Chapter III

The Evictions Loom
Land War and Eviction in Derryveagh 1840 - 65

On the morning of December 20th 1860, all the heads of family from the Derryveagh district tramped across the snow-clad mountains and converged on Glenveagh Cottage where Mr. Adair was due to be in attendance that afternoon to accept personally all the rents due to November 1st. When they arrived they stamped about the yard as they waited to be summoned. One by one they trooped into the house and placed, with numbed fingers, their hard earned rent on the table, hoping that come next gale-day they would again be in a position to honour this time-worn ritual, agonizing as it was. As each man hurried to leave he was halted by Adair's commanding voice which informed him that he was contemplating re-arranging the farm boundaries. However they must realize that he did not wish to do this, but that the decision was being forced upon him as a consequence of his surveyor's report and in the interests of good estate management.

Each tenant had prayed as he entered the house that he would be spared hearing those dreaded words, the first rumour of its having spread like a wild heather fire among those assembled outside when the first tenant had emerged from the house. But none were to be granted deliverance and it was with heavy hearts that these poor mountain cottiers trudged back to their families, plagued by the fear that this was but a ploy to drive them from the land altogether. Little did they realize that Adair required no such ruse as the law invested in him all the authority he needed. It was a black Christmas in the cottages of the Derryveagh district.

Adair had become unnerved by the recent murder and burning. Therefore, he demanded and received police protection for himself, his property and his servants. Constable McLain and three Sub-Constables were ordered to Glenveagh Cottage. In spite of the fact that the four policemen were stationed at Adair's home at his request he refused to accord them even the standard treatment as laid down in the Constabulary Code to cover such duty. This prompted McLain to complain to Sub-Inspector Corr listing all the deprivations he and his companions were forced to endure since taking up their present assignment. "Since we came here we have endured great hardship... I spoke to Mr. Adair on the 20th instant to provide us with fuel and light, which he declined to give us. He has also refused to allow us to cut timber. It is impossible for us to do without a fire; we have to patrol the mountains during the day, and return at night to a damp cold house, with our clothing wet, ourselves fatigued from cold and want of food, having no fire to cook our victuals or dry our clothing. Under these circumstances, I hope the County Inspector will call on Mr Adair to provide us with fuel and light agreeable to section 1031 of the Code, or have our grievances redressed."

The authorities were much aggrieved at Adair's attitude and there was a real danger that they would withdraw their forces from Glenveagh Cottage and return them to barracks if steps were not taken by him to rectify such an intolerable situation. However, any such action was forestalled by Dugald Rankin when he swore an information before Mr Stewart, J.P., at Loughvegh House, to the effect that his life was in danger because he had given evidence against certain parties during the Murray murder investigations. Indeed, he had been urged by many respectable people to leave Adair's employ and return to Scotland, otherwise, he would surely lose his life. This action ensured that the police would not be withdrawn from Glenveagh Cottage, at least not until a full inquiry had been made into the whole affair.

A verbal battle between the authorities in Dublin and Adair ensued. On February 2nd, Sir Thomas Larcom, on behalf of the Lord Lieutenant, forwarded a copy of the Constabulary Code to Adair, containing all the conditions and regulations pertaining to the placing of police in private houses for their protection. These regulations stated that the people be provided with lodging, bedding and fuel, and that each man be paid a sum not exceeding one shilling per night, unless, otherwise directed by the government.

Adair did not receive this communication until the 8th as he had departed Glenveagh on the 3rd and travelled to Dublin with the express purpose of putting the dire process of eviction in train. This resolution he effected the very next day when he came before H. W. Thompson, J.P. for Ireland at large, and made an oath "that informant is about to serve occupiers on the Derryveagh Estate, in the County of Donegal, with ejectments, and that he believes the life of the bailiff who will be employed to serve same, will be in danger if he is not protected or accompanied by a party of police, and that such notices will be served during the present week."

From Dublin he journied to his other home at Bellegrove, where St. Thomas' letter finally caught up with him. He replied and denied that he had refused to grant the police stationed at Glenveagh Cottage their statutory rights, but they had, in reality, enjoyed the same standard of living as his own servants. He refused to pay the one shilling per night tariff and left the responsibility for their maintenance or withdrawal from his residence in the hands of the government. However, he pointed out that they should bear in mind the great dangers by which he was beset, as a consequence of the riotous nature of the local population. Adair laboured this last point on many subsequent occasions and allowed himself the luxury of twisting the facts to suit his own ends.

In his communication of the 8th, Adair specified a number of crimes which had been committed against him since the time of the Murray murder - the fire at Maturin's house, the loss of sheep - but as we have seen these charges lacked positive substantive proof. Furthermore, he declared that he would be a large pecuniary loser to fully £200 per annum for several years as the lands from which the people were to be evicted would have to remain waste. And that he would be a loser to a similar extent because he would have to hire extra servants to protect his property. Other monies would be denied to him in the future because the lawlessness of the area would prevent him from letting his mountain property, for which, to a large extent, parties were actually in negotiation. He avowed that he had never evicted anyone in Donegal but as we shall see this was only technically true. Concluding, he said, "I incur personal risk, pecuniary loss, and popular odium" but that he would leave it to the government and the general public to decide whether or not his foregoing declarations were creditable.

The authorities in Dublin and Donegal were aghast at Adair's proposed evictions and were becoming more apprehensive with each passing day. Sub-Inspector Corr informed Mr. Considine that Adair was on the point of serving the eviction notices and that it was his considered opinion that a strong detachment of police would be needed to prevent a breach of the peace from ensuing. Consequently, on February 15th Robert Kerr was accompanied by Considine and forty-two members of the constabulary under the command of Corr, when he served the eviction notices without the least hindrance.

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