‘Not an Orangeman was to be seen in Blacklion’

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The Weekly Mail, dated January 19, 1884, reported on a meeting organised by Nationalists to be held in Blacklion. Unfortunately, at the behest of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, the event was outlawed by proclamation. This did little to quell the people’s appetite to attend the meeting anyway, regarding the decree of the Lord Lieutenant as though it were an announcement from Queen Victoria’s court jester.

On the Sunday prior to it, word came through that Wednesday’s get-together was cancelled, and yet the fear was that when supporters of the national movement did gather, as it was certain they would, that a riot might ensue between the Orangemen and themselves. Wednesday came, and to their surprise ‘not an Orangemen was to be seen in Blacklion’ contrary to their fears. The Lord Lieutenant’s banning exercise seems to have assuaged the angst that could have emerged over the course of the day.

The Weekly News, said of them, ‘that they would come to Blacklion was sure’, but they never materialised! Meanwhile, Mr Joseph Gillis Biggar MP, the star of the main event, had shown up in Enniskillen the night before and was again observed leaving early the following morning with one of the speakers,Mr Jordan.

The magistrates in charge, Captain McTernan, RM; and Colonel Bowley, RM; had the district surveyed by police scouts and a ‘small force of police’ was placed on the highest vantage points. Two hundred officers under sub-inspectors Pearson, Rogers and Lawless formed cordons to keep strangers from the ‘village’. When Mr Biggar vanished, the police were not so amused. A tandem car was then reportedly seen some six miles away, crossing the mountainous district in the direction of Swanlinbar. In the car were Mr Parnell’s lieutenant, Biggar and Jordan, accompanied by two news reporters. The police gave chase across the ‘infant’ River Shannon, driving through the mists as they crossed the rugged landscape of Glan in pursuit of Cavan’s ‘senior member’.

Swanlinbar

Near Swanlinbar, Captain McTernan, and some 50 police turned away a body of Nationalists. Mr Biggar was already by then in situ, having arrived to hear loud cheers from the surrounding hills while two bustling magistrates came rushing at breakneck speed to ‘the scene’. Before their arrival, Jordan called on Terence Dolan to take the ‘nominal chair’.

Biggar stood on the car, telling the gathered crowd that the meeting was being held under ‘adverse circumstances’. He believed that the Lord Lieutenant’s ‘meanness’ had ‘played into the hands’ of the Orangemen. Before Biggar could utter more, Captain McTernan butted in and pompously informed Biggar and the gathered listeners: ‘Mr Biggar, this meeting and has been prohibited by the Lord Lieutenant, and I have to request that you will not speak. I ask you to obey the law, and not to hold a meeting. Am I to understand that you will not do so?’

Biggar, with one eye on the crowd, replied: “I never make rash promises!” McTernan said that his men would treat him in the ‘best way’ but, if required to do so, ‘we will carry out the law and see that it is obeyed, and be rigorous in carrying it out’, adding, ‘I ask you not to open your mouths, you nor Mr Jordan.’ To which Mr Jordan replied, “sure you could not stop me, Captain McTernan.”

Blacklion

The party journeyed forth once more, this time in the direction of Blacklion where another crowd had assembled. Captain McTernan on arrival warned everyone to go home or risk three months reflection in a prison cell. Biggar’s carriage was permitted to continue when he promised ‘not to open his mouth’.

Afterwards, Biggar, Jordan and some of the Catholic clergy were ‘entertained’ to dinner in Blacklion’s hotel. The Rev John Smith, of Kilinagh ‘proposed the health’ of Mr Biggar who had been a ‘faithful representative’ having excited the ‘hatred of England’, had earned himself a compliment. ‘Persecution’ said Rev Smith ‘had always been England’s policy.’

Again, Captain McTernan and Colonel Bowley, popped-up, entering the hotel McTernan told Biggar and his friends that their lunch was no different to a public meeting. Biggar’s guests emphasised that the dinner was by invitation only, to which McTernan pointed out the presence of the news reporters. Being unable to eat in peace, Biggar and his guests left. They went to the Rev Galligan’s home, which was across the street, out of the clutches of the Lord Lieutenant’s Proclamation. Here, Biggar mad a speech in private, concluding that Lord Spencer had ‘truckled’ to the Orange party.

WHISKEY GONE ASTRAY

The Cavan Observerreported on January 30, 1864, the summonsing of George Murphy, a porter in the employ of the Irish North Western Railway Company, for assaulting his colleague William Mee, also a porter at the same station.

According tothe Cavan Observer, ‘Mee deposed that Murphy and himself were working at the Belturbet junction of the Irish North Western Railway Company’ and that ‘witness’s attention was attracted to a leakage from a whiskey barrel in the goods store.’ When Mee checked the cause of it, he discovered the bold Murphy sitting on the barrel. When Murphy was asked ‘what he was doing’, Mee received a box, knocking him to the ground. On the following day, there was neither sight nor sound of Murphy having deserted his job.

Law

Mr Babington was informed about a gimlet hole on the whiskey barrel. Mee had seen it about seven o’clock when it looked fine. But between eight and nine o’clock Murphy was seen sitting on the barrel. Oddly, there was no container in the vicinity of the barrel, yet he believed ‘to the best of his opinion’ that the hole was Murphy’s doing. Murphy in his opinion was in the process of stopping the leak when Mee discovered him. The whiskey had originally been on its way to Peter Cosgrave, Ballyconnell.

The Cavan Observernoted, ‘Mr Babington felt surprised that the Railway Company did not send some person to watch the proceedings.’ However, as the Clerk of the Court remarked, ‘the present charge was only for an assault.’ It was decided to leave the case until the next sitting of the court.