§ MR. HEALYasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is a fact that Mrs. Irwin, of Brootally, county Armagh, a widow over 90 years of age, was evicted on the 23rd March by her landlord, Mr. Thomas Hansom, who, it is alleged, broke into her house, smashed her furniture, delf, &c., destroyed her potatoes, hay, and straw, and left her lying on the roadside, although she offered, him the rent, and 663 asked him to wait for two hours until her daughter proceeded to Armagh to consult a solicitor about the sheriff's costs; and, whether it was legal for the landlord, before the two months' "stay" had expired to evict Mrs. Irwin; and, if not, what notice Government propose to take in the matter? The hon. Member said, that portion of the Question had been omitted, and it was this—The County Court Judge had given a stay of execution in the case, and it was before that stay had expired that the eviction took place.
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. PORTER), in reply, said, that it was true that Mrs. Irwin had been evicted for non-payment of rent. There was no ground for the statement that her house was broken into and her furniture destroyed. The door was open when the party arrived, and Mrs. Irwin herself stated that no damage was done to her property. She was re-admitted three or four hours after the eviction, having paid her rent in the meantime.