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CSO/RP/CA/1824/21

Memorandum by author identified as 'S N E' [Stephen N Elrington] providing an eyewitness account of a ‘conversation’ held after an earlier public meeting of the Catholic Association; noted by author that he is submitting a printed copy of the report of the ‘committee appointed to devise the best mode of raising a general Subscription throughout Ireland’, signed by Daniel O’Connell and dated February 1824, which he spotted in a pile in an adjoining room [annotated copy of this report present highlighting O’Connell’s use of the word ‘I’ in the text]; [James] Sugrue noted that these reports were to be distributed throughout the country; Mr Lanigan argued with Mr Kelly that treasurers and collectors needed to be appointed first; Sugrue produced a letter from O’Connell, addressed from Wexford, outlining his itinerary and informing him that he had written to the catholic archbishops and had received a list of parishes from [James] Doyle, [Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin]; Lanigan expressed himself satisfied by the contents of O’Connell’s letter.

13 Mar 1824

1824

CSO/RP/CA/1824/22

Memorandum by author identified as 'S N E' [Stephen N Elrington] providing an eyewitness account of a meeting of the Catholic Association at unknown location, chaired by Anthony Browne and with [Frederick W] Conway acting as secretary; Conway argued successfully that their petition on the general state of Ireland should be signed ‘Catholics’ rather than ‘Roman Catholics’ and produced a recent letter from [Daniel] O’Connell supporting this change; Mr Kelly reminded them of the recent petition from the ‘”Roman” Catholic Bishops’ and Mr Dwyer urged them not to deviate from the precedent of their pastors; Conway promised to present his petition ‘praying for Emancipation’ on the following Saturday; Dwyer gave notice of a motion proposing that three treasurers manage the catholic rent as was done with several mercantile schemes in Dublin, adding however that he held the current treasurer, Nicholas Mahon, in the highest regard; [James] Sugrue presented sample books to be used by catholic rent collectors and it was agreed that 2000 be printed; Conway repeated an allegation that the Board of Excise in Dublin was about to exclude all catholics from appointments using the Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance; Conway also repeated a rumour that the Lord Lieutenant had ordered that statues of King William be placed on tables at a dinner in Dublin Castle on Saint Patrick’s night but added that Col Blacker was not sure if the statues, in fact, represented the Duke of Wellington; Mr Battersby, identified as a youth of 17 years, presented a detailed procedure for collecting the catholic rent and avoiding fraud including twelve person committees in each parish; noted that three catholic bishops had provided the association with a list of their parishes; reported that the association was determined to continue meeting until May and to continue communicating with members in the country and on circuit.

20 Mar 1824

1824

CSO/RP/CA/1824/23

Memorandum by author identified as 'S N E' [Stephen N Elrington] providing an eyewitness account of a meeting of the Catholic Association at unknown location, chaired by M Kelly and with [Frederick W] Conway acting as pro-secretary; [Daniel] O’Connell commented on correspondence concerning education in Ireland and denied that Mr North had spoken against catholics claims in the House of Commons; Conway read a number of letters from catholic priests concerning education including a letter from J Moloney, parish priest of Roscarberry, [County Cork] claiming that school masters in his district ‘borrowed’ children from neighbouring schools to falsify their numbers for the Kildare Place Society; a letter from James Kirby and James Mulcahy, parish priest and curate of Kilworth, [County Cork] claiming that Lord Ennismore [William Hare, 1st earl of Listowel] had punished parents who refused to send their children to the proselytising school at Ballyhooly [County Cork]. O’Connell suggested that the electoral constituents of Mr Hare, Lord Ennismore’s son, should be informed of this case and suggested that such letters could be used in the preparation of a report, and criticising the Kildare Place Society for including anonymous letters in their reports; he recommended that the association acquiesce to the suggestion of certain parish priests that half of the catholic rent be retained by the parishes for schools and other establishments; O’Connell welcomed George Ensor as a new member of the association and criticised the Lord Lieutenant [Richard Wellesley] who had dined in the ‘beef steak club’ despite having dismissed individuals from office for their conduct at that club; Mr Clinch called for a petition calling for juries to have equal numbers of catholics and protestants and the exclusion of members of secret societies, noting that several orange juries had acquitted orangemen accused of the ‘foulest homicides’ despite directions given by the trial judge; it was agreed that O’Connell and Fogarty would present a petition on general relief to [William] Plunkett, Attorney General; including annotation recommending that the report be shown to the Attorney General.

1 May 1824

1824

CSO/RP/CA/1824/24

Memorandum by author identified as 'S N E' [Stephen N Elrington] providing an eyewitness account of a meeting of the Catholic Association at unknown location, chaired by John Lawless; [Daniel] O’Connell disputed the evidence given by [Sir Abraham Bradley] King before the House of Commons and read out what he claimed were the oaths and passwords of the Orange Order and Psalm 68, ‘That thy foot may be dipped in blood etc’, adding that it was little wonder that the murders, such as those of Grimley and Carmichle, had occurred; noted that the Lord Lieutenant [Richard Wellesley] had sent Mr Blackburn to investigate a case in County Fermanagh and it was agreed to send a lawyer to aid the peasants; O’Connell claimed that the evidence given by Maj Wilcox before the parliamentary committee was the ‘greatest piece of impertinence’ but Mr Cahill claimed that Wilcox, a fellow county-man, was a fair and impartial magistrate who had put down orangeism in the police force; O’Connell proposed that the petition of W Colles of County Kilkenny on the subject of tithes be referred to a committee and adopted; Mr Fitzgerald, a protestant Kerryman, claimed that disturbances steamed from the tithe system, absenteeism and the ‘wretched state’ of the resident gentry who had borrowed money when interest was high and he urged protestant gentlemen to complain against the tithe system and cited a number of cases; a gentleman named Browne, who admitted to being a ‘purple Orangeman’, disputed O’Connell’s statement claiming that ‘the Orangemen of Ireland were perfectly indifferent respecting his opinion of them’ and in response to [Nicholas Purcell] O’Gorman he stated that ‘An Orangeman is a friend of all Loyal men’; O’Connell replied that his was not ‘conditional loyalty but founded on the genuine principles of the Constitution’ and Mr Lanigan charged Browne with ‘confederacy with others to spill the blood of [his] countrymen’; Browne claimed that the order administered no oaths and that their only enemies were the Ribbonmen; O’Gorman admitted that he had wronged Mr Plunkett during a debate but O’Connell disagreed with his interpretation. [For account of the Catholic Association dinner held on the following day, 3 June 1824, at the Corn Exchange, also written by Stephen N Elrington – see item CSO/RP/1824/1567]

2 Jun 1824

1824

CSO/RP/CA/1824/25

Memorandum by author identified as 'S N E' [Stephen N Elrington] providing an eyewitness account of a meeting of the Catholic Association at unknown location, chaired by Counsellor Finn; [Nicholas Purcell] O’Gorman read letters including letter from Mr Cavanagh, Enniskillen stating that he was arranging evidence for Mr Blackburn’s investigation; [Frederick W] Conway read a letter from [Patrick Joseph] Plunkett, catholic Bishop of Meath detailing the number of schools and scholars in his diocese; a letter from [] Byrne, County Down, regarding ‘orange magistrates’ was referred to the ‘committee for petitioning against Orangemen’; Conway noted that their last petition had been withdrawn ‘on a point of form’; [Daniel] O’Connell proposed a petition to counter the petition of [Charles] Brownlow ‘in whose county 3 Catholics had been murdered’ and claimed that the spread of the association had defused the ‘state of open rebellion’ that had existed; O’Connell stated his opposition to Col French noting that he supported Col White in his election battle with French’s relative, [] Compton Domville; includes the following underlined quote from O’Connell – ‘In 1812 when Napoleon was triumphant, the R Catholics had friends …’; Conway was appointed assistant secretary to deal with the increased volume of work; O’Connell attacked Lord Redesdale [John Freeman-Mitford, 1st Baron Redesdale] for his claim that a catholic priest had called for his assassination from the altar; O’Connell suggested that if the association were to be put down so too should charity and bible meetings, sectarian societies and ‘Dowager’s Card parties’; O’Gorman suggested that a petition be sent to parliament refuting the insult on the clergy noting the example of [Edward] Blount, catholic secretary of England who had submitted a petition defending his name; O’Gorman, however, did not believe that Redesdale had uttered the statement attributed to him in ‘The Times’ newspaper; a lengthy debate followed, mainly between [Richard Lalor] Sheil and [John] Lawless concerning the use of the word ‘calumnious’ in the petition with Mr Cahill supporting Sheil’s more ‘temperate course’; a committee was named to prepare the petition.

5 Jun 1824

1824

CSO/RP/CA/1824/26

Memorandum by author identified as 'S N E' [Stephen N Elrington] providing an eyewitness account of an extraordinary meeting of the Catholic Association at unknown location, chaired by Counsellor Corley; [Frederick W] Conway and [Stephen] Coppinger read correspondence from individuals and societies in Cork and from Eneas MacDonnell concerning the catholic rent; [Daniel] O’Connell announced that the Orangemen had changed their secret signs since he last exposed them and that Lord Donoughmore [Richard Hely Hutchinson, 1st earl of Donoughmore] was anxious to present petitions on behalf of the association; O’Connell commented on a report from Mr Kavanagh who had been sent to County Fermanagh to assist Mr Blackburn in his investigation of the affair on the Island of Inismore and the acquitting of orangemen by a local magistrate and noted that Sir J Galbraith was not allowed to attend the private examination of witnesses and praised the action of [Richard Wellesley], Lord Lieutenant on this occasion; O’Connell proposed two petitions, the first arising from a speech by Mr Brownlow against the Catholic Association in the House of Commons which he may have been pressed into making by his orange constituents, the second protesting against the speech of Lord Redesdale [John Freeman-Mitford, 1st Baron Redesdale] in the House of Lords claiming that a priest had called for his assignation from the altar; O’Connell suggested that murders in the north of the country differed to those in the south as they were mainly on religious grounds; noted that five individuals from Liverpool wished to become members of the association; O’Connell thanked ‘the Ladies’ for their support and regretted that they could not be made members; the author of this report noticed that reports on the tithe question had been printed for distribution.

9 Jun 1824

1824

CSO/RP/CA/1824/27

Memorandum by author identified as 'S N E' [Stephen N Elrington] providing an eyewitness account of a meeting of the Catholic Association at unknown location, chaired by Anthony Browne; the meeting was attended by a number of men who had recently prosecuted Ribbonmen and it was noted in an undertone by one member that [William] Plunkett, [attorney general] had called for the association to be ‘well watched’; [Frederick W] Conway wished for the men to be removed but Mr Cahill did not believe that they were government spies; subscriptions of catholic rent were acknowledged including over £95 from Saint Peter and Paul’s, Cork; [Daniel] O’Connell argued that they issue an address to the people of Ireland warning them of the consequences of being seduced by ribbon societies and other illegal associations adding that Ribbonmen could injure the association by becoming involved with the collection of the catholic rent; J D Mullen added that there were also some ‘depraved persons’ in the room whom O’Connell should warn the people about, to which O’Connell gave no response; Mullen claimed that the tracts of Pastorini in circulation throughout the country had come from Orangemen; Conway read a letter from an ill Lord Althrope [John Charles Spencer, 3rd earl Spencer] requesting that a petition against Orangemen be presented by Mr Brougham; Mr Kirwan presented, what he claimed to be, a forged letter from W McLoughlin attributing a charge against the catholic clergy to Mr North which Kirwan termed ‘the malignant assertion of a foul mouthed sycophant’; O’Connell added that he regularly received anonymous death threats and would receive more were it not for the post office ‘taking them off his hands’; O’Connell criticised Lord Colchester [Charles Abbot, 1st Baron Colchester] for having referred to the writings of [James] Doyle [Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin] as being ‘seditious’; O’Connell also ‘respectfully protested’ against the weak tone of the late publication of the heads of Maynooth College adding that that college received a ‘paltry pittance’ of £9000 from government in comparison with the sum received by the charter schools and the Kildare Place Society; [Stephen] Coppinger ‘spoke a long harangue' in praise of Doyle which caused some members to ‘stifle a laugh’; Mr Forde asked [James] Sugrue if it was true that 150000 copies of a Catholic Association report had been circulated?

12 Jun 1824

1824

CSO/RP/CA/1824/28

Memorandum by author identified as 'S N E' [Stephen N Elrington] providing an eyewitness account of a meeting of the Catholic Association at unknown location, chaired by Dr Magee; a significant number of letters were read and entered on the minutes, mainly enclosing subscriptions towards the catholic rent or requesting membership but also including letters of support from [Patrick] Magatigan [McGettigan], catholic Bishop of Raphoe, [James] O’Shaughnessey, catholic Bishop of Killaloe and [Patrick] Curtis, catholic archbishop of Armagh; Barry E Lawless and Barret Wadden of London were amongst the new members admitted; Mr Forde, attorney, was authorized to contact Dr Burke of Summerhill, County Meath who had complained that his house was unfairly searched under a magistrate’s warrant; [Daniel] O’Connell requested that a letter from Mr Lyon of Ballina not be read because he, O’Connell, had been assaulted at a bible meeting in that town and was pursuing the matter in the courts; [Maurice] O’Connell read a letter of support from Lord Kenmare but Mr Lanigan objected to the language used in the response; [Daniel] O’Connell dismissed the report of a riot at a meeting in Bray as reported in ‘The Star’ newspaper; Mr Dolan gave notice of a motion proposing that members of the English Catholic Association be admitted as members of the Irish association; Mr Ronan asked that the association investigate a case involving Henry Delap, constable who, while clearing a public house in Clashmore, [County Waterford] wounded a customer named Mr Keeley; it was proposed that a number petitions be transmitted to [Richard Hely Hutchinson, 1st earl of Donoughmore], Sir [Francis] Burdett, [Henry Richard Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland] and Mr Hume through Eneas MacDonnell who had earlier being appointed as the association’s London agent on a salary of £500; Mr Lanigan, however, argued that the petitions be sent directly to the members but this was countered by Mr Lawless who stated that MacDonnell was now a representative of the people of Ireland in England; O’Connell intervened by calling for the adjournment of the meeting which was passed after a vote; O’Connell later accused Lanigan of being ‘childish’ while Lanigan replied that ‘the childishness was on the other side’; noted that between 60 and 70 members attended the meeting and that they were admitted using tickets.

13 Jun 1824

1824

CSO/RP/CA/1824/29

Memorandum by author identified as 'S N E' [Stephen N Elrington] providing an eyewitness account of a meeting of the Catholic Association at the Corn Exchange, chaired by Sir Thomas Esmonde; Dr Magee presented a memorial from Saint Louis, America, which was signed by [John] Lawless’ brother, seeking funding for the erection of a catholic church, which it was claimed was one of the objectives of the catholic rent fund, ‘General’ Clooney, who was rumoured to have commanded Wexford rebels in 1798, presented a subscription from Archibald Hamilton and later suggested that a petition be got up calling for government funding towards church building; [Daniel] O’Connell reported that he had received correspondence from a Mr Jevers of Paris who had connections to newspapers in Paris, Madrid, Vienna, Saint Petersburg and Rome; O’Connell stated that while reform of parliament was necessary the association would only involve itself in the issue if their petitions were rejected by parliament while Mr O’Reilly warned the association not to meddle in the question of reform; O’Connell rejected an offer from Mr Busteed, contained in a letter, to jointly circulate 40000 copies of the ‘Donay Bill without notes’ dismissing Busteed as a ‘member of a society of Fanatics at Tralee’; Mr Dolan proposed that members of the English Catholic Association be admitted as honorary members of the Irish association, which Lawless supported noting that there were ‘no vetoists – no Butlers’ in that association and asking that [Edward] Blount, secretary of the English association be informed; Mr Kavanagh proposed that the names of all members be published; a letter from Capt Wise was deemed not relevant for the Finance Committee; O’Connell proposed that [Eneas] MacDonnell be appointed agent of the association in London noting that [Cornelius] McLoughlin’s report had recommended a salary of £300 and had curbed the functions of the agent; O’Reilly strenuously but unsuccessfully opposed the appointment and in a heated argument claimed that McDonnell was not suitable to represent the catholics of Ireland as he had allowed his daughter to be baptised a protestant and fearing that MacDonnell would become their religious as well as their political representative; O’Connell pointed out that they were looking for civil and religious liberty and should therefore practice such liberty and produced a letter of support for MacDonnell from [Oliver] Kelly, Catholic archbishop of Tuam; [Nicholas Purcell] O’Gorman and O’Connell discussed the need for an agent to counter the bills introduced by [Henry] Goulburn, [Chief Secretary for Ireland] and to quickly react to proceedings in parliament with weekly petitions; Rev Keogh, in a reluctant address to the association as he did not agree with political priests, implored O’Reilly to withdraw his objections, noted that the association was formed by both catholic and protestants and that MacDonnell’s faults lay between himself and his God; O’Gorman cautioned that the association did not claim to have a representational function; Mr Forde’s account of a police investigation and meeting of Orangemen in Cavan courthouse was referred to the committee of grievances; noted that half of the 57 new members admitted were priests, that 200 members attended and that tickets allowing admission to the floor were issued by Mr Dwyer from offices on 4 Capel Steet; sections of the report highlighted in pencil.

24 Nov 1824

1824

CSO/RP/CA/1824/30

Memorandum by author identified as 'S N E' [Stephen N Elrington] providing an eyewitness account of a meeting of the Catholic Association at the Corn Exchange, chaired by Sir Thomas Esmonde; letters containing subscriptions were read; [Daniel] O’Connell expressed pleasure that members of the Baron and Power families had joined the association adding that the Beresford family had represented Kilkenny for too long a time; O’Connell proposed an address to the people of Ireland warning them not to become members of secret societies or take illegal oaths including any oath to be faithful to the association, adding that there had been efforts to stir up the people by the Orangemen and lower orders of the police thereby allowing the government to issue proclamations; O’Connell also referred to a plan hatched by the ‘Lord Mayor’s Myrmidons’ and to the riots caused by Orangemen when they assembled to dress the statue of King William [in Dublin]; Mr Lanigan and Mr O’Reilly both objected to language used in the address including a reference to hatred towards Orangemen and the contention that trials under the Insurrection Act were conducted without judge or jury; [Richard] O’Gorman also disliked the reference; this was countered by [Richard Lalor] Sheil who stated that the hatred was directed against the ‘principles’ of the Orangemen, O’Connell who added that they were bound to hate the ‘abstract Orangeman’ and [Nicholas Purcell] O’Gorman who pointed out that, in trials under the Insurrection Act, the King’s Counsel acted as judge while ‘a bunch of Magistrates’ acted as jury; [John] Bric suggested that O’Reilly should attend committee meetings and voice his objections there; Mr Wolfe proposed a motion expressing gratitude to [William] Plunkett, the attorney general ‘for the many attempts he had made to redress his wrongs’ and his promotion of catholic emancipation; Sheil and O’Connell supported this motion noting that while Plunkett had refused to recognise the association he had not decided against it; O’Connell welcomed the promotion of Peter Burroughs, Serjeant Loyd [Lloyd] and Serjeant [Thomas] Goold adding that in [William] Saurin’s time Mr Giffard and his jury was every ready to tyrannise and prosecute newspapers; noted that that week’s rent was over £1032 and that of the 208 new members, 40 were catholic priests; Mr Devreux [Devereux], a catholic delegate in 1793, was called to the chair and a committee was instructed to prepare for an aggregate meeting.

1 Dec 1824

1824