Mayo history: Conor O’Kelly unrepentant after being jailed in Castlebar

PART FOUR

By Tom Gillespie

IN February 1902, Claremorris born Conor O’Kelly, the first chairman of Mayo County Council, was released from Castlebar Jail after serving a two-month sentence.

The Connaught Telegraph gave comprehensive coverage to the event in their edition of February 22 of that year.

After his release a mass meeting was held in Castlebar Courthouse, after which Mr. O’Kelly addressed a meeting in his native Claremorris.

Mr. O’Kelly was received in Claremorris with a great outburst of cheering lasting several minutes, and spoke as follows:

Follow Nationalists, I can assure you I speak the truth when I say that this remarkable demonstration has embarrassed me more than the Castlebar one (cheers).

I ought to feel good, and I do feel proud, of this great welcome home (“you are worthy of it,” cheers).

The fact that it was unexpected by me and undeserved (“No, no,”) makes me prize it all the more, and makes my sense of obligation to you all the greater (cheers). We, follow-Nationalists, as I said in Castlebar, I have done penance for my sins, but I feel no contrition for them (laughter and cheers), and I leave Castlebar Jail, as I entered it, unchanged in my views of grabbers and grabbing (cheers).

Mr. Wyndham (groans) fancied that all he had to do was to lock me up for a few months to induce a change in or modification of my wicked opinions (“Never”). But he was mistaken (cheers). I am still obdurate; I am still unrepentant; I am still devoted to my heresies (loud cheers).

I still believe that the way to deal with the people’s enemies at public meetings is not by the way of veiled hints and vague suggestions in order to escape the Coercion Courts, but so to speak and act as to bring down on them the chastisement of public scorn and repudiation, caring not one brass farthing whether the Coercion Courts do their best or worst (loud cheering).

If Mr. Wyndham (groans) fancied that his illegal courts and their illegal sentences were going to change or modify our future conduct his judgement was equally at fault there (cheers).

I can assure him that his Coercion Courts have frightened the grabbers (groans) and graziers (groans) a great deal more than they have frightened us (hear, hear).

In point of fact it was Mr. Wyndham’s intentions in the Tully (Belcarra) case that accelerated the surrender of the Tully lands (“True”).

We are going to act in the future precisely as we have acted in the past when occasion and necessity arise to make it our duty to do (loud cheers); and, for my part, fellow-countrymen, I can say in no boasting spirit my contempt for Castle punishment increases with my experience of it (loud cheers), and I am perfectly certain that our good and true friends Messers. Hayden (cheers), Brett (cheers), Delany (cheers), Cunnane (cheers), Owens (cheers), Higgins (cheers) and brave Peter Regan (cheers) will have the same thing to say for themselves when they are released in the course of a few weeks (cheers).

But if Mr. Wyndham be disappointed in these respects, surely he must find consolation somewhere (laughter). Doubtless the fact that he reduces us to the status of common criminals will afford ample satisfaction to his large and generous mind; but there, too, he must rid himself of his illusions (laughter).

I am quite aware that the only objection some of our friends have to going to prison is the class of people they would have to associate with.

They object to the company they would have to keep (laughter). I can quite sympathise with their natural aversion, but I must confess I don’t share it (laughter), and the reason is not far to seek.

Anyone who spent his six months in the House of Commons, mixing, as I have, with the spotless worthies who have figured in countless chapters of corruption and scandal which have followed so fast on one another during the past 12 months - the Telephon scandal, the Austrian remounts, the deals in New Zealand meat, to name one or two of them - well, anyone with that experience becomes pretty indifferent as to the particular brand of human nature he comes in contact with in after life (loud cheers).

When one has done that truth it begins to dawn on him that all the criminals in the country do not sleep on plank beds (loud cheers).

But if Mr. Wyndham wants to get rid of us let him have recourse to the manlier method of some of his predecessors, of sending men to prison on a warrant alone which will at least obviate the scandal of a mock trial before men whose existence depends on his favour (cheers), and we will complain less of that method of procedure than we do now of that interesting tribunal that waded knee-deep in illegalities under the protecting patronage of the Lord Lieutenant in Castlebar last November (laughter).

We were charged with illegal meeting, and the charge was tried before a court that, on the authority of Lord Chief Baron, was as illegal as the meeting itself was alleged to be (continued laughter).

In fact as far as illegalities were concerned as between Messers. Startkle and Bell and ourselves, it was a case of the pot calling the kettle black (more laughter), and then we were lectured at length on our illegalities by a Mr. Murphy, a ‘learned’ counsel, who, as things turned out, was not ‘learned’ enough to fill a common summons correctly (laugher).

There was no reason given for their decision. Not a word was uttered to defend it. Not at all - those two promoted policemen decided in 10 seconds, and delivered their sentences in as many words in matters of law that occupied the attention of four judges for 14 days, and needed ultimately six columns of the ‘Freeman’ to elucidate (cheers).

Well, it does seem to be a wasteful expenditure of public funds to be paying four judges some twenty thousand pounds a year to decide matters which are capable of such facile solution by two profound policemen, who are willing to do the work for a beggarly few hundreds (loud cheers).

But what happened in the High Court? Is the tangle yet unravelled? I venture to say it is not, in view of the violent oscillations of Judge Kenny between extreme and conflicting views (hear, hear).

In fact the whole thing has become so involved that, to use a Yankee phrase, “We don’t know where we are” (laughter).

Now, fellow-Nationalists, one word more and I will have done. I can’t let this meeting pass over without expressing my gratitude to my townsmen for having proposed to present me with a testimonial on my release.

I decline to take any testimonial, and will always decline to be rewarded for discharging my duty.

Though Irish politics may not open the door to fortune still they are not without their honourable rewards, as tonight’s demonstration so truly shows me. I am vain enough to hope that this great gathering shows that I still possess the friendship and confidence of the people.

Fellow-Nationalists, this is the only reward I will seek in Irish politics. My only desire is to be on the side the struggling people, doing what one can do to extend their liberties, to guard and defend their interests and rights, to always offer earnest resistance to the assaults of Coercion and the pretensions of class, and to do what every Irishman ought to endeavour to do - leave Ireland some thing better than he found it. (loud applause).

Concluded.

Links back to previous articles here.