The British Colonist 12th December, 1848 p2
Ben Moore – Own work
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ENFORCEMENT OF THE POOR RATES
The Limerick Chronicle of yesterday contains the following extract of a letter from Kinvarra.
“On Tuesday morning, at eight o’clock a large military force, about 300 strong, of cavalry and infantry, including 4th Light Dragoons, 69th and 89th detachments, under Colonel Sir Michael Creagh, with 56 of the constabulary under Mr Macmahon, S.I., accompanied by two stipendiary magistrates, Messrs Davys and Kelly, marched from here to the district of Kinvarra and Doorus, where the collection of poor rates was successfully resisted on a former occasion.
On arrival at Doorus this force was joined by 100 rank and file of the 68th under Major Smith and officers from Galway. Having crossed the bay in man-of-war boats, the entire party then traversed the county in different directions for eight or nine hours, presenting a formidable array, and meeting with no resistance or obstruction while the poor rate collector and his men were busily engaged collecting the rates, and received a large sum, although the doors in almost every village and hamlet were closed: however all who could pay, paid their rates, and the people themselves had removed the barricades some days before.
About thirty of the principals concerned in the former riots have been arrested by the police and lodged in Gort Bridewell.
On Monday last the military and constabulary were again out collecting poor rates, under Sir Michael Creagh, accompanied by two resident magistrates, and after traversing a considerable extent of barren country and visiting many a desolate village, the troops returned to Gort, having experienced no resistance.”
Dublin, Wednesday evening.
NOTE:
The Poor Rate was a form of taxation arising from the Irish Poor Law enacted by the British Government in 1837.
The Burren and Beyond 