Athenry News & Views Summer 2026

Athenry News & Views

Protestant church is tolling a very sweet peal, the Catholic churches also, all seeming to mock us in our lonely cages.” Galway Band On one occasion, Sunday, January 22, 1882, he “heard the Galway Band in the distance today, but no attempt was made to approach our quarters, as it would probably be an infringement on the loyalty of the serfs.” Stamps for letters to be posted were paid for by the prisoners and there were daily deliveries of letters and parcels. Telegrams were sent from the prison, and others received. Messages left it the gate were delivered. Newspapers taken by prisoners included “Freeman’s Journal, “Daily Express’. “Tuam News’, ‘Galway Observer”. Newspapers such as ‘Midland Tribune and ‘Cork Herald” were sent to prisoners by people outside. The Toronto Globe’ correspondent visited. Prisoners wrote articles for publication in newspapers. mostly in relation to conditions within the prison. Sometimes there was tension among prisoners when, for whatever reason, the matter published offended fellow prisoners. Murmurings within the prison in relation to the daily diet led to letters being seat to Charles Stuart Parnell, M.P. On December 23, Mr. Duigenan of the Democratic Club, Walsall, arrived on the instructions of Mr. Chamberlain, M.P., the Government member, and “got the special privilege of seeing the suspects exercise”. That same evening a great row was raised on the arrival of the newspapers by the ‘Daily Express” report - ‘all but a few were accused of a wilful waste of Land League Funds. Diet The wardens were humane and, on occasion, could be courteous. On December 6 the Warden visited Peter Broderick at breakfast wanting to know what he would have for breakfast the following day (prison fare). It was a choice limited to stir-about and coffee: for one week. At supper the Warden asked about his preference for the coming week, tea or cocoa. In both cases he opted for the first alternative. Following morning Peter Broderick returned from exercise (in the dark) to find ‘a bright culinary utensil of gigantic proportions was laid on the table. The weapon for onslaught on the stir-about - a big iron spoon - a pan filled almost to the top with stir-about and a saucepan of milk was the inviting repast for a cold morning. As I attacked my skilly, I really began to feel a foretaste of prison life. The stir-abour was pretty fair but abounded with salt. He didn’t like it and ‘turned to the Anglo-Saxon cocoa with a bit of bread and butter (got in on the previous day)’. He observed in the refuse collected that “almost as much made its way back to the cookhouse as came from it.” For dinner that day there were two big pieces of coarse broad and wretchedly strong and a pint of coffee, as strong and black as tar. Porter was not supplied today’. The evening meal of tea and brown bread was in his opinion ‘equally as good in every way as that supplied from outside. He was hopeful: “All in all, the fare was not so bad as an outside world believes it to be. I expect (D.V.) to be able to rough it.” John Dillon, M.P. wrote to a fellow prisoner. Mr. Harris, “regretting anything should occur to annoy the men in Galway prison and saying the prison diet would be only for a few weeks” - the men considered this term quite long

enough. The following day, Thursday, December 8, was a meat day on prison fare and “was altogether fair. The quantity was very nearly sufficient and the quality good - four potatoes, three-quarters pint soup (good) and about eight or nine ounces of boiled beef. No porter supplied”. The breakfast earlier in the day had been poor. By mid-December Peter Broderick was arranging for breakfast to be served from outside. Others did the same. By the end of the month dinner and supper were being reserved by him from outside. The outside supplier was Mrs. Mason. Visitors came virtually daily and the prisoner had the choice of seeing them or not. They were welcome in nearly all instances, thought Peter Broderick refused to see a certain gentleman for quite a while. On February 7, 1882, he was visited by two men and ‘felt very indifferent towards their attention’. Fasting On February 13 a woman from Kilconnell visited giving Peter Broderick ‘the usual sanctimonious consolation’. On Monday, February 20, he read in the Galway Observer” that he was “careworn and thin from the confinement”. The following Sunday, Feburary 27 at Mass in Galway Jail, Father Creaven the celebrant commented strongly on the necessity of fasting. Unpleasant Life in Galway Jail By the 1880s the warders in the jails of Ireland were Home Rulers. By 1886, five years after the Athenry Land Leaguer, Peter Broderick, was interned at Galway Jail, the easy going Governor of Galway Jail, Captain Mason, who had relaxed the rules, was obliged to leave the prison service. The General Prisons Board, through the reports of its inspector Pierce Joyce was made aware of the relaxation of rules at Galway Prison. Joyce made regular visits during Broderick’s time there. Others to fall victim of the officious comments of Joyce were a Chief Warder, Mr. Grant, who was degraded, reduced in pay and transferred to a convict prison, A Warder was dismissed and Professor Kincaid, the Medical Officer, was ticked off. On arrival at Galway Jail, on Wednesday, November 9, Peter Broderick was “hurried to the Governor’s office. The warrant was shown by the Warder to the Governor, sent from the Governor back to the Constable and by the Constable to the Chief Warder in the office. The charge was read, entered in a huge book and a receipt for my delivery signed and given to the Constable” - a man named Reilly. It was all very serious business in the office: two Chief Warders (distinguished by the gold braid on their caps and the glittering crown on their coat collars) and a clerk logging the details, name, ago, complexion, colour of hair, eyes, appearance, height. Peter Broderick on being asked had he anything in his possession, handed over two one pound notes and a penknife and then: “Chief Warder No. 1 excused himself for doubting my words and made a formal search, resulting in what I had told him.* The prisoner asked for “a good cell and they said they would do their best. Broderick’s account of his imprisonment is to be discovered in his daily diary begun on November 9.

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