Newspaper articles


The Times
Contributed by Mary Heaphy
1927

Times March 27th 1927.

Land trouble in Ireland.

Dublin March 27th 1927.

Disturbances in County Tipperary.

A serious revival of agrarian disturbance is reported from County Tipperary,
where exciting scenes were witnessed yesterday. Recently the Free State Land
Commission acquired 3000 acres of the Loran estate midway between Roscrea
and Templemore, and decided to distribute the land among landless men.
Taking advantage of the powers which it obtained under the land act of 1923
the commission allotted certain holdings on the estate to half-a-dozen
families from other parts of Tipperary, to the intense annoyance of the
local inhabitants, who demanded that they alone should share the distributed
lands. When the new tenants of the farms arrived at their holdings, the
local people organized a big demonstration. Having mobilized all the
available young men they marched with several bands to the Loran estate,
where they proceeded to maltreat the so-called usurpers. At first they
confined their activities to booing and insulting remarks, but afterwards
their indignation broke all bounds and they drove the unfortunate people
from their farms, handling them severely. While these disturbances were in
progress news was conveyed to the Civic Guards at one of the neighbouring
towns, with the result that a substantial force of police was hurried to the
scene in Motor-Lorries. Their arrival put a stop to the demonstration , and
after a short struggle 16 of the rioters were arrested. They were taken by
Motor-Lorry to Limerick where they will be put on trial.

This revival of trouble on the land has been expected in Ireland for some
time. The new land act was designed specially to redress the grievances of
the landless men and "Congests" but the wide powers given to the Land
Commission took no account of the fierce local jealousies which has been a
dangerous feature of the Irish Land Problem. The attempt to import strangers
into any new agricultural area will always be attended by grave risks in
this country, and the outrage on the Loran estate is symptomatic of the
unreasonable attitute of the persons whom the land commission is trying to
help. Without some transference of "Congests" from one area to another
nothing can be done to relieve the acute land hunger which prevails
throughout Southern Ireland, but while memories of the old land war
remain,the best efforts of legislation to solve the problem will be liable
to shipwreck.