HC Deb 03 May 1883 vol 278 cc1723-4
MR. KENNY

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If he has received a telegram from the Rev. P. White, parish priest of Miltown Malbay, challenging inquiry into alleged murders in Miltown Malbay district, and if he will read the message to the House; and, whether he will accept the invitation thus held out?

MR. TREVELYAN

Sir, I have received a telegram from the Rev. Mr. White, which is founded on a misapprehension of what I said, but which, I think, does honour to the rev. gentleman, and ought to be read to the House. The telegram is as follows: — Your statement that six murders were committed in this district last three years wholly unfounded. For seven years I have been here only one murder was committed within radius of ten miles, and that when landowner and tenant had just entered in amicable arrangement. No outrage en man or beast since. The people challenge inquiry. The statement I made to the House was not that six murders were com- mitted in the Miltown Malbay district. I have carefully looked at those papers which I could refer to at short notice, and I see that three of them reported my answer. In The Freeman's Journal it is incorrectly reported to the effect complained of; but in The Irish Times and the London Standard the report is, undoubtedly, as I stated—namely, that six murders had been committed in County Clare. The statistics from which I spoke related to County Clare, and I had no knowledge of the Miltown Malbay district as distinguished from the County. I have no doubt that the inhabitants of the district, if they examine other papers, will find that The Freeman's Journal was wrong. In Clare, as I previously stated, there were in the years 1880, 1881, 1882 either six or seven agrarian murders—one of them was rather doubtful as to its nature. There were also 14 cases of firing at the person, and 61 cases of firing at dwellings.

MR. KENNY

asked whether there had not been several convictions for these outrages, and also whether it was not generally supposed that the murder referred to was committed by Emergency men?

MR. TREVELYAN

Of the seven murders committed in the County Clare, six are still undetected.

MR. HARRINGTON

inquired whether the right hon. Gentleman had included in that statement the murders committed by the police at Bodyke?

[No reply was given.]

MR. O'KELLY

asked whether the paragraph which had appeared in the public Press was true—that the examination in the case of Carmody referred to transactions extending over a period of 18 years?

MR. TREVELYAN

I am unable to answer that Question.

MR. O'KELLY

I will give Notice.