Ladies' Land League

The Irish National Land League was founded by Michael Davitt in 1879. Its aims were a) “to bring about a reduction of rack rents” and b) “to facilitate the obtaining of the ownership of the soil by the occupiers”.^[2] Charles Stewart Parnell, the dominant political figure of the day, was chosen as president. By late 1880 Davitt felt sure that the leadership of the League would soon be imprisoned. He suggested that a Ladies' Land League be set up to carry on the work after their imprisonment. A few months previously a Ladies' Land League Committee had been set up in New York by Fanny Parnell, Charles' sister, to raise funds for the Irish National Land League. Parnell was strongly opposed but Davitt and the Treasurer, Patrick Egan, persuaded the Central Committee.^[2] Davitt suggested Anna Parnell, another sister, to head it and on 31 January 1881 at 39, Sackville Street, Dublin the Ladies' Land League was formally established.^[1][3]

The organisation grew rapidly. By May 1881, there were 321 branches in Ireland, with branches also in Britain, the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.^[4]

At the Central Office a detailed register, referred to by the women as the "Book of Kells" was kept of information sent in weekly by the local branches. This detailed every estate, the name of the landlord or agent, number of tenants, rent paid, valuation, number of evictions that had taken place and the number pending .^[4] When notice of a pending eviction was received, members travelled to the area bringing money for assistance. If the tenants wanted to bring a law case, the league instructed a solicitor and paid his costs. They also erected wooden huts, if they could, for the evicted tenants, though the police often stopped this. In October the Land League leaders were jailed and the League banned. From jail, they issued a "No Rent " manifesto. From this point on, the women were responsible for continuing the work.

At first, volunteer labour was used to build the huts erected for evicted tenants, but this proved very unsatisfactory. Eventually, Anna Parnell settled on prefabricated wooden huts about 20 feet long with windows and wooden floors. The wood was cut, prepared and shipped from Dublin by the firm of B.B. Leech of d'Olier Street who sent along carpenters to oversee the work. A galvanized tin roof, felt cladding and a stove were sent separately. These huts could be erected quickly and could also be quickly dismantled and moved to another site. This frequently happened as tenants after a few months paid arrears and moved back to their holdings. Over 200 such huts were built.^[5]

As well as providing grants to evicted tenants, the League also provided grants to the families of those jailed under the Coercion Act. They also saw to the welfare of the Land League prisoners in Kilmainham Gaol. They provided them with comforts of various kinds and organized a food supply for them so they would not have to depend on prison food. Caterers were used at first, but at 25s 6d per week per head this was a drain on funds. Eventually, Anna Parnell persuaded the League leaders to change to 15s a week allowance to each prisoner to provide for himself.^[6]

The ladies found themselves with additional work late in 1881. The Land League had started its own paper United Ireland in August 1881, but towards the end of the year the government tried to close it down. William O'Brien, the editor, continued to smuggle out copy from Kilmainham, but it fell to the ladies to get it printed. This was done first in London and then for a while in Paris. Eventually, the ladies printed and circulated it themselves from an office at 32 Lower Abbey Street.^[7]

The final accounts of the Ladies' Land League, presented to Michael Davitt in June 1882, show that they expended just short of £70,000 during their 18 months of existence.^[8]

On Saturday 12 March 1881, just more than a month after the formation of the league, a pastoral letter of Archbishop Edward McCabe of Dublin was read out in all the churches of the diocese. It condemned the league in the strongest terms, deploring that "our Catholic daughters, be they matrons or virgins, are called forth, under the flimsy pretext of charity, to take their stand in the noisy street of life." McCabe was not representative of all bishops, particularly Archbishop Thomas Croke of Cashel, a strong supporter of the original league. Croke published a letter in the Freeman's Journal challenging the "monstrous imputations" in McCabe's pastoral. It was quite a church scandal for one bishop to attack the pastoral of another. McCabe complained to the Vatican, backing his complaints with a thick file of Irish newspaper clippings about events around the country. Bishop Moran was charged with sorting out the quarrel and managed to elicit a grudging apology to McCabe from Croke for being "technically" wrong in his actions.

The dissension was revived somewhat in the summer of 1882. An "Address by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to their Flocks on the State of the Country" was to be issued on 10 June. McCabe (now Cardinal) and another bishop tried to have a public condemnation of the Ladies' Land League inserted into the Address. The other bishops resisted on the basis that it would probably do more harm than good. They contented themselves with expressing their hope that "the women of Ireland will continue to be the glory of their sex and the noble angels of stainless modesty". When newspapers interpreted this as a condemnation of the league, Croke wrote again to the Freeman's Journal to deny that this had been the intention of the bishops. Again complaints about him were made to the Vatican, and again he had to account for himself to church authorities.^[9]