MR. MACARTNEYasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether it is true, as stated in the Dublin papers of 26th March, that on Sunday the 23rd March the schoolmaster of Omey School, near Clifden, in the county of Galway, although escorted by two policemen, was assaulted and badly beaten, and that the policemen forming his escort were roughly handled and their arms taken from them by a disorderly mob, and that 439 one of their guns went off in the scuffle and was broken; whether it is true that the Protestant Churches of Renoyle and Ballinakill were attacked by similar mobs on St. Patrick's Day, and that two hundred panes of glass were broken in one and sixteen in another, and that the windows of the Protestant school at Ballinakill and of the house of the master were smashed; and, if these statements of recent outrages in Connemara be true, whether steps have been taken by the proper authorities to put an end to such a lawless state of thing?, and to protect Her Majesty's Protestant subjects in that part of Ireland from attacks upon their persons, their property, and their freedom of religious worship? He also wished to ask the right hon. Gentleman another Question, of which he had given him private Notice—Whether Belleck Schoolhouse, near Clifden, was burnt down on the 13th of March; and whether attempts were made on the 1st and 2nd of April to burn the school-house of Russadillisk, also near Clifden; and if it had been found necessary to send a force of one hundred men of the Royal Irish Constabulary into this disturbed district?
§ MR. J. LOWTHERSir, I regret to say that, unfortunately, it is the case that recently disturbances have occurred in the district referred to by the hon. Gentleman, and a strong force of Constabulary has been sent to the spot. A tax will be levied on the district for its support. I think, as the matter is likely to be the subject of judicial investigation, it would, not be advisable to go into the particulars at present.