerry Lyne and Gerry O’Leary. I would also like to thank my girlfriend Leanne for her continued support, encouragement and especially her patience while I endeavoured to complete this work. Also, I would like to thank her parents, Paul and Renee, for their never ending hospitality and in particular their Sunday dinners. Last but not least I would like to thank my family without whom I would never have undertaken this work. My two sisters, Sinead and Eileen, my aunt Eileen and uncle Sean have been a great source of encouragement and support for me. I especially want to thank my mother Joan, whose belief in me and my abilities has been of immeasurable importance. I would like to dedicate this work to her and to the memory of my father, Robert. LIST OF TABLES Table l.a: Value and number of holdings in Tralee Parliamentary Borough in 1874. Table l.b: Valuation of holdings of sixty three signatories of a pro-home rule address during the Tralee Parliamentary Borough election, 1874. Table, l.c: Occupations of suspected Fenians in county Kerry, 1861-69. Table, l.d: Geographical breakdown of suspected Fenians in regions in county Kerry, 1861-69. Table l.e: Annual rental of Talbot-Crosbie’s estate, 1855-77. Table 3.a: The number of branch meetings of the Land League held in each poor law union, Sept.-Dee. 1880. Table 4.a: Number of rents fixed by the Land Commission in county Kerry, Munster and Ireland, Aug. 1881-Dec. 1883. Table 4.b: The number of cases fixed by the Land Commission by valuation, the total number of such holdings, and the proportion of such holdings with rents fixed compared to the overall total in county Kerry, Aug. 1881-Dec. 1883. Table 4.c: Return of faims in each police district in county Kerry from which tenants have been evicted or which have been surrendered, 1 Jan. 1881-1 Oct. 1883. Table 4.d: Poor law union and grand jury expenditure in county Kerry, 1877-84. Table 5.a: Year and place of ordination of parish priests and priests involved in education who attended the 1885 National League Convention in Tralee. Table 5.b: Year and place of ordination of curates who attended the 1885 National League Convention. Table 5.c: Number of branch meetings of the Irish National League by poor law union, 1 Jan. 1885-31 Dec. 1885. Table 5.d: Age of a sample of members from four branches of the National League, 1885. Table 5.e: A breakdown of 360 resolutions passed at National League branch meetings reported in the Kerry Sentinel, 1 Jan. 1885-31 Dec. 1885. Table: 6.a: Number of agrarian outrages reported to the R.I.C. in county Kerry, 1850-79. Table 6.b: Occupation of individuals suspected by the R.I.C. of being directly or indirectly involved in committing outrages during 1880 in county Kerry. Table 6.c: Number of outrages committed in R.I.C. districts in county Kerry, Aug. 1885- June 1886. Table 6.d: Objectives of 339 outrages committed in county Kerry, Aug. 1885-June 1886. ABBREVIATIONS C.I. County Inspector CO Colonial Office c so Chief Secretary’s Office CSO ICR Chief Secretary’s Office Irish Crime Records CSO RP Chief Secretary’s Office Registered Papers D.C.A. Dublin City Archive D.I. District Inspector E.D. Electoral Division G.A.A. Gaelic Athletic Association I.A.A.A. Irish Amateur Athletic Association I.P.P. Irish Parliamentary Party I.H.S. Irish Historical Studies ILLNLP Irish Land League and National League Papers J.C.H.A.S. Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society J.K.A.H.S. Journal of the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society J.P. Justice of the Peace K.D.R.K Kerry Diocesan Records, Killamey K.I. Kerry Independent K.S. Kerry Sentinel K.T.D.A. Kerry Tenants Defence Association L.G.B. Local Government Board M.P. Member of Parliament N.A.I. National Archives of Ireland I.N.L. Irish National League N.L.I. National Library of Ireland N.U.I. National University of Ireland P.L.U. Poor Law Union P.P.P. Act Protection of Person and Property Act P.R.O. Public Record Office, Kew R.M. Resident Magistrate R.I.C. Royal Irish Constabulary S.R.M. Special Resident Magistrate T.C. Tralee Chronicle U.I. United Ireland V Introduction This thesis concentrates on agrarian and political developments in county Kerry in the period, 1872-86. It examines the emergence of home rule politics, the economic climate of the 1870s, the land war period (1879-82), the establishment and development of the Irish National League and the relationship between Nationalist politics and agrarian violence. In examining these aspects of the period the work explores the various political, social and economic dynamics that underpinned politics and agrarian matters. In particular, the thesis highlights the existence of varying groups within society that formed the basis of popular political activity. Throughout the period tenant farmers, urban home rulers, Fenian inspired activists and radical agrarians all participated in various movements, which challenged the power of landlordism and the state. During critical stages these groups existed in a complex juxtaposition creating powerful social and political mobilisations. However, these sections of society often had conflicting aims and objectives leading to dissension and disunion. This examination of such political and agrarian activities provides an analysis of the development of Nationalist politics during one of its most critical and formative periods. Historiography Late nineteenth and early twentieth century Irish politics have been the centre of much historical research. This has greatly enhanced modem comprehension on the period ‘debunked’ previous myths concerning political and social developments in Ireland. Despite the large number of insights achieved by this extensive body of scholarly work, certain aspects of the era remain under researched. Inevitably, much of this work concentrates on issues either from the perspective of ‘high politics’ or providing general countrywide and national monographs. Internationally, trends in the discipline of history have witnessed a move away from the focus on ‘national’ histories.