Mid-Nineteenth Century Letter From Kerry, Ireland Describes Recent Happenings, Rise Of Fenianism As Writer Departs For America

(IRELAND). AL. 4 pg. 4” x 6”. November 21. Beaufort. A partial autograph letter signed from a man named George H. After spending the first two-and-a-half pages talking about deaths and departures for America, the writer turns to politics: “the romans here and feinans on what the cull Cady day all marched with there coulurs and drums to seava but the Orangemen put them to flight the shot at them and took there drums on flags, some of them did not get out the train. Belfast was distub at that time there was great deal of harm don in it the were shot in both sids, and Lurgan was as bad the good templers were marching up Lurgan street when Donley shot out of his own door and another man shot out of his door shot a young man in the head. Lord Lurgan and Mr Hancock seen them, both shooting for a fortnight it not sease, in postudown the curch schooles were coming up the street the begun on them and beat them the fenians in this country has got fife and drums the are marching in other places but here at yet but we do not no the day, i must leave of writing noncence to you…” Despite the writer’s struggles with grammar and spelling, the chaos of Irish politics in the middle of the nineteenth century is very clear. The writer describes armed conflict between the Orange Order, the Protestant British unionist movement and new Fenian movement, which pushed for an independent and Catholic Ireland. The author is writing from Beaufort, which is County Kerry in the southwest of Ireland; though not immune to this violence, the letter describes greater violence in Belfast, which would become more familiar to Americas one century later. It was only in the 1860s that Irish nationalists began being called fenians, which was originally a pejorative term by opponents applied to any questioning or opposition to the existing political system. The letter mentions Lord Lurgan, which was a hereditary title in the British House of Lords for the Brownlow family. The occupant at this time was Charles Brownlow, 2nd Baron Lurgan, from his 1847 ascension until his 1882 death. The letter is in fine condition.