1881 AD

                                                                                                                        "Irish Coercion Act -  2nd Irish Land Act - Irish Ladies Land League"

1881 AD The population in Ireland was now at 5,174,836  being made up of 3,951,818 who were the Catholic "majority," mostly "tenant farmers" and peasantry, with the Ascendancy Episcopalian Church of England / Ireland adherents amounting to 639,574 being mostly made up of the "wealthier and official class" and among the other "Dissenters / non - Conformists" were the Presbyterians who numbered 485,503 who were situated mainly in the central and the north - east of the Ulster Province, with the balance of the population mainly made up then of "Methodists," "Congregationalists" and "Baptists." 

   From 1881 AD - 1891 AD the "Encumbered Estates Act" and various other "Land Acts" were to be introduced by the British Imperial Government to assist the Land Lords who were by now in great "financial" trouble in Ireland, and to try and "return" the land in Ireland back to the population in Ireland to finally bring an end to the ongoing "rural" troubles and dissension that had existed for Centuries under the Conservative Ascendancy English and British Governments.   

January:  Once again the British Imperial Liberal Government was under William Gladstone but still plagued by Conservatism took a further "negative" approach to the problems occurring in Ireland, when at the new session of the Westminster Parliament in England they introduced another Irish Coercion Bill to suspend the "Habeus Corpus Act" in Ireland to which Charles Stewart - Parnell the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party was violently "opposed" and the debate over this particular "negative" Bill was to last for 46 hours until the British Liberal Government Speaker eventually "closed" the session to bring it to a halt and once again this was to only further increase the "unrest" in rural Ireland. To make matters worse William Forster the British Chief Secretary was to carry out this further Irish Coercion Act once again with "great severity" on the population in Ireland, which then further added to the never ending "chaos" that was still occurring in Ireland.

     The "Irish Home Rule Party / Irish Parliamentary Party" was now in a "strong position" under the leadership of Charles Stewart - Parnell, and with the extension of the franchise (the right to vote) were getting even stronger and William Gladstone the British Liberal Prime Minister agreed to appoint a new committee to examine the relations between the Land Lords and the "tenant farmers" under the provisions of the Irish Land Bill that had been previously enacted in 1870 AD and although there had been an earlier commission already appointed by the previous Conservative Government under Benjamin Disraeli it still had not made it's report and the Irish  Parliamentary Party M.P.'s had convinced William Gladstone that something had to be done "immediately." There was a great need now to protect the "tenant farmers" in Ireland who were in "arrears" already through no fault of their own, otherwise they too would be "evicted" without compensation, but unfortunately the measures of relief to the "tenant farmers" that were put forward were "dropped" after being "defeated" once again by the "veto" of the "unelected" Conservative controlled House of Lords, and immediately there was a corresponding "increase" in the disturbances again in the "rural" areas. This further "rebuttal" by the Conservative controlled and unelected House of Lords in England convinced the Irish Land League that they would have to push once again for much more radical "reforms." The two parallel Royal Commissions previously set up to inquire into the actual relations between the Land Lords who had their confiscated Estates in Ireland and their "tenant farmers" on these Estates in Ireland, reportd back to the William Gladstone and the Liberal Government and it was no co -incidence that both Royal Commissions had agreed that the power of the Land Lords, who had their Estates in Ireland over the "tenant farmers" in Ireland, should be "curtailed" much more then what had been allowed under the previous 1870 AD Irish Land Bill.

April 2nd: Joseph Corcoran and Brian Flannery were shot "dead" by the Dublin Castle's (the Devill's 1/2 Acre) R.I.C police under Sergeant Armstrong, while further "evictions" were being carried out on "tenant farmers" near Loch Gara, in Co. Sligo - Co. Roscommon in the north - west of the Connacht Province, who was then "lynched" by the other "tenant farmers" who were present and upset and who were among the crowd and because of these terrible fatalities, Timothy Healy was able to secure the "Healy Clause" in William Gladstone's 2nd Irish Land Act, which was a Bill to "reform" the dreadful land system that was still being allowed to operate in Ireland. It was in reality actually only an extension to the 1st Irish Land Act that had been meant to ensure that improvements carried out by the "tenants" did not mean further rent "increases" for the "tenants" and the result of all of this was to be known as the 3 Fs being (Fair Rent by arbitration), Free Sale - to enable the tenant to sell his right of occupancy for the best market price possible and (Fixity of Tenure), when the rent was paid. These measures had previously only been available to the Ulster Province non - Catholic "tenants" before, but it had now been also accepted that the other "tenant farmers" really had an interest in their tenanted land, and finally it was to "pass" both Houses in the Westminster Parliament. (Despite this many among the Conservative Liberals themselves would not wear it, including the English Duke of Argyll, who also "resigned" from William Gladstone's ministry in protest, but William Gladstone's common sense approach as a Statesman had once again won the day.

      The Opposition Conservatives too were fearing conflict between both the British Houses of Parliament at Westminster, but they had now finally succumbed to the fact that some "drastic" measures, (from their point of view), had to occur to solve the ongoing turmoil in Ireland and to this end Land Courts were also set up to "fix" the rents, judicially on application, by either the Land Lord or the "tenant farmers" in Ireland, which were then fixed for 15 years, and for the same period if there was a mutual agreement registered on the "actual"rent to be paid that had been decided between themselves. A permanent interest by the "tenant farmers" in Ireland was now recognized, and this made the Land Lords more co - operative in their dealings, if the "tenants" actually had the economic ability to purchase their "own" lands. Unfortunately the struggling "tenant farmers," who were in the majority, were not in a position to take full advantage of the finance available to do so, although the advance on the land was increased from 2/3 to 3/4 of the value of the holding to be repaid over 35 years, as most had "no ready cash" and therefore only a "few hundred" were able to actually purchase any of their tenanted lands. Despite this economic financial barrier, the overall power of the Land Lords was now gone forever and "dual ownership" had been created now under British Common Law, but the Irish Land League were committed to ending all of the "rural" turmoil in Ireland and stood for "outright tenant ownership" of their land, and there was to be much more "violence" and outrage still to come until this was to be finally "accomplished."

   In a Bye - Election for Co. Tyrone in Central Ulster Province the candidate from the Irish Land League was able to "defeat" the Liberal candidate, as they were well disposed to the 2nd Irish Land Act, but any chance of any firm "alliances" with the "tenant farmers" in the other Counties there in Ulster Province, were now gone.

    Charles Stewart - Parnell and his followers in the Irish Land League were still "hostile" to the British Imperial Liberal Government's proposals so far, as the 2nd Irish Land Act had done nothing for the "tenant farmers" who were in "arrears" through no fault of their own, and therefore it also "excluded" any lease holders from any immediate benefits, and the Irish Land League were now in a quandary as to whether to "ignore" the 2nd Irish Land Act altogetherand take on the British Liberal Government by using the only method left to them by continuing to attack the Land Lords themselves. If they continued to take this measure this would mean the "end" of any chance of Irish Home Rule, while on the other hand if they "accepted" the 2nd Irish Land Act as it was this would mean that the" tenant farmers" would have no further need for the Irish Home Rule Party and they would then lose their "support" towards their ultimate goal. To try and stop any further "evictions" of the "tenant farmers" who were in "arrears" and those on leases, Charles Stewart - Parnell made a courageous decision to instead go on the offensive over these "deletions" from the 2nd Irish Land Act that had not given any "protection" to those "tenant farmers" who were already in "arrears" and no benefits for those already on leases, and because of the support he was receiving from the Irish American Clann na Gael / The Organization his speeches now became much more "inflammatory."

      Meanwhile the Irish Republicans / I.R.B in Ireland during this period, although still basically "leaderless," were still active in the north of Co. Cork in Southern Munster, and the British Liberal Government now produced another Irish Coercion Act to "arrest" any Irishmen "without trial" and the "suspension" of any of their normal Civil Liberties, and this new "negative" Act was passed in the British Westminster Parliament by 303 to 46 votes and Charles Stewart - Parnell and 34 other Irish Parliamentary Party members were then "suspended and escorted" out of the British Westminster House of Commons for "objecting" to it, and another 1,000 Irishmen were now to be "imprisoned" at the will of the British Dublin Castle (The Devill's 1/2 Acre) authorities. Joseph Gillis Biggar from the Irish Parliamentary Party was also "suspended" from the British House of Commons on 2 occasions for continuing to carry out his "Obstruction" technique in the interests of drawing some of their attention towards Irish Affairs / Irish Home Rule and the results of all of this was that once again during this year there were a further 2,590 "rural" crimes reported throughout Ireland as the "tenant farmers" and the population of Ireland became even more restless. William Forster the British Chief Secretary who operated from within the Dublin Castle for the British Liberal Imperial Government in the Devil's 1/2 acre believed that Charles Stewart - Parnell the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party was out to wreck the 2nd Irish Land Act and now wanted something "personally" to be done about him.

October: Charles Stewart - Parnell was "arrested" by the Dublin Castle authorities on behalf of the British Imperial Liberal Government for giving a "Boycott" speech at Ennis in Co. Clare in the north - west of the Munster Province under the new Irish Coercion Act, and he was to be "imprisoned" in the Kilmainham Jail in Dublin for 7 months, along with other Irish Land League leaders, which only served to "increase" his popularity, especially in regard to the Irish Americans from the Clann na Gael / The Organization in America who were supporting him, and it certainly did nothing to assist "public opinion" in regard to the British Imperial Government's 2nd Irish Land Act, which was not right and needed further amendments to encompass all of the "tenant farmers" problems on the Land Lords' confiscated Estates. The Irish Land League under Michael Davitt now also came out in force, calling on all "tenant farmers" in Ireland to "withhold" any further rent payments and this action became known as the "No Rent Manifesto" so William Forster the British Chief Secretary in Dublin Castle acting for the British Imperial Government then also moved on the Irish Land League endeavouring to "suppress" it also, but this too only created further "upheaval" throughout the "rural" areas in Ireland.

      John Dillon the Irish Parliamentary Party M.P. from Co. Tipperary in the north - east of the Munster Province who was also in the British Westminster Parliament was "imprisoned" for signing the "No Rent Manifesto," as was William O Brien the old Labor stalwart, who was also another M.P. in the British Westminster Parliament who was from Co. Cork in Southern Munster who was also it's "author," and the editor of the "United Ireland" newspaper, who would have a long and distinguished career of service in the interests of the poplation of Ireland as a supporter of the Labor movement. Meanwhile, Charles Stewart - Parnell was now fearful that these ongoing types of disturbances in "rural" Ireland, that were being brought on under the British Imperial Government 's new Irish Coercion  Act, would help to destroy the "New Departure Strategy" that he previously worked out with John Devoy and the Clann na Gael / The Organization for a "peaceful solution" by constitutional means.

       The "Irish Ladies Land League" previously begun by Anna Parnell, Charles Stewart - Parnell's sister, was now to fill the void that would be created by the British Liberal Government "outlawing" the Irish Land League until 1882 AD, and their activities during these times would stand them in good stead when they also later became involved in the "Women's Suffragette Movement" and the "political" Sinn Fein (We Ourselves) Party.

      John Redmond now became the Irish Parliamentary Party M.P. for New Ross in Co. Wexford in the south - east of Southern Leinster in the Westminster Parliament until 1891 AD, and he too later on was to become another "leader" of the Irish Parliamentary Party after Charles Stewart - Parnell and John Dillon, and although he was to at that time try and play a major role in Irish History he was unfortunately to die a very "disheartened and dishonoured" man in Ireland.

     Alexander Sullivan was elected as the American National Chairman of Clann na Gael / The Organization, and due to the perception of the constant frustration of anything really changing immediately by "democratic" means in Ireland he now wanted to act "separately" to the Irish Republican Brotherhood / I.R.B. in Ireland and was "impatient" for "revolution" and the long drawn out chance of any constitutional change, and he was act n his own up until to 1885 AD and the Clann na Gael / The Organization was to also commission the first American submarine, which was designed by John Holland who was himself originally from Ireland.      

     Two further "leaders" of the future "Irish Independence Movement" were both born this year, including Eamonn Ceannt / Kent who was born in Co. Galway in Southern Connacht, who was to grow up to be a clerk with a great love for Irish music and Irish Freedom, who would be among those to be "executed" in the future also by the British Imperial Coalition Government for his part in the 1916 Irish Easter Uprising, while the other was Piaras Beaslaoi / Pierce Beasley an Anglo - Irish man whose family had come into Ireland in the mid - 17th Century AD from England, who was to become a great supporter of Michael Collins who would be the one to be heavily involved in "removing" the British Imperial Government's influence under the "Immoral Union" in 1922 AD from 26 of the Counties of the 32 of Ireland. (Pierce Beasley was also born at Liverpool in England and also had an English father and an Irish mother.

   The lack of any protection for all things "sacred" and Irish in Ireland still at this time, was highlighted by the fact that in the City of Armagh in the south - east of the Ulster Province they allowed the construction of the Bank of Ireland building on the original site of St. Patrick's Church, St. Columba's was by now also the Provincial Bank and St. Brigid's was only a paddock, and St. Peter's & St. Paul's was now used as a set of "stables," and St. Mary's had been converted into a "dwelling" while the Great School / University of Armagh and the Royal Cemetery were completely gone.

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