Tag: Sharpe Estate

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Castlebar, Galway, Gort, Kinvara – 1910

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The W.A. Record (Perth, WA: 1888-1922)
Saturday 28th May, 1910 p.4
Castlebar District Council has adopted a resolution calling on the County Council to refuse financial aid to the National University until the demand for essential Irish is acceded to.
The Committee adopted a further resolution expressing disapproval of the action of the Board of Studies of the National University regarding Irish and asking the County Councils to stand from rewarding pecuniary aid until Irish is fairly treated.

Lord Clanricard obtained a number of decrees against his tenants at Gort Quarter Sessions for non payment of rent, and the Irish Land Commission obtained 80 decrees.

Mr Duffy M.P. speaking at a large meeting in Kinvara organised to protest against a refusal by the trustees of the Sharpe estate of a reduction in rents to the tenants, said if the present dispute were not stopped it would eventually involve the other local landlords and the Government in a row, the consequences of which nobody could forsee. Rev. Father Keely, P.P. who presided, said the tenants were determined to persist in their agitation till they had conquered.

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Kinvara Harbour – 1904

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Photo: EO’D

The Irish Times
May 4, 1904
Kinvara Harbour and Pier
After 34 years continuous effort on behalf of the inhabitants of Kinvara, a start is at length to be made with the new works. Hitherto the great difficulty has been that the pier was private property, but the trustees of the owner, Miss Sharpe, through Messrs. Kirwan and Sons, of Tuam have now consented to hand over the pier, with its tolls, to the Galway County Council. The County Council have agreed to raise £1,000 for the rebuilding of the pier and the dredging of the harbour. The Agricultural Board, through Sir Horace Plunkett, have given a grant of £1,000 and a further sum of £1,100 has been allotted under Mr. Wyndham’s Marine Works Act, thus bringing up the total to £3,300, the amount estimated as necessary by the County Surveyor, Mr. James Perry, C.E. At the last meeting of the County Council on the 26th ult. a communication was addressed to the Congested Districts Board asking them to undertake the completion of the work. On receipt of the news in Kinvara the town was brilliantly illuminated; bonfires blazed from the surrounding hills, and a procession of torchbearers and musicians paraded the principal streets, the Rev. T. Burke, P.P., and Mr. Thomas P. Corless, Chairman Gort Rural Council, who have been so largely instrumental in the successful negotiations, receiving an ovation. It is expected that Kinvara will now become a port of call for the new Glasgow service of steamers which are to visit the principal harbours of the west coast, and that in addition to a revived barley market and trade development, a regular tourist traffic with Galway by steamer will now be re-established.

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Kinvara – 1939

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Connacht Tribune 29th July 1939 p 13

Kinvara
Kinvara c. 1950 Cresswell archives

News had come to hand that legal negotiations are in progress between the trustees of the Sharpe estate and fifty tenants in Kinvara for the purchase of the fifty houses in Kinvara. Mr Comerford, Solicitor, Tuam, is acting for the trustees of the estate and Mr L. E. O’Dea, Solicitor, Galway for the fifty householders. It is understood that the basis of purchase is on similar lines to that pertaining in Loughrea but so far agreement as to the years purchase price has not been reached.

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Kinvara – 1934

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Connacht Tribune 5th May, 1934 p.11

Winkles

At a meeting of the tenants of the Sharpe estate, Kinvara, a letter was read from the solicitor to the estate, offering on behalf of the trustees, a reduction of 15 per cent on the current rents in addition to 15 per cent temporary abatement allowed 25 years ago and now made permanent. This was an advance of 5 per cent on the trustee’s previous offer.
In the matter of the arrears the letter stated these must be left in abeyance as the acting trustee had not the power to cancel them. A motion was brought forward that the trustees’ offer be accepted as the tenants were not in a position to hold out for more favourable terms. After much discussion the motion was agreed.

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The state of Kinvara – 1910

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Freemans Journal 15th August, 1910 p.5

Photo: Cresswell archives
Photo: Cresswell archives

Letter from Mr. Briscoe to the editor of the Freeman’s Journal. (abridged)
Town Tenants’ League,
Executive Offices,
4 Upper O’Connell Street, Dublin
14th August, 1910.

Dear Sir,
As your readers may be aware, much disturbance and unrest has prevailed at Kinvara for some time past in consequence of the refusal of the trustees of the Sharpe Estate to reduce the rents in the town to the figure they were under O’Donnellan Blake Forster, and sanctioned by the late Judge Monroe when the estate was in his Court.  Some time since decrees were obtained against the tenant, and these have been lodged with the Sheriff for execution. Yesterday Mr. Corless of Kinvara wired me asking to have execution of decrees delayed, and I immediately wired the agents asking them to have this done. This morning I received the following courteous reply to my wire from the agents:

Tuam, 13th August, 1910.
Kinvara Estate.
Dear Sir,
We have received your telegram of this date, and, as requested, we have asked the solicitor for the estate to communicate with the Sheriff and ask him to hold over the execution of the decrees for a few days. We wrote to the tenants before lodging the decrees with the Sheriff, and gave them every opportunity of paying. If the rents and costs to date are now paid, we shall give the Congested Districts Board every facility to enable them to make an offer for the estate. The execution of the decrees can only be stayed to the 20th inst.
Yours truly,
D.J. Kirwan and Sons.

It was in connection with this estate Mr. Wm. Field, M.P; Mr Wm. Duffy, M.P; and myself recently interviewed the Chief Secretary in London, and I had strong hopes that interview would have laid the foundation of a settlement in the interest of the people of Kinvara. I may add I do not hold the Messrs. Kirwan in any way responsible for harsh proceedings, but evidently the trustees will have their pound of flesh.
Yours faithfully,
Coghlan Briscoe.

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Kinvara – 1910

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Connacht Tribune 15th October, 1910 p.4

Photo: EO'D
Photo: EO’D

A report spread around Kinvara early on Tuesday that the Sheriff’s men were “marching” on Kinvara with up-to-date motor cars from Galway, to make seizures on the town tenants on the Sharpe estate. The people were beginning to take things easy when, at the toot of a motor car on the Castle road, all shops were closed and the situation calmly surveyed from the upper windows. The motor belonged to a well known Galway trader, who looked amused when he heard the consternation his arrival had created. Developments are hourly expected, and the situation is growing serious as time advances.

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Kinvara Parade – 1910

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Nenagh Guardian 9th July 1910 p6 (abridged)

Photo: Keith Weller/USDA Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Keith Weller/USDA
Wikimedia Commons

There was a striking element of humour on Monday in Kinvara when some stock belonging to Mr Corless, of the Sharpe estate, which were seized as a result of a decree for non-payment of rent, was offered for sale.

The house of Mr Gaffney, another tenant was also taken possession of by the bailiffs as a result of a decree.

The reason assigned by Mr Corless and Mr Gaffney for allowing decrees to be obtained against them is that they wished to make a protest against the attitude of the landlord and the agent.

Before the sale the stock were paraded through the streets of Kinvara. A milch cow was decorated with green ribbons and had a card of membership of the Town Tenants’ League attached to her horns and a card underneath bore the militant motto of “No surrender.”

A calf followed bearing another card with the inscription “Mother’s motto is mine.” Then came a little boy dressed in green, seated on a donkey, with the words “No surrender” printed on his coat.

The animals were purchased for £11 14s the amount of the decree, by Mr Colgan, a U.I.L. organiser. The sheriff’s bailiff then proceeded to Mr Gaffney’s premises and auctioned a pianoforte for £12 16s, Mr Colgan again being the purchaser.

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