HC Deb 10 July 1884 vol 290 cc674-5
MR. WILLIAM REDMOND

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he will state upon what grounds, and at whose request, the Lord Lieutenant thought it right to proclaim the proposed demonstration of the Irish National League, which was to have taken place at Rathkeale, county Limerick, on Sunday the 6th of July; whether there are any circumstances in connection with the district of Rathkeale which would point to the probable occurrence of a disturbance had a meeting of the National League taken place there; and, whether, in future, he will cause proclamations of meetings to be published in time, and not at the very last moment, when the people have assembled, and when it is extremely difficult to cause them to disperse without coming into collision with the police?

MR. TREVELYAN

The meeting was prohibited on the recommendation of the Divisional Magistrate and the Constabulary authorities of the district on the ground that, if held, it was likely to be prejudicial to the peace of the district. The circumstances of the district which led to this apprehension were the number of recent agrarian offences—therehaving been 19 within six months in the Rathkeale district—and the number of "Boycotted" farms lying idle, and of farms requiring special police protection in the vicinity. The notice of prohibition was not given at the last moment, when the people had assembled. It was served on the promoters of the meeting between 2 and 3 o'clock on the afternoon of Saturday the 5th instant, and posted in Rathkeale and its neighbourhood at the same time; and as the meeting was announced for 2 o'clock on the next afternoon, the prohibition was made public in ample time to prevent the people from assembling.

MR. WILLIAM REDMOND

asked whether it was not the fact that the prohibition was only published in the neighbourhood of Rathkeale on the morning of the meeting, and whether the right hon. Gentleman did not consider it improper to have notices put up on the day that a meeting was to take place, and when the people could not have sufficient notice to prevent them coming in?

MR. TREVELYAN

said, the information he had communicated to the House and the information he had got was that the notice was posted up between 2 and 3 o'clock on the day before the meeting. If the hon. Member had any special information to the contrary he should be glad to know of it.