Terry Alt movement, early 1800s, Clare

[smcarberry]

Clare historian Ciaran Ómurchadha's letter to a researcher, provided at
http://www.mybrethren.org/bios/framjndw.htm

"In the late 1820s County Clare, and parts of the adjoining counties of Limerick and Tipperary were convulsed by an agrarian uprising brought about by a movement whose participants were known as the Terry Alts. Although poor market conditions had much to do with this explosion of popular anger, it was expressed in anti-Protestant sentiment because of the injustice of the whole tithing issue, etc.

This was also the time of Emancipation, which as you will known was achieved after O'Connell's victory in the Clare election of 1828. Sectarian passion was high enough as it was, but to make things worse the Terry Alt rising, and the O'Connellite agitation coincided with an intensive missionary campaign in parts of Ireland by evangelical Protestants, the first phase of the famous 'Second Reformation.'

In Clare the centre of the Evangelical Mission was Corofin and the neighbouring parish of Ruan/Dysert, where a local landlord named Edward Synge (kinsman to the later J. Millington Synge) made a determined attempt to proselytise his Catholic tenants, with bitter results that are still remembered today.

At Corofin he established a 'colony' with all the usual paraphernalia, schools, scripture readers and so on, and his activities brought much an angry reaction from the Catholic population, particularly those who were prepared to take direct unlawful action to redress perceived grievance."

But he also mentioned something which got me very excited:

"Rev. Darby clearly was one of the evangelical clergymen at the Corofin colony, where local lore has it 'Bibles were as common as raspberries.' You should find a reference to this in Ignatius Murphy's The Diocese of Killaloe 1800-1850 (Four Courts Press, Dublin, 1993), and in Flan Enright's article, 'Edward Synge, the Dysert Proselytiser' in The Other Clare, vol. 8 (1982), pp. 8-11."

(end of that description)

The recipient of the letter then states:

"So I went on a search in the internet and found the following under O'De Online:

'Most of the lands of Dysert (which for centuries belonged to the Diocese of Killaloe) went to the family of Synge which had been involved in ecclesiastic affairs in the Established Church since the 1670s. Nicholas Synge was Bishop of Killaloe in the middle of the eighteenth century and was probably responsible for the building of the fine three-story house at Carhoo in Dysert. Edward Synge, who gained control of the land in 1823, was a religious fanatic who swore to stamp out the great evil of "Papism". Edward Synge build schools which taught religious instructions most of the day. Through strongly opposed by the parish priest in Corofin, he continued his religious missionary zeal until his Dysert school was burned during the night in 1826. Synge himself captured two of the miscreants where upon a police guard was placed upon his house. Things came to a head on Ash Wednesday in 1831, when shots were fired at Edward Synge's car as he was returning home from Corofin. His driver was killed while Synge was miraculously saved by a Bible he always carried in his breast pocket. (The Bible and bullet are today on display at the Corofin Heritage Center.) Edward's son, Francis Hutchinson Synge, took over the Dysert lands in the latter half of the nineteenth century and carried out much needed repairs to the old chapel of the O'Deas, the round tower, and the high cross. He is buried under a stone of polished granite just outside the walls of the Dysert O'Dea church.' "

posted by Sharon Carberry
just in passing

[Paddy Casey]

More information on the Terry Alts in Clare in the EPPI (Enhanced British Parliamentary Papers on Ireland, 1801-1922) website at http://www.eppi.ac.uk/eppi/digbib/home

Entering "(Terry Alts) Clare" (without the inverted commas) into the Search box throws up 8 entries.

Paddy

[Polycarp]

The following Q&A about the pass words for the Terry Alts appeared in the "Ennis Chronicle" of 8 June 1831.



"The following is a correct copy of the Pass terms, used by the Terries in Clare, extracted from "Lady Alts" scrap book:-

What's your hith?
My hith is six feet odd.

Were you up early?
I was.

What did you see?
I saw an old grey man, with an ass load of primers, going to instruct the children of Ireland.

Where is the key of Ireland?
Under the foundation of Athlone Castle, where no-one can ever find it, but God or a brother.

How far off is the bounds of Ireland?
As far off as Athlone.

What are you?
I am a man.

If you are a man, have you any signs?
I have.

What's the first sign?
P.P.

What's the meaning of the two Pees?
Patrick and protection. That's the pass word of Ireland.

What's the second sign?
K.D.O.C.

What's the meaning of them?
King Daniel O'Connell.

Have you the Lord's paryer?
I have. G.P.A.L.D. That's God prosper all loyal dependers.

When is it full moon?
When the four quarters meet, which are Ireland, Italy, France and Spain."

[mgallery]

I have a bit of peripheral interest in this as my gt gt gt grandfather was Edmond Kenny. He was high constable of Inchiquin and was a land agent for George Synge in the early 1800s and lived at Carhue (Carhoo) Dysert. His son William was I think also a land agent. William moved to Cragleigh about 1828, Edmond was and the family stayed Catholic although his brother was Protestant.

I have come across some indications of Terry Alt activity or other agrarian activism against the Kennys who were fervently Catholic. My impression is that the Terry Alts operated against the larger farmers as well Catholic or protestant.

There is a history of the Kennys written in 1915 in the NLI Cecil Kenny mentions an article in the Clare Journal on March 25th 1805 about Edmond’s house in Carhue being burnt down and various atrocities being committed against him. I have been unable to find that article but possibly this contributed to his retirement as high constable that year and the handing over of the post to his son, Matt Kenny (Clare Journal, 1804).
I do have the below article

Clare Journal Aug 16 1804

........ on the night of Thursday the 9th inst. ..... maimed, cut and abused
3 milch cows, the property of Edm. Kenny, High Constable of the Barony of
Inchiquin and maliciously .... maimed ... 5 bullocks and 6 heifers, the
property of Wm. Kenny of Ennis, merchant, on the lands of Carhue .... reward
... lead to discovery and conviction .....
Ed. Kenny £30 Jonathan Gregg £5 -13
Wm. Kenny 30 James Mahon £3 -8 - 3
Sir E. O'B. 20 Rev. Wm. H. Hadlock 3 - 8 -3
J. E. Kenny 20 Edm. Mahon 2 -5 - 6
Matt. Kenny 20 J. O'Gorman 2 -5 - 6
Chas. Mahon 20 John Perry 1 - 2 - 9
Patt. Mahon 20 And. Joynt 1 - 2 – 9
E. G. Mahon 20
Edward Quinlivan, Laurence Quinlivan and others ......…..

George Synge put the following announcement in the Ennis Chronicle May 2 1805.
Whereas some evil minded person or persons have circulated various Reports respecting the conduct of Mr. EDWARD KENNY, of Dysart, my Agent in the County of Clare, with a view to injure his Character, as well as to prevent his obtaining a Presentment at the last Assizes of Ennis, for the injuries done him and his Son, I think it is my duty, for the satisfaction of Mr. KENNY, thus publickly to declare the falsehood of these Reports; on the contrary, that he has conducted himself with the utmost rectitude, and to my satisfaction, in the receipt of Proposals &c.&c.&c. - in consequence of which, and the regard I have for his Sons, I gave them a Preference to any other who offered for the lands they hold from me; and I further declare that I will give Mr KENNY every aid in my power to bring any person who shall be found to have circulated these malicious reports, to justice.
Rathmore, April 21 1805 GEO.SYNGE
Edmond and his sons rented thousands of acres all over Clare including over 1000 acres on Mt Callan (Lettermoylan, Inagh) (Synge, 1877-1888)
He is buried in Dysart churchyard; at the east side of the church at the choir end is a gravestone with the following inscription “Peace and rest be to the soul of Mr Edmund Kenny of Dysert over whose remains this tomb was erected by his wife Susanna Kenny and also the remains of her beloved son Michael Kenny” (no dates)
While the Kennys were land agents they also were supporters of O'Connell and were cousins of the O'Gorman Mahon (I think through either Edmond's wife Susanna Mahon or an earlier Mahon marriage ).
Michael Kenny of Carhue (named as gent in some land transfers) was a son of Edmond. I have this reference to them riding out against the ribbon men
In 1820 the Clare journal reports that the local gentlemen are standing up to the Ribbon Men (Clare Journal, 1820):
“On Monday night last, the following Gentlemen from the neighbourhood of Corofin, Hugh O'Loughlin, Colman O'Loughlin, Bryan O'Loughlin, Terence O'Loughlin, H. Bridgeman, Michael Kenny, Tompkins Brew and H. Brew, Esqs. accompanied by their servants, and a few of the tenantry, determined on crushing the Ribbon system in its commencement in their Barony, met at Ballard near Kilnaboy and proceeded to ride through the district ......”