Ceremony to mark 100th anniversary of death of James Daly

Tuesday, 22 March 2011 15:46

Renowned Connaught Telegraph editor, James Daly, will be remembered this (Tuesday) evening at a wreath laying and tree planting ceremony in Castlebar. It will take place at the old cemetery where Daly, who died on March 22, 1911, is laid to rest.
Assembly takes place at the Mayo Peace Park at 5.30 p.m. and relatives of Daly, who used this newspaper to further the cause of land reform during his term in the editor's chair form 1876 to 1888, will plant a tree at the entrance to the graveyard.
Daly was a conservative Catholic from a Mayo farming family. He served from 1869 on the Castlebar Board of Guardians and as a guardian for the Litterbrick Division in Ballina union.
Daly took up the emerging political cause in the west with Michael Davitt to establish tenant farmers' rights against largely absentee landlords.

In February 1876 together with Alfred O'Hea he purchased The Connaught Telegraph, and became sole owner in 1879 on O'Hea's death.
The Connaught Telegraph, which celebrated it's 183rd birthday on St. Patrick's Day, became the early publicity vehicle for what was initially a Mayo-based land movement.
This evenings ceremny will involve wreath laying by a relative of James Daly, the Mayor of Castlebar Town Council, Councillor Ger Deere and the editor of The Connaught Telegraph, Tom Gillespie.

The chair of the Michael Davitt Museum, Straide, Nancy Smyth will give a short oration at the graveside.
Meanwhile, Councillor Deere is expected to announce this evening that negotiations are proceeding for the purchade of the Imperial Hotel, Castlebar - where the Land League was funded in October 1879 and once owned by James Daly, in a joint venture between Mayo County Council and Castlebar Town Council.