Irish News.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 15, 27 January 1893, Page 9

Irish News.

Armagh. — How the northern farmer ia rack-rented was shown in the Land Court in Armagh a few days aero, where the Commissioners reduced the reutu of thirty-fire tenants on tbe estate of Countess of Charlemont by thirty-six per cent all round — from £398 16a lid to £252 3d 2d. For years this tenantry has been paying tifty-oight per cent above what the fair rent should have been on the judicial declaration of the Laud Commission. In another estate, that of H. B. Fitzgerald, the same court cut down the rent from £5 to £3 2a, being a reduction of nearly sixty per cent, and in this case the tenant had been required to pay 150 per cent more than the Oom. missionera allow Is fair. Other reductions were given, such as £2 to 15s and £88 to £6C.

Carlow* — A meeting of tenants on tbe estate of Viscount Garlow will be held at the village of Brno soon for the purpose of appointing a deputation to wait upon tbe estate agent and aik him to grant a redaction in their rents. The tenants are driven to this step by the unusually bad harvest and the great fall in the price of stock.

Cork.— The Baroness Burdett-Coutts has, through bar agent, John Sipsford, given instructions to Biohard Sisk, who built the industrial school at Baltimore, to produce a model of it eighteen feet square, or on the scale of an inch to the foot, for exhibition at the World's Fair, Chicago.

At tbe meeting of the Skull Board of Guardians recently a demonstration was made by a large number of distressed labourers and small farmers bearing a black flag, on which were inscribed the

words, " Remember '46, '74, '79, '80," etc. The chairman, having inquired as to the obj :ct of the visit, a spokesman, named Bonane said be was sorry to Bay that they had to appear before them to renew their appeal for succour to ward off the distress and hunger which were staring them in the face in the districts of Dumanus, Goleen, and tbe west generally. They did not come to look for charity, but for honest labour. What they now sought was that the Guardians would use their influence with the Government to try and obtain some employment for them around Dumanus, Goleen, and Orookhaven Derry.— An incident of an extraordinary character occurred at Garvagh, which has created a lensation, and is viewed with varied feelinzs by tbe people of the locality. About two weeks ago the Church authorities in tbe town of Garvagh proceeded to the ancient church at Desertoghill and removed from its place there an interesting religious and antiquarian relic known as St Columbkilld'a titone, and brought it to Garvagh and placed it in the churchyard thare for tbe purpose of insuring tbe greater safety of the relic. It has since disappeared. As it is generally be'ieved to have beea associated with Deaertoghill Church since its foundation 1 300 years ago by St Columbkille, it has always been an object of interest. A tiensatioaal oolution of tbe disappearance is a report which has gained currency to tbe eff ct that tbe Btone is now on its way to the World's Fair at Chicago. Donegal*— William J, Doherty, Dublin, intimated to his (Cloghaneely) tenants that he is prepared, on payment by them of a half year's rest, to canoal all outstanding rents and arrears and give them clear receipt". The full significance of this generous offer will be understood when it is stacei that many of the tenants have not

paid rent for seven years. Mr Doherty is the first Donegal landlord who has recognised in his de illngs with bis tenants tbe exceptional agricultural depression.

Dublin.— There passed away last weak, at the ripe old age of 84, Father Collier of St Agatha's, Dublin, His lif« was full of useful work. While O'Conndl was in Bichmond Gaol Father Collier was bis spiritual adviser.

The petition of Mr J. B. Cox aga'nst the return of William Bed* mond, M.P. for Bast OUre, came before Justice O'Brien, Justice Jobnstone, and Justice Andrews, sitting for the trial of election petitions, on an application on behalf of the respondent for parti* culars of the corrupt and illegal practices alleged by the petitioner.

Tbe Lord Lieutenant was recently presented with addressee by the Boyal Hibernian Academy of Arts and tbe General Assembly of tbe Presbyterian Church in Ireland. In acknowledging tbe former his Excellency said there seemed to be an idea on tbe other tide of the Channel that Ireland's sole nttnral beauties were tbe Giant's Causeway and tbe Lakes of Killarney, and he thought it desirable that the academy should encourage landscape painting, with a view of making more widely known and appreciated tbe island's great attractions.

The following appears in the Freeman :— Dear Sir :— I still receive a considerable number of letters from readers of the Shamrock story paper, who are under the impression that the Shamrock remains under my control, and I am led to believe that its readers ia general are unaware that the Shamrock was seized by the same per* ■oni who took forcible possession of United Ireland daring my absence in America. As the labour of replying to such eommani* cations is considerable, may I ask you to be good enough to let me state in your columns that I am in no way connected with the Shamrock nnder the present management, bat that it is in possession

of tbe persons wbo, without a shadow of legal or equitable title, have seized by violence and destroyed United Ireland, for wbioh no one among them ever invested a shilling of bis money, contributed an effort of his brain, or risked an hour of his liberty f Youri faith* fully, William O'Bbien. About sixty years ago there lived at Belle Camp, a few miles north of Dublin, in the care of an old woman who kept the gate of a Mr Wood mason's house, two little boys too young to know who were their parents or where they lived. Mr Wood mason later took them to Dublin, and the elder, still living, remembers being for some time at the residence of Lord Cloncurry (now dead) near Dublin. That must have been around the year 1833. The boye were afterwards brought to Liverpool and deserted thare. They were put in a school of industry and separated. Eight or ten years after the elder bojr wrote to Lord Cloncurry for information of his parents or relatives or early hißtory. All Lord Cloncurry could tell was that Mr Wood* maßon was dead and a Mr Byron or Byrne held some property for his heir. Nothing more was learned at the time. The elder of the two boys, now an old man, would ba gratefal for any information ia connection with above facts, Address, G. W. Dizon, Spring Lake, Michigan, U.S.A. Kerry.— Sir Thomas Grattan Bsmonde has been making a visit to his constituents in West Kerry. Ha has promised to try and obtain a grant from Government fur the extension of Ding'e pier. Maur cc Leonard, agent for the Earl of Kenmare, olaimed £4,000 damages at the Killarney Presentment Sessions a few days ago by reason of about 200 aores of wood, consisting of oak, biroh, holly, arbutus, heather, grass, and other produce then growing on said lands, having been maliciously get on fire and completely destroyed at

Derrycunnihy, on Wednesday, May 11, 1892. The claim was not passed and the Earl may go.

At the Killaroey Land Sessions last week Mary Leahy, tenant, F. 0. Bland, landlord, came on for hearing, on an application to fix the letting value of the farm. The rent of the holding was £3, the valuation being £1 s§. The tenant who was scarcely able to speak any English, wai sworn. Sha appeared to be 80 years of age. It transpirtd that her husband died last year, and shortly afterwards she received news of the death of her son in America. She was willing to dispose of her farm, which she said she had been keeping only for her son, who, In fact, had paid the rent for her by sending money home. A neighbour was willing to give her £30 for the land in consideration of old friendship for her family, but the landlord would not consent, and after some time introduced her to a prospecting tenant who would give only £21 for her interest in the farm and she was induced to consant to have the letting value pat down at £21.

Kildare.— The farm held by John Moore of Blakestown. known as Poulaphuca, was recently sold to Peter Murphy of South Great George street, Dublin, for £1,500.

LtOn^fbrd*— Justin McCarthy and Edward Blake, M.P.'d, will, it is stated, attend the County Convention to be held in Longford on an early date.

At rtcent Ballymahon fair the demand was pre ty good, but the prices were very low. Several lots of cattle and sheep remained unsold. There was a large supply of stock. The pig fair was something better. Fat pigs realised L3to L 6 ; store pigs, L2to L 2 10s ; springer cows, Lll to LlB ; year-and-a-half bullocks, L 3 to L 5 ; two-year-olds, L 5 to LlO ; milch cows, LlOto H4. Sheep :— Lambs, 14s to 25s ,* hoggets, LI 5s to LI 15s ; fat sheep, LI 6s to L 2 sj.

Horses: — Foals, L 5 to L 7 ; one-and-a-ha'f-year-olds, LlO to Ll4 ; two-year-old 8, Lls to L2O ; three-year-olda, L2sto L 34. Mayo* —There were over 1,100 cattle and 300 foals and betweea 300 and 400 sheep sold at the Weatport November fair. The prices wert down. Foals that ued to briDg L 6 and L 7 were sold at L 4. The pitiful condition of the people along the north coast of the County calls for immeiiate and substantial relief. Irishmen never want charity, they want work, and would have sufficient of it if the affairs of the country were in the hands of native legislators, On All Saints' Day the first train entered the neat and prosperous town of Ballinrobe. There wa9 a large fair at West port and f.nother at Oastle Gore the same day. Great numbers of the people at Ballinrobe assembled to welcome the first appearance of the iron steam horse. The fair held at Mohill recently was the worst ever experienced since '47, in fact, cattle were selling at a price ruinous to the farmers, and even at such low prices the demand was very bad. If the landlords ever had any notion of honesty or justice, they ought to forgive a year's rent this November, or at least give 50 per cent reduction IMtonagfliaa* — One of the most numerously attended demonstranions held in Ireland to assist the evicted tenants took place recently in Monaghan. Every parish in the County was well represented. The cause of the evicted tenant will not ba neglected in this County . HOSCOmmOll.— The fair of Elphin recently was well-sup-plied with stock of a very fine description. Demand was good, but prices low, splendid three-year-old heifers bringing only Ll4. Breandrutn lands are now for sale, Mr Edward Mulball having decided to dispose of his interest therein. They are held at a yearly tent of L4B, and contains 97 acres. But whether a purchaser will be

found in the present very depressed condition of agricultural affairs is problematical. Tipperary.— Mich <el Tobin was last week evicted from his holding in Biwnric ->ard by the " Murrays," who have laid a whole district tenantle&a aud was'e. Sunday was the day fixed by the great County Convention of Templemore for holding the collection for the evicted tenants in th» Premier County. As was expected, the col lee ion everywhere w*s a great success, and the enthusiasm and generosity of the Nationalitts of Tipperarv's municipal capital (Clonmel) was emphasised, as on all previous occasions, in a very practical way, showing that their seal and ariour in the National cause is as vigorous as evtr. The meet* ing was a capital one. The attendance wss large and highly representative. With tha exception of Father Meagher's able address, there was very little speech-making, genuine work being the order of the day ; in fact no incentive was necessary, as all came prepared to " plank down the needful," which they did in no hesitating manner. Tyrone.— Some of the results of dressing potato topi with sulphate of copper have now been made known. John Gray, of Scotch street, Dungannon, selected two drills of 40 J yards each, and subjected one to a dressing with the machine lent by the Board of Guardians. The tops dressed with the solution in July remained green much longer than the others, and the yield of potatoes in tbat drill was 17^ stones of large potatoes (no email ones), while the drill undressed yielded only 12 stones. The same results attended the experiments of James Brown, of Donaghmore, and H. Chambre, Stewartstonn, who has lately purchased a sprayer of his own, for the purpose of using the dressing on an ex ensive scale. There is certainly every indication that the discovery is destined to be of immense benefit to the farmers of Ireland.

The torrent of rain fell last week in and around Strabane waf unprecedented for many years. The incessant heavy downpour con* tioued till ten o'clock, by which time the streets became deeply flooded, owing to the traps and gratings becoming choked. So violent was the rush of water that the streets were torn up, and some of them were made impissable with deep glut deposit. One place— Newtownkenny street — is literally torn up, and in §ome parts of it §o great was the rush of water that holea three and four feet deep were ma<le. All the inhabitants feared for the security of their bouses. To add to the confusion the heavy rains flooded some roof valleys at tne gas works, and the water, getting into the syphons, necessitated the opening of all the retorts, putting tff the gas supply in the town. When the gas was turned off everything was confusion in private houses and in the streets. "Wexford,— Sally Power or Poor, of whom an interesting sketch is furnished by Miss Banim in •' Here and There Through Ireland," died on Saturday in Mary street, Wexford, at the great age of 94 years. Sally used to declare— " 1 waß born in Bosegarland the night the Rebellion broke out," which was ninety-four years ago last June. She appears to have been of a very wild if not romantic turn in her youth. Sally used to 8»y :—": — " I call every affliction the grace o' God." Then, with lively humour and many peculiarities of speech, she gave a minute account of how, when she was a neat, comely slip of a girleen, she was took up by the fairies :— " Divil (the Lord forgive me) a word of a lie in what I'm tellin' yes now." —on a summer's day wbea there wasn't a cloud io the blue sky or a breath of air stirring — took up on a fairy blast, whirled right over the house an 1 landed over on the other side in a dead faint. Ay, and beside the big stone where she was found was a pool of blood. And from that out, for forty years, she had fairy fin. They were nothing else, for when they took her, she— that was naturally not 19

powerful m another by reason of not being so tall (though straight *nd a party little girl, »n' a head of hair you could wisp round your waist), yet when the fairy fit took hold of her, she would do the work of three msn, be it rapin', or bindin', or whatever she was at, no power could stop her. A' most wore out when the Almighty (blessed be His holy name I) took compassion on her and she was cured. 'WiCklow* — The Bplendid schools which Father Dunphy, in connection with the Convent of Mercy, Arklow, is having built, are approaching completion. These fine buildings when completed will afford accommodation for 500 girls, and will be placed in charge of the Sisters of the Convent of Mercy, Arklow. The schools, the foundation stone of which was laid in the early spring of the present year by the Archbishop of Dublin, will be thoroughly equipped in every respect for providing a sound primary edncation for the young girls of the town and surrounding locality, aod will form an ornament to Arklow and a fitting memorial to the energy and zeal in the cauße of religion and education of the good priest.