Ladies’ Land League

January 31, 2021 was the 140th anniversary of the establishment of the Irish Ladies’ Land League. It was revolutionary at the time, the first political association led by Irish women. During 1880, it had became obvious that the arrest of the Land League leaders was only a matter of time, and Michael Davitt (1846-1906), its founder, was determined that their work should be continued in their absence. He asked the Land League executive to authorise the formation of a provisional committee of ladies to carry on the work. The proposal was opposed by the executive, but Davitt persevered and secured a passive assent. Prior to that, numerous women were involved with the Land League, but not in a leadership role. On 31 January 1881, Anna Parnell (1852-1911, a sister of the Land League president, Charles Stewart) presided at a meeting in 39 Upper Sackville Street, Dublin, at which the Ladies’ Land League was formally established. Thus, Michael Davitt became the first Irish leader to encourage Irish women to participate and take leadership roles in political affairs.

Anne Deane, (1830-1905) from Ballaghaderreen , County Roscommon, was elected president of the Ladies’ Land League, with Anna Parnell, its leader-in-chief, as general secretary. Anna Parnell (1852-1911) spoke at the first public meeting of the Ladies’ Land League which was held in Claremorris, County Mayo, on February 13, 1881. Anna Parnell was reported in the Connaught Telegraph of February 17, 1881, as stating that the Ladies’ Land League was not going to be a charitable organisation but a ‘relief movement.’ The Ladies’ Land League was provided with an office in the same building as the Land League. From its inception, it had a difficult relationship with the Land League, most of whose members had strong views on the role of women in society at that time and deemed political activity by them as inappropriate, views strongly reinforced by Charles Stewart Parnell, who never supported the Ladies’ Land League. As a result, the role of the Ladies’ Land League was never clearly defined, and its champion, Michael Davitt, was imprisoned only three days after its inauguration. The Ladies’ Land League, however, established branches around the country and raised money to support families of those evicted or imprisoned. It became very active following the suppression of the Land League in October 1881, taking over the League’s functions and extending its relief activities, including the provision of pre-fabricated huts for evicted families and paying court expenses for tenants fighting against notices of ejectment.

The Ladies’ Land League built up a very efficient organisation within a few months and became quite radical in its approach. This was illustrated early in 1882 when the imprisoned Land League leaders ordered the ladies to call off the ‘no rent campaign’ and they refused, as well as taking a more aggressive stand at evictions. The Ladies’ Land League was suppressed on December 16, 1881, and some members were imprisoned for their activities.

Anne Deane (1834-1905) was unable to undertake a big role because of her business commitments. She was a great friend of Michael Davitt, who attended her funeral in Strade Friary, County Mayo, in July 1905, his last visit to his native parish. John Dillon, her cousin and MP for Mayo from 1885 until 1918, erected a monument in the niche of the founder’s tomb in Straide Friary on the north side of the chancel in her memory. (The inscription is now badly faded.) After living as a virtual recluse for the rest of her life in Cornwall, England, Anna Parnell died in a drowning accident at Ilfracombe in Devon on September 20, 1911.

Exploring Mayo by Bernard O’Hara is now available Worldwide as an eBook for the amazon Kindle application.

The print version of Bernard O’Hara’s book Exploring Mayo can be obtained by contacting www.mayobooks.ie.

www.mayobooks.ie also sell the print versions of Killasser - Heritage of a Mayo Parish , Anseo and Davitt.

Bernard O'Hara's book entitled Killasser: Heritage of a Mayo Parish is now on sale in the USA and UK as a paperback book at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk or Barnes and Noble

It is also available as an eBook from the Apple iBookstore (for reading on iPad and iPhone), from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (Kindle & Kindle Fire) and from Barnesandnoble.com (Nook tablet and eReader).

An earlier publication, a concise biography of Michael Davitt, entitled Davitt by Bernard O’Hara published in 2006 by Mayo County Council , is now available as Davitt: Irish Patriot and Father of the Land League by Bernard O’Hara, which was published in the USA by Tudor Gate Press (www.tudorgatepress.com) and is available from amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. It can be obtained as an eBook from the Apple iBookstore (for reading on iPad and iPhone), from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (Kindle & Kindle Fire) and from Barnesandnoble.com (Nook tablet and eReader).