Athenry News & Views Summer 2026

Athenry News & Views

subsequently during the day”. There was, on another occasion in the yard, a right to-do about the 15 shillings per week Kilmainham proposal, ‘dictation from Kilmainham’. Nond and the Roscommon men wanted three meals a day or nothing, while Harrington and the Galway men were loud in their denunciation of Nond’s references to Parnell and Dillon. The notion of dictation wound up Noad and soon the word suggestion was replaced by dictation, 15 shillings a week plus one meal per day. At issue was the suggestion from Kimainham that each of the prisoners receive (from the Land League’s prisoners fund) the sum of fifteen shillings per week and be provided also with one meal per day courtesy of the Ladies League. It was resolved that the issue be settled during Association hour. Nond’s men maintained that giving prisoners fifteen shillings per week set a premium on crime because labouring men who were presently only on receipt of six shillings a week would be tempted to commit outrages to go to prison and receive fifteen shillings a week. Harriss and Glennon for the Galway men, moved an amendment to the proposal of Mr. Dillon “that unless three meals a day as heretofore were given we would not accept the Kimainham terms”. The Amendment was carried in a vote by a majority of fourteen. The fifteen shillings men were defeated. One can see that the presence of the warders was more benign then officious. Warder Wilkinson was in the observation box in the visiting quarters one day when John Fahy and Willie Higgins visited: a little legerdemain behind his back and very nicely manipulated’. That evening Broderick and Sweeney had an agreeable evening with the contraband., Warder Flannery was ‘quite mystified” by their good humour. Another day Mrs. Carberry manipulated half a pint behind the eagle eye of Chief Warder O’Keeffe’ and later on Broderick accorded ‘ample justice to it with help from three friends. Of course, Broderick’s generosity was reciprocated another day. Broderick perceived the irony of the availability of such contraband as cargo from Jamaica’, an abundance of stout of Jameson, in a place designed for deprivation. He noted that did Chief Secretary for Ireland, William E. Forster “know how endurable he has made prison life to some of us, bewilderment would seize him”. Broderick sometimes fancied he was at home ‘until the black iron door, the green ceiling and W. E. Forster’s Proclamation remind me where I am’. Little information is given about Warder Gildea but an incident involving Broderick and Gildea gives an insight into the civility of the prison staff. In March, 1882, Peter Broderick had a row with Warder Gildea following ‘an act of impertinence’ by Gildea, Broderick reported the matter to the Governor, and only the latter’s announcement of an investigation into the matter on the following day in the office staved off a proper rumpus among Broderick’s neighbouring inmates. At the investigation “Gildea proved himself a bare ruffian and was severely reprimanded by the Governor for his insolence”. Outside, the Unionist landlord class saw where boycotting was leading. Burton Persse made a request to the Lord Lieutenant for the release of the prisoners. His effort, “neither requested nor desired by us,” had tittle effect, and Broderick was glad to hear from visitors in December of the collapse of Burton Persse’s pleasure foxhunt”.

Broderick opined: “This taste of coercion might let him see the injustice to which others are subjected”. There was to be no amelioration of the odium of Land Leagers for overaweing representing force by the police and army and the events in Athenry in late January increased tension within the jail. Broderick’s brother John was arrested but the vivid accounts received devastated all the prisoners. Peter Broderick wrote of Athenry’s sad tale of January 27: “The authorities made a great display of powers. Military and Constabulary concentrating from all points and never in the recent history of Athenry was such a day witnessed. A general search was made for arms and scarcely a house in town did not receive a ‘Royal’ visit. Of course, nothing discovered. Father McPhilbin suffered the greatest indignity as in his absence his room and contents were thoroughly and disgustingly ransacked. Not even ‘The Lord of Hosts’ was spared as the Tabernacle in which He resided vile hands pulled down”. During the onslaught on the town a visitor from Chicago Miss O’Shaughnessy, happened to be in Lardners’ house. She too, was subjected to a search. Father P. J. McPhilbin was down visiting his mother at Castlebar at the time. On hearing of the attack he wrote a letter, published in The Tuam News, informing the authorities publicly he would be back io Athenry the following Saturday by the half-past four train. They could arrest him then if they wished. “If I am arrested for words spoken coolly, deliberately, without betraying any symptoms of passion from the altar and after Mass, the priests at the Catholic Church in Ireland will require to submit for the future their instructions to their flocks to the supervision of Messrs. Foster and Blake”, he wrote. The Athenry curate declared he had denounced the commission of outrages frequently before. He wrote: “Athenry parish had been more than ordinarily free even from agrarian outrages and in cautioning the people I also spoke of the outrages committed on myself and on the Blessed Sacrament as also on the houses of innocent country people without the authority of a warrant”. On the same day as Father McPhilbin’s letter was published, Pater Broderick, for years a public representative, wrote a letter to the Clerk of the Loughrea Union, Mr. Egan, in relation to the proceedings of the Loughrea Board of Guardians in connection with Athenry Sewerage. He had been re-elected to the Board and took exception to the compromise being proposed. “The: proposition is most commendable if it entails the further expense on already overtaxed rate payers, I beg to protest against the adoption of any such course. In my mind, the Board of Guardians in forming a Committee for the purpose specified are so far exceeding their duties... You are already aware, I presume, that a contract exists for keeping in repair and free from nuisance the streets of Athenry and if this is nor performed in the spirit the agreement by the contractor there remains another medium of redress”. Broderick’s ability in advocating propositions was recognised within Galway Jail and he was appointed to a Committee to represent the general wants of the prisoners. After ten weeks in the jail he had a chat with the Governor about the desirability of applying to W. E. Forster for a parole “in order to look after business matters’. but

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