Cloughaneely and Agrarian Crime
Cloich Cheann Fhaola agus Coireanna Talaimh
The Sheep War 1856-1858
In 1856 the Cloughaneely landlords were provided with an opportunity to turn non-profitable mountain areas into money by renting them as grazing pastures to Scottish shepherds, who brought with them thousands of black-faced sheep (Caoirigh Bhrocacha) to graze.Wybrants Olphert let his 2,000 acres of mountain and as a result his tenants lost their rights to use the mountain for grazing adding further to their poverty and destitution.
The reaction of tenants to this development was hostile. The first dissident incident occurred on the night of the 10th of December 1856. The Molly Maguires (a secret organisation) entered the Lillico household at Altan. James Lillico, a Scottish shepherd, was not harmed but was instructed to leave the area within eight days.
Between the 12th of January 1857 to the 19th of January 1860, some one thousand and forty one sheep were allegedly destroyed by the local tenants of Cloughaneely.
The Landlord’s response to the various alleged outrages was to appoint local magistrate, Daniel Cruise to resolve the conflict. Immediately, he increased the number of police. By 1857, 24 constables were posted in a temporary police station between Cloughaneely and Gweedore to patrol the district particularly the mountainous regions. As well, two taxes were levied on the tenants in Cloughaneely.
1. A police tax
A police tax was levied on tenants in order to pay for the increased police personnel.2. Sheep Tax
Sheep Tax was imposed to compensate for the loss of any sheep. The Scottish shepherds used this profitable compensation to their own advantage by allowing sheep to die and even killing them. The taxes amounted to the sum of £2,400. Daniel Cruise was successful in bringing the Sheep War to an end. The outrages perpetrated against the shepherds and sheep decreased but the suffering of the tenants continued.Landlords and Tenants
Tenants were in dire straits with the increase of rent, the restriction of grazing, the collection of sheep and police taxes and the fees for the use of turf, seaweed, fishing and limestone.On the 14th January 1858, ten priests met in Dunfanaghy to consider the plight of their people. They established a relief committee and issued an appeal publishing it in the Belfast Banner.
In Australia, Fr. John McEnroe formed a relief fund raising the sum of £5,725 to assist people emigrate. Between May 1859 and May 1861 four ships “The Sapphire”, “The Lady Elma Bruce”, “The Caribou” and “The Nile” brought in excess of 500 people from Cloughaneely to Australia.
Richard Hamilton was commissioned by the landlords to investigate the allegations of hardship they were inflicting on their tenants. He found no negligence on their part.
The House of Commons established its own investigation on the destitution previously in Gweedore and Cloughaneely. Between the 14th of June and the 2nd of July 1858, thirty one witnesses from Cloughaneely were called to give evidence. It concludes that destitution, such as complained of, didn’t exist.
Rev. Alexander Nixon of Ballyboes was particularly cruel in his treatment of tenants. On the 24th of October 1858 an attempt to assassinate him was unsuccessful. Shortly after this incident, he left the area. By 1890’s Nixon’s residence at Heathfield lay derelict. The red bricks were removed from it and incorporated into the Barracks building.
Cogadh na gCaorach 1856 - 1858
Sa bhliain 1856, cuireadh deis ar fáil do thiarnaí talamh Chloich Cheann Fhaola proifid airgid a dhéanamh ar thalamh sléibhe trí é a ligint ar cíos le sréadaithe a tháinig anall as Albain agus caoirigh brocacha leo ina mílte.Lig Wybrants Olphert an 2,000 acra de thalaimh sléibhe a bhí aige amach ar cíos leis na sréadaithe. Dá bharr sin, chaill a chuid tionóntaí a gcearta innilte ar na cnoic agus bocht is uile mar bhí siad roimhe sin, bhí siad dhá uair níba mheasa as anois.
Bhí droch bhail ar na tionóntaí agus ní thiocfadh leo gan díoltas a bhaint amach. Tharla an chéad eachtra oíche an 10ú lá de Nollaig, 1856, nuair a chuaigh na Molly Maguires isteach i dteach in Altan ina raibh cónaí ar James Lillico, duine de na sréadaithe as Albain. Níor gortaíodh Lillico ach tugadh ordú dó imeacht as an áit taobh istigh de ocht lá.
Idir an 12ú lá d’Eanáir 1857 agus an 19ú d’Eanáir 1860, cailleadh míle agus daichead a haon caora agus cuireadh i leith bunadh Chloich Cheann Fhaola gurbh iadsan a mharaigh iad.
Ba é an réiteach a rinne an tiarna talaimh ar an chnámh spairne ná giúistís áitiúil, darbh ainm Daniel Cruise, a chur i mbun fiosrúcháin agus cuardach. Ar an toirt, mhéadaigh seisean líon na bpéas a bhí sa cheantar. Sa bhliain 1857, bhí ceithre constábla is fiche lonnaithe i stáisiún sealadach idir Cloich Cheann Fhaola agus Gaoth Dobhair agus iad ar patról ar fud na háite, go speisialta sna cnoic. Lena chois sin, gearradh dhá cháin ar thionóntaí Chloich Cheann Fhaola:
1. Cáin na bPéas
De bharr gur tugadh an oiread sin péas isteach san áit, gearradh an cháin seo ar na tiontóntaí chun tuarastail na bpéas sin a íoc.2. Cáin Caorach
Gearradh an cháin seo ar na tiontóntaí mar chúiteamh ar chaoraigh ar bith a cailleadh. Bhain sréadaithe na hAlban sochar as an chúiteamh seo lena gcuid pócaí féin a líonadh agus chuige sin, ní amháin gur lig siad do chaoraigh bás a fháil den ocras ach mharaigh siad féin iad. Tháinig suim na gcánach seo go dtí £2,400. Chuir Daniel Cruise deireadh le Cogadh na gCaorach. Tháinig laghdú ar na hionsaithe a bhí in ainm is a bheith déanta ar na sréadaithe agus na caoirigh ach ní tháinig laghdú ar bith ar ghéarleanúint na dtionóntaí.Tiarnaí Talaimh agus Tionóntaí
Bhí na tionóntaí i gcruachás. Idir an méadú sa chíos, cosc ar innilt sléibhe, cánacha péas agus cánacha caorach agus na táillí a bhí le híoc ar ghearradh móna, ar fheamnach, ar iascaireacht agus ar aol, bhí siad beo bocht.Ar an 14ú d’Eanáir, 1858, tháinig deichniúr sagart le chéile i nDún Fionnachaidh le cás a ndaoine a chaibidil. Bhunaigh siad coiste fóirithinte agus d’fhoilsigh siad achainí ar lorg cúnaimh sa Belfast Banner.
Thall san Astráil, chuir an tAthair John McEnroe ciste fóirithinte ar bun agus cruinníodh £5,725 le cuidiú le daoine a cuireadh iallach orthu imeacht ar imirce. Idir Bealtaine 1859 agus Bealtaine 1861, chuaigh corradh le 500 duine as Cloich Cheann Fhaola go dtí an Astráil. Ba iad na longa ar sheol siad orthu “The Sapphire”, “The Lady Elma Bruce”, “The Caribou” agus “The Nile”.
Fuair na tiarnaí talamh fear darbh ainm Richard Hamilton le fiosrú a dhéanamh isteach sna líomhaintí a bhí curtha síos daofa, sé sin go raibh siad ag déanamh géarleanúint ar a gcuid tionóntaí. Ní bhfuair seisear neamartach iad ar dhóigh ar bith.
Chuir an House of Commons a fhiosrúchán féin ar siúl faoin bhochtanas a bhí i nGaoth Dobhair agus i gCloich Cheann Fhaola. Idir an 14ú de Mheitheamh agus an 2ra lá de mhí Iúil 1858, scairteadh ar aon chloigeann deag agus fiche as Cloich Cheann Fhaola le fianaise a thabhairt. Nuair a bhí an fiosrúchán críochnaithe, tugadh breithiúnas nach raibh an cineál bochtanais, a bhíothas a mhaíomh, ann ar chor ar bith.
Bhí an tOirmhinneach Alexander Nixon, i mBaile na Bó, thar a bheith cruálach agus tíoránta lena chuid tionóntaí. Rinneadh iarracht é a fheallmharú ar an 24ú lá de Dheireadh Fómhair, 1858, ach níor éirigh leis an iarracht sin. Go gearr ina dhiaidh sin, d’imigh sé as an áit ar fad. Sna 1890idí ní raibh in áit chónaithe Nixon, Heathfield, ach ballóg. Tugadh ar shiúl na brící dearga a bhí ann agus baineadh úsáid astu nuair a bhíothas ag tógáil an bheairic úr.
Location
An tSean Bheairic
An tSráid Mhór
An Fál Carrach
Co. Dhún na nGall
F92 YE2C
