Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Father James M´Fadden vs. Lord George and the Landlords

www.vartmp.com/family/ppotasig

THE PRESENT AND THE PAST

of

THE AGRARIAN STRUGGLE

in

GWEEDORE :

WITH LETTERS ON

RAILWAY EXTENSION

I N D O N E G A L .

BY

REV. JAMES M'FADDEN, P.P.







PRICE. - - - ONE SHILLING.


LONDONDERRY:

Printed at The DERRY JOURNAL Steam Printing Works, Shipquay St.

1889.







PRINTED AT THE "DERRY JOURNAL" STEAM PRINTING WORKS.



PREFACE.

I should apologise to the Public for imposing upon it a work so unattractive in style and arrangement as this pamphlet. As a matter of fact, when I commenced, about eight days ago, to make a note, for the convenience of reference at any time, of a few salient facts regarding the fight that has been waged so fiercely for forty years, between landlord and tenant in this Parish, I had not the smallest intention of writing a book. Very soon I found myself unwarily committed to a task which I had never essayed in my life, unless I was prepared to sacrifice, on account of its incompleteness, the work I had already done. I preferred to go on; and the growth of my labour and perseverance is "Gweedore."

Its matter I have studied for years—the facts I have verified in every possible way within my reach. No one is bound by my conclusions or inferences, except in so far as my premises warrant them as right and reasonable. I have expressed my views freely, and I must add honestly and sincerely, I only ask that the reader will not condemn me merely because he may think differently. If he were in my place he would probably agree with me.

The subject in hand deals largely with persons, and it was impossible to treat it without being personal. It was my desire to be fair to every one ; and if I have wronged anyone, or caused him pain, I must say it was foreign to my intention; and I shall be glad to undo the wrong, if it be pointed out to me, wherein I have wronged.








I have confined myself, almost exclusively, to the Agrarian question, and I have studiously avoided touching a wider and different topic, with which I mean to deal, please God, at my earliest convenience. I would not, I must add, have attempted the present pamphlet, but that I got un­expectedly into it, and that I hope it will serve as a hand­book of reference, on the Land Question in Gweedore, to the hundreds of kind friends at home and abroad who are almost daily referring to me for information on the subject.

In this respect, too, its publication will, I hope, relieve myself, because from the various duties and occupations of my life 1 have been utterly unable to correspond so fully on this and various kindred subjects, as I myself wished, as the importance of the matter deserved and my respect for my friends demanded. The pamphlet is by no means full or exhaustive. It would take a book of a thousand pages to contain all that occurred even within my own day in this agrarian struggle. I hope that what I have written will put the condition of things in this region in truer light before the public; and that it will contribute even a little towards the final solution of the Irish difficulty,

JAMES M'FADDEN,

gweedore.

September 20, 1880.

No comments:

Post a Comment