William Conner / Benjamin Pelin

I have often wondered to what extent farm labourer militancy (if I could call it such) in South Kildare was due to the influence of William Conner of Inch or for that matter Benjamin Pelin of Ballindrum.  Neither of their names are likely to be recognised today but in their time they were leaders of agrarian movements which for a time gripped the attention and the support of a great number of Irish people.

William Conner lived at Inch just outside Athy.  He was a cousin of Fergus O’Connor, the Chartist and it’s not surprising that despite being a wealthy individual he devoted the best part of his life and a considerable amount of his personal fortune in furthering the cause of Irish tenant farmers.

He first came to public notice when he published a pamphlet in 1822 on agrarian disturbances in County Cork.  Ten years later he delivered a speech on Rack Rents which he later published in pamphlet form under the title the “Speech of William Conner Esquire against Rack Rents, etc.”.  In 1840 another Conner pamphlet was published which he called “The Axe Laid at the Root of Irish Oppression” in which he expressed similar views as those outlined in the earlier publication.  Two years later at a public meeting in Mountmellick, Conner attacked Irish landlordism and subsequently found himself facing charges at the Maryborough sessions.  He was sentenced to six months imprisonment which he served in the local jail.

In 1843 the Devon Commission was set up to examine the state of the law and procedures relating to land occupation in Ireland.  Conner published another pamphlet, “A letter to the Right Hon. the Earl of Devon on the Rack Rent Systems” in which he set out his now well established views.  The Commission reported two years later but its principal recommendation that outgoing tenants be compensated for improvements was not passed into law.  Around the same time Conner was expelled from Daniel O’Connell’s Repeal Association for advocating  a strike of tenant farmers and the withholding of rents until rents were adjusted downwards.  Undeterred William Conner published two letters addressed to the Times newspaper on the subject of Rack Rent, but included in it’s introduction a bitter denunciation of Daniel O’Connell and the other Irish politicians.  Conner was apparently not prepared to accept criticism of his long held views as to the best way forward for tenant farmers.  This lead to a split between himself and that other great agrarian agitator Fintan Lalor which culminated in a dispute between them at a public meeting in Holy Cross, Co. Tipperary in 1847.  Conner was described by Lalor as a mischief maker, while Lalor was in turn accused by Conner of having “rack rented his tenants”.

Within two years Lalor was dead.  Conner continued to publish his well expressed views on rack renting and freedom of tenure which he referred to as “perpetuity of tenure”.  His ideas were subsequently adopted by the Tenant League of 1850 and within time formed the basis of Gladstone’s legislation which gave the Irish tenant farmers the three, fixity of tenure, fair rents and freedom of sale.  Conner’s later years are shrouded in mystery.  I have been unable to unearth any information of when or where he died.  He is not mentioned in the Irish history books.  William Conner is the forgotten agitator who born to wealth spent his life fighting for the cause of Irish tenant farmers.

Almost 50 years separate the Inch resident William Conner from another agrarian agitator, Benjamin Pelin of Ballindrum, Athy.  Pelin who was born of farming stock was 40 years of age when on Sunday, 19^th June 1892 he called a meeting for Narraghmore to address issues relating to tenant farmers and landless labourers.  He later explained that the meeting was arranged at the request of a large number of local farmers and labourers concerned at the poverty of the former and the low wages, uncertain employment and bad housing of the latter.  Patrick Byrne, a local man, was appointed chairman of that meeting.  He described himself as a laboring man with a wife and seven children who during “the past 45 years has been working as hard as I am able.  I have had to send away one of my children because employment was scarce in the neighbourhood and now at the turn of life if I happen to be laid up with sickness for three or four weeks, unless I get assistance from neighbours my little house will be broken up”.  Continuing, Byrne claimed that within 100 perches of where he lived was rich fertile soil which as long as he could remember had been “a walk for sheep and bullocks, if my family had the privilege of cultivating this soil I would not have to send away my son for want of employment”. 

He then called upon Benjamin Pelin to explain the purpose of the meeting.  Pelin who received a warm reception from those in attendance posed the questions, “Ask a farmer with 20 acres of poor land trying to support a wife and large family and he will tell you if he got a reduction in rent and security of tenure, all would be well.  Ask a large farmer and he will tell you that what the country wants is a Land Purchase Act that will enable the farmers to become owners of their farms.  A labourer in Narraghmore will tell you that a cottage and a whole acre is what the poor man wants.”  In a lengthy speech Pelin made a case for founding “The Knights of the Plough Union” claiming that “every additional plough set going in this parish means permanent employment for three more men, every additional man means an addition to the wages of the toiler and as the competition for labour increases the social conditions of the people must improve.”

The meeting unanimously agreed to establish the Knights of the Plough and Benjamin Pelin was appointed as its first president, M. McDonald its secretary and John Shannon as treasurer.  The principal objects of the Knights as outlined at the meeting were “to gain possession of the 15 million acres of rich lands of Ireland robbed from the toilers by the landlords and graziers and given over to bullocks and sheep while the people are driven to the roadside, the city slums, the emigrant ship and the poorhouse.”

The final resolution of that first meeting of the Knights of the Plough which was passed unanimously read “that we the working farmers, labourers and artisans of Narraghmore Parish form an organisation to reduce our rents, to compel the rich lands of the parish to be cultivated, to increase the wages of labourers and provide a pension for all labourers over 65 years of age.”

The name of the organisation established at that Narraghmore meeting was obviously prompted by the American Union – The Knights of Labour.  Founded in 1869 the Knights of Labour was initially a secret organisation and one of the earliest American labour groups which in the 1880’s was successful in expanding its operations to become a nationwide union with membership open to all workers.  Under the slogan “an injury to one is the concern of all”, the Knights of Labour unionized labourers and skilled workers and after much success in having labour legislation passed into law, sought a reduction in working hours to eight hours a day.  Agitation for the eight hour day included strikes in Chicago in 1886 which lead to serious conflict between strikers and police, resulting in the death or injury of six strikers.  A strikers meeting called to protest against police brutality ended when a bomb was thrown into the ranks of policemen, killing seven and injuring many more.  That awful incident contributed to the delay for a generation of the adoption of the eight hour day and to the subsequent demise of the Knights of Labour which within a few more years was virtually non existent.

However, when Benjamin Pelin called a meeting for Narraghmore in June 1892 the Knights of Labour were still active in organizing American labour and undoubtedly Pelin’s choice of name, “Knights of the Plough” was influenced by the American Union.

[.....TO BE CONTINUED…..]

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who may have information on the final years of Benjamin Pelin’s life.

William Connor / Benjamin Pelin

I have often wondered to what extent farm labourer militancy (if I could call it such) in South Kildare was due to the influence of William Conner of Inch or for that matter Benjamin Pelin of Ballindrum.  Neither of their names are likely to be recognised today but in their time they were leaders of agrarian movements which for a time gripped the attention and the support of a great number of Irish people.

William Conner lived at Inch just outside Athy.  He was a cousin of Fergus O’Connor, the Chartist and it’s not surprising that despite being a wealthy individual he devoted the best part of his life and a considerable amount of his personal fortune in furthering the cause of Irish tenant farmers.

He first came to public notice when he published a pamphlet in 1822 on agrarian disturbances in County Cork.  Ten years later he delivered a speech on Rack Rents which he later published in pamphlet form under the title the “Speech of William Conner Esquire against Rack Rents, etc.”.  In 1840 another Conner pamphlet was published which he called “The Axe Laid at the Root of Irish Oppression” in which he expressed similar views as those outlined in the earlier publication.  Two years later at a public meeting in Mountmellick, Conner attacked Irish landlordism and subsequently found himself facing charges at the Maryborough sessions.  He was sentenced to six months imprisonment which he served in the local jail.

In 1843 the Devon Commission was set up to examine the state of the law and procedures relating to land occupation in Ireland.  Conner published another pamphlet, “A letter to the Right Hon. the Earl of Devon on the Rack Rent Systems” in which he set out his now well established views.  The Commission reported two years later but its principal recommendation that outgoing tenants be compensated for improvements was not passed into law.  Around the same time Conner was expelled from Daniel O’Connell’s Repeal Association for advocating  a strike of tenant farmers and the withholding of rents until rents were adjusted downwards.  Undeterred William Conner published two letters addressed to the Times newspaper on the subject of Rack Rent, but included in it’s introduction a bitter denunciation of Daniel O’Connell and the other Irish politicians.  Conner was apparently not prepared to accept criticism of his long held views as to the best way forward for tenant farmers.  This lead to a split between himself and that other great agrarian agitator Fintan Lalor which culminated in a dispute between them at a public meeting in Holy Cross, Co. Tipperary in 1847.  Conner was described by Lalor as a mischief maker, while Lalor was in turn accused by Conner of having “rack rented his tenants”.

Within two years Lalor was dead.  Conner continued to publish his well expressed views on rack renting and freedom of tenure which he referred to as “perpetuity of tenure”.  His ideas were subsequently adopted by the Tenant League of 1850 and within time formed the basis of Gladstone’s legislation which gave the Irish tenant farmers the three, fixity of tenure, fair rents and freedom of sale.  Conner’s later years are shrouded in mystery.  I have been unable to unearth any information of when or where he died.  He is not mentioned in the Irish history books.  William Conner is the forgotten agitator who born to wealth spent his life fighting for the cause of Irish tenant farmers.

Almost 50 years separate the Inch resident William Conner from another agrarian agitator, Benjamin Pelin of Ballindrum, Athy.  Pelin who was born of farming stock was 40 years of age when on Sunday, 19^th June 1892 he called a meeting for Narraghmore to address issues relating to tenant farmers and landless labourers.  He later explained that the meeting was arranged at the request of a large number of local farmers and labourers concerned at the poverty of the former and the low wages, uncertain employment and bad housing of the latter.  Patrick Byrne, a local man, was appointed chairman of that meeting.  He described himself as a laboring man with a wife and seven children who during “the past 45 years has been working as hard as I am able.  I have had to send away one of my children because employment was scarce in the neighbourhood and now at the turn of life if I happen to be laid up with sickness for three or four weeks, unless I get assistance from neighbours my little house will be broken up”.  Continuing, Byrne claimed that within 100 perches of where he lived was rich fertile soil which as long as he could remember had been “a walk for sheep and bullocks, if my family had the privilege of cultivating this soil I would not have to send away my son for want of employment”. 

He then called upon Benjamin Pelin to explain the purpose of the meeting.  Pelin who received a warm reception from those in attendance posed the questions, “Ask a farmer with 20 acres of poor land trying to support a wife and large family and he will tell you if he got a reduction in rent and security of tenure, all would be well.  Ask a large farmer and he will tell you that what the country wants is a Land Purchase Act that will enable the farmers to become owners of their farms.  A labourer in Narraghmore will tell you that a cottage and a whole acre is what the poor man wants.”  In a lengthy speech Pelin made a case for founding “The Knights of the Plough Union” claiming that “every additional plough set going in this parish means permanent employment for three more men, every additional man means an addition to the wages of the toiler and as the competition for labour increases the social conditions of the people must improve.”

The meeting unanimously agreed to establish the Knights of the Plough and Benjamin Pelin was appointed as its first president, M. McDonald its secretary and John Shannon as treasurer.  The principal objects of the Knights as outlined at the meeting were “to gain possession of the 15 million acres of rich lands of Ireland robbed from the toilers by the landlords and graziers and given over to bullocks and sheep while the people are driven to the roadside, the city slums, the emigrant ship and the poorhouse.”

The final resolution of that first meeting of the Knights of the Plough which was passed unanimously read “that we the working farmers, labourers and artisans of Narraghmore Parish form an organisation to reduce our rents, to compel the rich lands of the parish to be cultivated, to increase the wages of labourers and provide a pension for all labourers over 65 years of age.”

The name of the organisation established at that Narraghmore meeting was obviously prompted by the American Union – The Knights of Labour.  Founded in 1869 the Knights of Labour was initially a secret organisation and one of the earliest American labour groups which in the 1880’s was successful in expanding its operations to become a nationwide union with membership open to all workers.  Under the slogan “an injury to one is the concern of all”, the Knights of Labour unionized labourers and skilled workers and after much success in having labour legislation passed into law, sought a reduction in working hours to eight hours a day.  Agitation for the eight hour day included strikes in Chicago in 1886 which lead to serious conflict between strikers and police, resulting in the death or injury of six strikers.  A strikers meeting called to protest against police brutality ended when a bomb was thrown into the ranks of policemen, killing seven and injuring many more.  That awful incident contributed to the delay for a generation of the adoption of the eight hour day and to the subsequent demise of the Knights of Labour which within a few more years was virtually non existent.

However, when Benjamin Pelin called a meeting for Narraghmore in June 1892 the Knights of Labour were still active in organizing American labour and undoubtedly Pelin’s choice of name, “Knights of the Plough” was influenced by the American Union.

[.....TO BE CONTINUED…..]

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who may have information on the final years of Benjamin Pelin’s life.

Athy's Noteworthy Persons - John Vincent Holland / Fr. John Miley, Thomas Kelly / Eamon Malone / William Conner

Recently I was asked who in my opinion was the most noteworthy person ever to have walked the streets of Athy.  How I wonder does one rate the many interesting persons who at one time or another passed this way, many of whom like the monastic buildings recently rediscovered in Letterkenny have been forgotten for generations past.  Many names spring to mind, some of whom have featured in past Eye’s on the Past while others have yet to appear.  Soldiers have always had a prominent position in Irish history and two local men from opposite sides, as it were, could well justify inclusion in any call up of noteworthy citizenry of Athy.

Victoria Cross Medal winner John Vincent Holland, hero of an infantry attack on enemy positions in Guillemont during the 1914/1918 War undoubtedly merits mention.  On the other hand Eamon Malone, Commander of the Carlow/Kildare I.R.A. Brigade during the War of Independence deserves inclusion.  Malone’s name is today remembered in Malone Place, one of the Town Council’s most recent housing developments situated off Woodstock Street.  Another man of the military mode, was  Seamus Malone, no relation of Eamon, a native of County Limerick who spent a few years teaching in the local Christian Brothers School in the early 1920’s.  Seamus, a  brother of Tomas Malone of the East Limerick Flying Column was involved in the Volunteer movement and was in Howth helping to unload the Asgard of guns purchased in Germany by Roger Casement.  Malone was later imprisoned in Frongoch but on his release resumed his involvement with the Republican movement which continued until his death in 1959.  He was the driving force behind the reforming of the Athy Gaelic Football Club in the early 1920’s and as a school teacher he championed the cause of the Young Emmets as the Club was then called.  I hope to devote a future Eye on the Past to Seamus Malone, one of the many extraordinary men to have passed through our town.

One of the religious entrants for the title of most noteworthy person of the past is Narraghmore born John Miley who as a Catholic Priest accompanied Daniel O’Connell on his last trip abroad.  Miley who was born in 1799 attended the Ballitore Quaker School and after studying in Maynooth College and Rome was ordained to the priesthood.  He was an accomplished preacher and while a curate in the Pro Cathedral, the Liberator, Daniel O’Connell, sought the permission of Archbishop Murray for Miley to accompany him on his trip to Rome in 1847.  Fr. Miley was with O’Connell when he died and in accordance with O’Connell’s wishes he took the casket containing his heart to Rome before conveying the Liberators body back to Ireland.  Fr. Miley delivered the funeral oration on Daniel O’Connell in the Pro Cathedral, Dublin.  He was appointed Director of the Irish College Paris in 1849 and during much of his ten years in that position the Narraghmore man was embroiled in controversy involving Fr. Patrick Lavelle, the outspoken supporter of Irish Nationalism.  The Ballitore born Archbishop of Dublin, Paul Cullen, eventually felt obliged to recall Fr. Miley from the Irish College and he returned to become Parish Priest of Bray where he died two years later.  Miley was a noteworthy character of his time who like so many of his peers was soon consigned to the unread pages of Irish history.

Similarly overlooked after years in the forefront of Irish land agitation was William Conner of Inch, Athy.  He first came to prominence with the publication of his pamphlet entitled “A letter to the people of Ireland on the disturbances of 1822”.  Conner had a most interesting lineage being the illegitimate son of Arthur O’Connor and a cousin of the Irish born Chartist Fergus O’Connor.  The earlier mentioned Arthur O’Connor was part of the first Leinster Directory of the United Irishmen but resigned in 1798 and went to England where he was arrested and imprisoned.  On his release he went to France where he was appointed a General by Napoleon Bonaparte.  His son William used the surname Conner and although a property owner of considerable means, he devoted his time and energy to campaigning on behalf of Irish landless tenants against the rack-renting system.  In his second pamphlet published in 1832 entitled “The Speech of William Conner against Rack-Rents etc. Delivered at a Meeting in Inch” Conners outlined his ideas on the land question - fair rent and fixity of tenure.  Conner addressed meetings around the country and he was possibly the first Irishman imprisoned for his agrarian views.  He published several more pamphlets on the Irish land question and greatly influenced that other land reformer, James Fintan Lalor.  Conner’s land reform views were ultimately adopted by the British Prime Minister, Gladstone, and to the Inch, Athy man must go accolade of Father of the three F’s - Fair Rents, Fixity of Tenure and Freedom of Sale. 

Fr. John Miley and William Conner will hopefully feature in future Eye’s on the Past, but the man whom I chose as the most noteworthy person of the past has appeared in this column before.  He is Thomas Kelly, son of a High Court Judge, who was ordained to the Church of England but left that Church to found his own religious group known as the “Kellyites”. 

Thomas Kelly was an acquaintance of John Walker and John Nelson Darby, two fellow priests of the established Church who like Kelly were to turn away from the Church of England.  Walker founded the “Walkerites” who had a presence in Dublin up to the 1940’s while Darby was the principal party in the founding of the “Plymouth Brethren”.  Kelly founded the “Kellyites” and soon had followers, not only in his hometown of Athy but also in Blackrock and Great George’s Street, Dublin, Portarlington, Wexford and Waterford. 

Thomas Kelly was a hymnologist of some merit and during his lifetime he published eight editions of his hymns entitled “Hymns on Various Passages of Sacred Scripture”.  The first edition in 1804 contained 96 hymns and the final edition which appeared 49 years later had a grand total of 767 hymns, all written by Thomas Kelly.  Several of his hymns such as “The Heart that Once was Crowned with Thorns” and “We sing the Praise of Him who died” are still included in Church hymnals to this day. 

Kelly was also the author of several pamphlets including “A letter addressed to the Roman Catholics of Athy occasioned by Mr. Hayes Seven Sermons”.  Another pamphlet of special interest to Athy folk was printed in 1809 under the title “Some Account of James Byrne of Kilberry in the County of Kildare addressed principally to the Roman Catholic inhabitants of Athy and its neighbourhood”.  In 1834 the Kellyites in Athy numbered approximately 40 and they met every Sunday in their Duke Street Chapel.  Thomas Kelly who married Elizabeth Tighe of Rosanna, Co. Wicklow lived at Kellyville but generally went to Dublin every second Sunday to take service in the Great George’s Street Chapel.  He died on Monday, 14^th May 1855 while staying with his son-in-law in Pembroke Place in Dublin, and was buried in Ballintubbert.  With his passing the Kellyites disappeared as a separate Church group as its members rejoined the ranks of the established Church, and in some cases the Methodist Church.

Thomas Kelly was the first noteworthy local man from the past whom I rediscovered as a result of my research.  After decades of neglect his name again became a familiar one to students of our local history.  For me Rev. Thomas Kelly will always have a special place in the story of our town.