winter an epidemic of destruction broke out, the
effect of which may be seen in the large amount added to the county
cess to give compensation to the injured persons. The grand jury has
levied altogether between seven and eight hundred pounds more than
usual. So ignorant or reckless are the destroyers, that they take no
heed of what is well understood in other places; to wit, that the
amount of the damage done is levied upon the adjacent townlands. Thus
the addition to the county cess in Lettermore is 10s. 111/2d. in the
1l.; in Carna, 8s. 91/2d.; and in Derryinver, 8s. 71/2d.--a cruel
additional burden on the ratepayer. Some of the items are very large.
To George J. Robinson was awarded 181l. for seventy-six sheep and two
rams "maliciously taken away, killed, maimed, and destroyed." To
Hamilton C. Smith three separate awards were made--28l. for four head
of cattle driven or carried out to sea and drowned; 21l. for fourteen
sheep maliciously driven off and removed; and again 17l. 10s. for
fourteen sheep similarly treated. Houses and boats have been burned,
and even turf-ricks destroyed. The object in all cases seems to have
been to "hunt" the injured persons out of the country in order that
the neighbours might turn their cattle on to his grazing land, as has
been done in Mayo. In one conspicuous case these tactics have proved
successful. Michael O'Neil was awarded 120l. "to compensate him for
ninety-six sheep, his property, maliciously taken or carried away and
destroyed, at Tonadooravaun, in the parish of Ballynakill." This sum
is levied off the fourteen adjacent townlands, among which is the
unlucky Lettermore, just quoted as paying an enormous addition to the
county cess. Michael O'Neil, who appears to have been a respectable
man, not otherwise objectionable than as the tenant of more grazing
land than was considered his share by his neighbours, has received his
120l., and is so far reimbursed; but he thought it better to obey the
popular will than to attempt to stand against it, and gave up his farm
accordingly. Such deeds as the frightening of "decent people" out of
Connemara by maiming cattle and burning houses, which must be paid for
by the offending districts, speak more distinctly than any words could
do of the ignorance of this part of the wild West. So wild is it that
although the Roman Catholic clergy of Connemara adhere to the
elsewhere-obsolete practice of holding "stations" for confession,
there are many