Tag: Gort Union

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The Poor Law and its Commissioners – 1846

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Freeman’s Journal 5th, January 1846 p2.
(abridged)
We subjoin a notice of motion given in the Board of Guardians of the Gort Union by Daniel MacNevin, Esq., one of the guardians. The facts which appear in the notice illustrate wonderfully the beauty of the new centralizing poor law. It appears that one of the assistant commissioners, a Mr. Handcok (sic.), who represents the Scotch autocracy of Somerset House, and whose sovereign will overrules and supersedes the discretion of the resident gentlemen and ratepayers, chose to apply an outrageously offensive expression to one of the guardians, Mr. Lahiff, a gentleman of very extensive landed property and great influence in the neighbourhood of Gort.
But it is not alone for the personal insult that Mr. Handcock will have to answer to the public and to his employers. On the face of Mr. MacNevin’s notice of motion it is alleged, that on a late inquiry into the conduct of an official in the local pest house (or poorhouse), this worthy assistant-commissioner refused to examine a material witness because she could not speak English. Can anything be more monstrous than this conduct? We trust that the matter will be fairly discussed on the motion, and that, if Mr. MacNevin can substantiate his charges – can prove that, personally, this gentleman is rude, aggressive, and insulting, and that, acting in a quasi-judicial character, he excluded testimony because the witness could only speak her native language – the result will be the exemplary punishment of the party so offending. The following is from the Galway Vindicator:-

GORT UNION – MEETING OF GUARDIANS
At a full Board of Guardians of the Gort Union, on Friday, the 26th of December instant, the following notice was given by D. McNevin, Esq, one of the guardians of said union;-
“I hereby give notice that on the 9th day of January next, I will move for a vote of censure on Mr. Handcock, the Assistant Commissioner of this Union, for insolence and gross misconduct towards this board. In the first instance, for having told one of our chairmen, James Lahiff, Esq., that he (is) a perfect nuisance; in the second place, for having, by his report, misrepresented to the Board of Commissioners, the conduct of these magistrates, members of our Board, two of them being ex-officio Guardians, and for having finally, refused, upon a late inquiry into the conduct of the master of this house, to examine a material witness for said master, inconsequence of her being unable to give her evidence in English, though three gentlemen of our board (perfectly competent to do so) offered to act as interpreters on the occasion, which after the said assistant-commissioner refused, and made his report against the said master, discarding such material witness, and thereby inducing the commissioners to dismiss said master contrary to the unanimous opinion of our board.
The board adjourned until Friday, 9th January next.

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Kinvara Races – 1920

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CONNACHT TRIBUNE 23TH SEPTEMBER 1920

Kinvara
Photo: Norma Scheibe

Officials—Dr. T. J. Connolly,
Judge. B. J. Winkle
Starter. M. J. Leech
Clerk of Scale and Course. P. Kilkelly,
President. P. C. Feeney,
Treasurer. J. B. Davenport, Hon.
Sec. M. Valentine

  1. B,. Dunbar, Secretary of the Irish Racing _Association , Handicapper.

Stewards—P. J. Flatley, F. J. Johnston, M. Staunton, J. Burke, M. Hynes, E. Connors, M. Greene, C. St, George, W. Hynes, T. St. George.

PROGRAMME:
First Race, 1.30 .p.m.—THE VOLUNTEER PLATE. A Hurdle Handicap of £15. Distance about 2 miles. The second horse to receive £2 out of Plate. Entrance Fee, 7s 6d.

Second Race 2.30 p,m.—TRADERS’ PLATE. A Hurdle Handicap ot £12. Distance about 2 miles. Tho second horse to receive £1 out of Plate. Entrance Fee, 7s. 6d.

Third ‘Race, 3.15 p.m.—KINVARA PLATE A Handicap Steeplechase of £25 Distance about 2 and a half miles. Second horse to receive £2 out of Plate. Entrance Fee, 10s.

Fourth Race, 4 p.m.—STEWARDS’ PLATE. A Flat Handicap Race of £10. Distance about 1 and a half miles. The second horse to receive £1 out of Plate. Entrance Fee., 7s. 6d.

Fifth Race; 4.45 p.m.—GORTSHANVOGH PLATE. A Flat Race of £8. Distance about l and a half miles. Second to receive £1 out of Plate. Catch Weights at 9st. 71bs. and over. Entry 5s. To close at scales with Mr. Leech.

GENERAL ENTRY £1. RULES:

The decision of the Stewards to be final in all cases. No appeal to a court of law-All Entries to be made with Sir. Valentine J. R. Dunbar, Handicapper, 28, North William Street, Dublin. Three horses the bona-fide property of different owners to start or no race. All Jockeys must wear colours. All accounts due by Race Committee to be furnished to the Hon. Sec. within one fortnight after Races.
Entries Close September 16th.

ADMISSION TO COURSE 1s.
Tariff — Tents, £1; Motors, 5s.; Vehicles, 2s. 6d. Steamboat and Char-a-banc services from Galway arranged for. (Char a banc is an early type of bus service used for pleasure trips. It was usually open topped.)

A Pipers Band will be in Attendance.

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Coole Park – 1846

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Boston Pilot 31st January, 1846

Coole Park Photo: EO'D
Coole Park
Photo: EO’D

The following communications, have been forwarded to us by the committee for publication. They present the most gratifying prospect yet afforded with respect to the probable consequences and progress of the potato disease. In strictness we should say that one letter presents those gratifying features – that of Mr. Gregory of Coole, father of the representative for Dublin. That gentleman’s station and character are guarantees for the perfect truth of this consoling announcement;
Coole Park,
27th December, 1845
My Lord,
I have to apologise for not replying immediately to your communication, dated the 10th inst. I was, however, unwilling to answer your queries from my own individual judgment, without endeavouring to obtain the best information I could procure from those most able in this neighbourhood to give it. Among such I have carefully considered the evidence I have received from tenant farmers, and now that the panic has ceased, I am more likely to ascertain the truth than when I had last the honor of addressing your lordship.
1st Query – I am happy to be enabled to state that a most favorable change in the potato crop has taken place since my last letter, inasmuch as the disease is not on the increase.
2nd – I wish particularly to make this addition to my former letter – that in the return of the police constable of the Kinvara district, every potato was enumerated as bad in the percentage I had the honor to enclose, which had the last appearance of taint upon it, the greatest portion of these were perfectly available for human food, but from the rapid progress of the disease at that time, I considered it my duty to send you the actual number of the potatoes affected, without note or comment, as we entertained but little hope of the disease being so mercifully averted.
3rd – Presuming the potatoes now in pit to remain as sound as I hear they are at present, I have no reason to dread a deficiency of the potato food in the immediate neighbourhood.
4th – for fear of inaccuracy I must decline replying to this question but as an index to the state of opinion, I have to inform you that the price of potatoes in Gort market on Saturday was 2 1/2d per stone, and that the contract entered into yesterday by the Poor Law Guardians of the Gort Union was for a supply of sound potatoes at 4d per stone, for the next three months.
I have the honor to be, my Lord, your obedient servant,
Robert Gregory

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The quarter acre clause – 1850

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Freeman’s Journal 27th May 1850  p.3

The quarter acre Photo: EO'D
The quarter acre
Photo: EO’D

At the last meeting of the guardians of the Gort Union (J.A.Joyce Esq., in the chair) a letter was read from the Poor Law Commissioners, in consequence of a memorial which had been addressed to them by certain parties complaining that some families, who were actually starving, had been refused relief in consequence of the father of the family having refused to give up his land, though the other members of the family were anxious that he should do so.
The commissioners informed the board that it was the opinion of eminent counsel that the other members of the family could be legally relieved under such circumstances, although the parent refused to give up his holding. A conversation then ensued on this subject in which it was admitted that such cases of hardship might arise, but that it would be likely to cause great abuses and imposition if the practice of thus giving relief were adopted. The chairman inquired of the relieving officer why he had not taken the application of the family referred to in the memorial – to which he replied that it was because they held land. The chairman informed him that it was his duty to receive all applications made to him and leave it to the board to decide how far they were entitled to relief. If any of them held land he(the relieving officer) should, of course state that as well as all other facts which he knew concerning them to the board.