HC Deb 24 November 1884 vol 294 cc251-2
MR. BIGGAR

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If it is a fact that Mr. Pearson, District Inspector Royal Irish Constabulary at Swanlinbar, county Cavan, has during several days and nights during the month of October told off a Constabulary patrol to watch the fair green of Swan-linbar; if he and a number of the men under his charge have attended to assist and protect Mr. R. H. Johnstone, J.P. Orange Grand Master of the county of Cavan, in interfering with the fair green referred to, and if the people of the locality assembled in large numbers in open day to assert their rights to the fair green named, when the Constabulary took the names of those present; and, if so, for what purpose, as these people were only asserting a long-established custom; what are the present residences of Messrs. George Nugent and Robert Francis O'Brien, whose names appear in Thom's Directory, in the list of magistrates for the county of Cavan, and if those gentlemen have at present any property qualification for the office of magistrate; and, would he state to the House the names of the five Roman Catholic gentlemen whose appointment to the Commission of the Peace for Cavan was recently announced by him?

MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN

I understand that a stream runs between Mr. Johnstone's property and the fair green, and that Mr. Johnstone claims a right to erect an embankment for the purpose of preventing the stream from encroaching upon his land. On this question of title I cannot, of course, enter. About a month ago a large number of men, accompanied by a band, proceeded to destroy the partially-erected embankment, which Mr. Johnstone's men were at the time actually working at. The District Inspector, on hearing of this, immediately proceeded with the police to the place, but only to preserve the peace and prevent a collision between the opposing parties. The District Inspector subsequently directed the ordinary night patrol to visit the place; but no special patrol has done so. With regard to the two magistrates named in the latter part of the Question, I have no information as to their property qualification, nor do I know the address of Mr. Nugent. Mr. O'Brien, I understand, resides at Birkenhead. I am not at present able to answer the inquiry in the last paragraph of the Question.