Mayo call for recognition of ‘largely forgotten’ Erris members of the Land League

A renewed call for proper recognition of the Erris men and women who played a crucial role in the Mayo Land League was made at the launch of a new book.

Minister Dara Calleary officially launched the book, Land War Mayo’s Forgotten Conflicts in the Erris Coast Hotel, Geesala last night, praising author Dr Maura Irwin for what he described as “an inspiring piece of research and work.”

The Ballina-based Fianna Fáil TD noted that the attendance of more than 300 people in the packed venue was “a testament not only to the importance of this book, but to Dr Irwin’s lifelong commitment to the people of north Mayo - first in medicine, and now as a published author.”

Dr Andrew Newby, Senior Lecturer in History at University of Galway, used the occasion to call for greater public memorialisation of the Land League in Mayo. He suggested that the county should strive to have as many monuments and landmarks dedicated to the Land War as currently exist for the Famine and the 1798 Rising.

Dr Newby also commended Dr Irwin for bringing fresh focus to a period and region of Mayo history that has received comparatively little scholarly attention.

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Land War Mayo’s Forgotten Conflicts centres on the Graughill and Carter affrays - pivotal events that expose the harsh inequalities endured by local communities and the degree to which agents of the State worked alongside landlords to suppress them.

The two agrarian clashes erupted between October 1881 and May 1882, at the closing stages of the first Land War of 1879-1882.

The book has been particularly praised for its treatment of the Ladies’ Land League, whose practical and moral support proved indispensable to the people of Mayo during these tumultuous years.
Dr Irwin has helped to restore long-overdue recognition to the women whose contributions were vital yet frequently forgotten in traditional historical accounts.

“The Graughill Affray” involved a violent collision between small landholders, their supporters and the police over the non-payment of Poor Rates. It ended in the deaths of two women, Ellen McDonagh and Mary Deane, and the severe wounding of many more.

“The Carter Affray” which arose from disagreements between an impoverished landlord and his tenants ended in the non-lethal shooting of the landlord, Carter, and the murder of the “informer”, Thomas Barrett.

Both incidents exemplify cross-gender and class alliances in opposition to the establishment. Both men and women mobilised to oppose infringements on their land-based economies, in this time of economic hardship. Initially there was support and leadership from the Land League but this dissipated just as these affrays began due to the imprisonment of many of its leaders.