The W.A. Record 13th May, 1905 p.6 (abridged)
Great excitement prevailed at Ballinderreen on Wednesday (says the “Freeman” April 1), connected with service of processes for non-payment of rent upon tenants of the St. George estate. A fortnight ago the process-server, under the protection of a number of police, attempted to serve the processes, but the attempt failed, owing to the resistance offered by the people. Today a force of sixty police left Galway to assist the process-server, with a contingent of police drawn from other places. The people, however, were apprised in advance of their coming. The dry stone walls on each side of the road had been torn down to the ground and thrown upon the roadway, so that no vehicular or foot traffic could take place upon the road.
The whole force was set at work to clear the debris, but the pace was slow as some of the boulders required two or three police to remove. During the work the chapel bells at Ballinderreen were tolled. A large crowd of people gathered on a hill over-looking the village and shouted and jeered at the police and the process-server, while the latter did his work by nailing the processes to the doors of the houses of the different tenants who were being processed for rent. Relays of police were stationed all along the public road, and were kept continually employed in making a roadway for the cars. As the walls were levelled on to the road the whole way. It took three hours to serve all the processes.
The land on that part of the estate is of very poor quality, being cut into small patches by great boulders and other impediments. The price paid by the tenants is between 15s and 20 per acre, and from appearances is far in excess of the value of the land.
The Burren and Beyond 