John Boles in Myshall 1919.
Extract from report in Carlow Sentinel, June
31st 1919.
Dangerous Speech in Carlow.
Southern Police Court before Mr. Swifte,
Magistrate, K.C. Frank Gallagher, who was arrested in St. Stephen's
Green in Dublin, was charged under the Criminal Law, Ireland Act of
1887.
On May 25th last Mr Frank Gallagher
delivered a speech to a crowd of between 300 and 400 people
assembled at Myshall, Co. Carlow.
Constable John Boles, Myshall, County
Carlow, a special constable of the Royal Irish Constabulary,
confirmed his dispositions in which he stated that in company with
Constable Henry Skehin he attended a public meeting and Mr Frank D.
Gallagher, of Dublin (whom he identified) addressed the meeting. In
the course of his speech he made and published seditious and
inflammatory observations. Amongst other things he incited his
hearers in the following words, or words to the like effect:-
"I wish to impress on you that you owe no
allegiance to any alien Government ---only to your own---the Irish
Republic. England has no more right to govern you than China. You
belong to Dail Eireann, and whatever it asks you to do you must do
it from a Christian as well as a moral command.
If we have another rising be true to Eamon
de Valera, Plunkett, Thomas McDonagh, and Pearse. Do not let them
and the work they did in 1916 be in vain".
Mr Swifte asked Gallagher if he had any
question to ask?
Mr Gallagher stood up and asked the
magistrate whether he was appointed under the Act passed under the
Constitution of the Irish Republic?
Swifte took no notice of the question.
Swifte then sentenced the accused to three month's imprisonment,
without hard labour, and ordered him to give bail in £20 to be of
good behaviour for 12 months or serve a further term of one month's
imprisonment.
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The Carlow Sentinel, 7th February, 1919.
King vs Michael Walshe of Sinn Fein from
Tullow, Carlow
In the King's Bench Division on Tuesday
before Mr Justice Madden and Mr Justice Kenny, in the case of the
King vs Michael Walshe of Sinn Fein from Tullow, Carlow, who was
ordered six months imprisonment by a court martial for being in
possession of certain explosives at Tullow, application was made for
a conditional order to bring up, for the purpose of being quashed,
the proceedings before the court martial.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Carlow Sentinel, 7th February 1919.
Letter to the Editor.
-
- W. E. Grogan, Master of the Carlow Hounds.
February 4th 1919.
Sir ---Having read with much interest
letters from Mr. Bell, Mr. Burke, and Colonel Moore, perhaps you can
spare me space, as one of the oldest active Masters of Hounds in
Ireland, to have my say, and, perhaps, throw some light on matters
which are imperfectly understood.
This month of February is the most important
one in the whole year to a Master of Hounds, because in it he
contracts either to carry on the sport for another year or give over
his country to other hands on May 1st.
He also either contracts to keep on his
servants for the following season or engages new ones for a like
period.
About now also he is looking out to
replenish his stud, and also breeding his hounds. Masters of Hounds,
I may safely say, are a non-political body of men. Personally I have
never taken any interest in politics, and during the fourteen years
I have hunted the Carlow Hounds I have been most careful never to
attend any meeting, subscribe to any organisation, or sign any
document that in the remotest way could be connected with politics,
and I am sure the same applies to other Masters in Ireland.
Therefore I say that the Sinn Fein Executive
cannot have any quarrel with us.
We spend a great deal of money on the sport
we manage. The most moderate two day a week country cannot be worked
in present times under an annual cost of £1,500, while many four day
a week countries cost more then double that amount.
The sum spent and the employment given,
directly and indirectly, on the sport are vast, especially if you
take into consideration the number of people who live in Ireland and
spend their money, and who would not otherwise do so, were it not
for the sport they enjoy.
Take the Dublin Horse Show alone---the
amount of money it brings into Dublin is very great. Again, the
trade in hunters is one of Ireland's most successful industries, to
say nothing of local shows, point-to-point races, and a hundred and
one other functions more or less connected with the chase.
Fox-hunting can only exist on two broad
principles, the first of which is that you must have good-will and
welcome of the owners and occupiers of land over which you hunt. The
second is that it must be open to all, both rich and poor alike , to
enjoy, and must be absolutely non-political.
Nationalist, Unionist, and Sinn Feiners are
all equally welcome at the covert side, and are expected for the
time being to leave their politics at home.
Now, sir, I come to the point of this
letter, which is that we Masters of Hounds should be told now, at
this important time of the year, once and for all, if we are to be
allowed to hunt or not. The Sinn Fein Executive have no quarrel with
us. Let them play the game, and say at once what they mean to do ,
if they wish to abolish fox-hunting in Ireland and are backed up in
that desire by the majority of their supporters, there is no doubt
that it cannot go on.
In that case let them declare themselves,
and let us make our arrangements accordingly. There are at present a
number of English hunting countries vacant, and some of us , at any
rate, would be anxious to take over one of them, if we are liable to
be stopped in this country, at a moment's notice should any
political difficulty arise over which we have not the smallest
control.
No man in his senses would contract to hunt
a country for another year on such terms.
Let the Sinn Fein Executive take immediate
steps to find out if the majority of their supporters wish
fox-hunting abolished in Ireland or not.
If they do, I feel sure that Masters of
Hounds will bow to that decision, and no further attempt will be
made to carry it on.
If, on the other hand, the majority are in
favour of the sport and industry of fox-hunting still continuing,
let them also bow to that decision, and cease to mix up politics
with the chase. You might as well try to mix oil and water as
politics and fox-hunting----
-
- Yours, etc, W. E. Grogan,
- Master of the Carlow Hounds.
[Note added 2010. by Michael Purcell: I
am not sure yet of the Sinn Fein response to this letter but judging
from the following report published three weeks later in the
Nationalist and Leinster Times, the Sinn Fein Executive was not in
favour of allowing fox-hunting.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nationalist, 1st March 1919.
Hunt Stopped in South Kildare.
On Thursday the Kildare Hounds met at
Davidstown, Castledermot, but were called off by the Master on the
arrival of a body of men belonging to the Baltinglass, Castledermot
and Moone Sinn Fein Clubs, who came for the purpose of stopping the
hunt.
No interview took place between any member
of the Hunt Club and the Sinn Feiners. The members of the hunt then
proceeded to ---?---, where it was discovered the fox earths had
been opened during the night to prevent the hunt being held. It has
been reported that the Kildare Hunt will not hunt again this season.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The above is a true and
accurate transcript of the original document.
Transcribed by M. Purcell c2010.
Old newspapers in the PPP.