§ MR. SEXTONasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, "Whether it is a fact that, upon a recent occasion, two constables of the Irish Constabulary Force intruded themselves into a room of the Catholic Presbytery at Thurles, county Tipperary, where a committee of ladies and gentlemen were at the time engaged in making preparations for the holding of a bazaar for a local purpose; whether those constables refused to leave, and did not leave for a considerable time, although assured by the Rev. James Cantnill, the owner of the house, that the object of the meeting was purely charitable; whether the local head constable, at an interview the previous evening with the Rev. Mr. Cantnill, had been informed that the meeting would have relation to the bazaar alone, and had left it to be inferred that he was satisfied with such assurance; whether the local magistrate 1278 and sub-inspector of police, being Catholics, and being present at Mass on the day of the meeting, and before the meeting was held, were invited, as parishioners, to attend it; whether, instead of satisfying themselves in this inoffensive manner as to the character of the meeting, they caused the offensive intrusion of the constables; and, whether he sanctioned this proceeding; and, if not, whether he will secure that the like shall not again occur?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERSir, I find that this Question refers to an advertised meeting held at Thurles on the 1st of January. The Constabulary had reason to believe that the Ladies' Land League intended to hold a meeting on that occasion. The sub-inspector accordingly sent a head-constable on the 31st of December to warn the Rev. Mr. Cantnill against allowing the meeting to be held. He replied that it was for a purely charitable purpose, and that he had no objection to the police attending. Two policemen were accordingly sent. They were admitted and remained about 20 minutes, when they left. Their instructions were, that if permission was refused, they were not to persist. They found that a number of members of the Land League attended, but no business of the Land League was being carried on.
§ MR. SEXTONasked if the right hon. Gentleman would give instructions that in future the police should not intrude themselves when the object of the meeting was avowedly charitable?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERSir, if the avowed object of the meeting be charitable, that is no proof that it will be conducted entirely for that purpose. I cannot say that, under all circumstances, the police should be ordered not to attend when the object of the meeting is avowedly for a charitable purpose.