A Great Change - the lives and times of James Harshaw, John Martin and John Mitchel

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Great Change _ the lives and times of James Harshaw, John Martin and John Mitchel

Exhibition at Newry and Mourne Museum 3rd June – 11th November 2011

Map of sites referred to in A Great Change – the lives and times of James Harshaw, John Martin and John Mitchel Based on the Ordnance Survey Map, Crown Copyright

Front cover (left to right): James Harshaw, John Martin and John Mitchel Private collection. Courtesy of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

Réamhrá

Ba mhaith liom an leabhrán seo a mholadh, leabhrán a ghabhann leis an taispeántas sealadach, in Iarsmalann an Iúir agus Mhúrn, darbh ainm A Great Change – the lives and times of James Harshaw, John Martin and John Mitchel.

Díríonn an taispeántas ar shaol agus ar ghairmeacha de thriúr de bhunadh na háite, fríd a scríbhinní agus a ngníomhartha, a chuireann tuiscint níos fearr orainn ar saol an cheantair seo le linn agus i ndiaidh an Ghorta.

Ó dhialanna James Harshaw bíonn tuiscint níos fearr againn ar thionchar sóisialta agus eacnamaíoch an Ghorta ar mhuintir na háite seo.

Mayor’s Foreword

I would like to commend this booklet which accompanies A Great Change – the lives and times of James Harshaw, John Martin and John Mitchel, a temporary exhibition at Newry and Mourne Museum.

The exhibition focuses on the lives and careers of three local men who through their writings and actions we better understand life in this area during and after the Famine.

From James Harshaw’s diaries we better understand the social and economic impact the Famine had on the local population.

Ba iad Mitchel agus Martin beirt de phearsana stairiúla agus íocónacha na hÉireann, a rinne siad an oiread sin chun tacú le cearta an duine agus le ceartas aiceanta le linn na dtréimhsí ba mheasa i stair na hÉireann.

Ba mhaith liom foireann na Iarsmalainne a thréaslú as a gcuid oibre agus buíochas a ghabháil leis na daoine uilig ar thug fáisnéis, déantáin agus grianghraif don tionscnamh seo.

Clr Charlie Casey Méara – Comhairle an Iúir agus Mhúrn

Mitchel and Martin are two of Ireland’s iconic historical figures, who in their time did so much to support human rights and natural justice, at one of the most tragic times in Irish history.

I would like to congratulate the staff of Newry and Mourne Museum for their work and thank all those who contributed information, artefacts, and photographs to this project.

Councillor Charlie Casey

Mayor – Newry and Mourne District Council

Society in Donaghmore and Newry, 1830s

– 1850s

Donaghmore is a parish located five miles north of Newry. In 1841 the population was 4,436. Many of the local people were employed in weaving linen for local linen merchants in Banbridge. Farming was very important with a mixture of arable and animal husbandry. Fairs were held in the parish at Sheepbridge, on the first Friday in every month for cattle, sheep and pigs. Donaghmore Farming Society was in existence by 1835 and an annual cattle show and ploughing match were held under the auspices of the Society. After these events, dinners and other celebratory functions were held.

The principal crops in the area were oats, flax, potatoes, turnips, hay and wheat. There were a number of farmers who had progressive ideas and implemented agricultural improvements such as crop rotation. The main market town for Donaghmore was Newry, which at this time was a prosperous commercial and industrial centre with an educated class ranging from lawyers, clergy, merchants and business people with an interest in politics and social welfare.

Newry’s infrastructure, which included the port, canals and railways contributed to its development as a major centre for industry. Up to the mid 19th century Newry was an important centre for milling, brewing and distilling with exports to Britain and North America.

The two main landlords in Newry were the Earl of Kilmorey and the Marquis of Downshire. Both peers played a leading role in the political and commercial life of the town. However, from the 1830s onwards an increasing number of wealthy local families also began to play a prominent role in local government and politics. New legislation provided opportunities for involvement in local administration. These included the establishment of the Board of Police Commissioners in 1828, the Board of Guardians in 1840 and the passing of the Town Improvement (Ireland) Act of 1854 which allowed for the election of Town Commissioners.

The Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 allowed Roman Catholics the opportunity to be involved in national and local politics. In 1835 Denis Caulfield Brady became the first Roman Catholic to win the parliamentary seat for Newry since the reign of James II.

James Harshaw’s house in the early 20th century From An Ancient Irish Parish Past and Present by J. Davison Cowan (London, 1914)

In the same year as the Emancipation Act, the Cathedral of St. Patrick and St. Colman was completed. In 1830 St. Clare’s Convent in High Street opened and in 1855 the Sisters of Mercy came to Newry.

This forms the backdrop to the lives of James Harshaw, John Martin and John Mitchel. All three men were Presbyterians and this influenced their character, thinking and social and political outlook.

Ballad and poster dating from the elections for the parliamentary seat of the Borough of Newry in 1831 and 1832 Denis Maguire contested this seat unsuccessfully on both occasions Newry and Mourne Museum Collection

James Harshaw, John Martin

and John Mitchel: their lives and times

The Harshaws were a prominent family in Donaghmore and played an important part in local affairs. Much is known of day to day life in the parish due to the diaries written by James Harshaw which span the period from the 1830s to the 1860s. James Harshaw was an elder in Donaghmore Presbyterian Church, a farmer and treasurer of Donaghmore Dispensary. His diaries record daily farming activities and practices and also reflect the impact of the Famine in the area, emigration and the Evangelical Revival of 1859. Following James Harshaw’s death in 1867 the diaries were taken to America. In 1996 they were deposited in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland by Marjorie Harshaw Robie, a descendant of the family.

Another important family in the locality were the Martins. James Harshaw’s sister, Jane, married Samuel Martin and their son, John Martin, became a Nationalist political figure. He was associated with the “Young Irelanders” including John Mitchel and Charles Gavin Duffy and wrote articles for political publications such as the Nation and the United Irishman. He started a new political news letter in 1848, the Irish Felon, and after only five issues, he was charged with treason and transported to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) in 1849. After being pardoned in June 1854, he returned to Ireland in 1856. Martin supported Home Rule for Ireland and

was elected as MP for County Meath in 1871. He died at Dromalane House in March 1875.

John Martin’s lifelong friendship with John Mitchel dates from their attendance at Dr. Henderson’s school in Newry. John Mitchel entered the legal profession, and later formed a partnership with a Newry solicitor, Samuel Frazer. He became increasingly Nationalist in his sympathies and joined the Repeal Association. Mitchel later became Assistant Editor of the Nation in 1845 and, after the outbreak of the Famine, his writings became more militant against British Government policy in Ireland. Arrested in 1848, he was tried and transported to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). After escaping from the island, he arrived in America in 1853 where he published his famous Jail Journal. He was a supporter of the Confederate side during the American Civil War. On his return to Europe he became involved with the Fenian movement and was elected as MP for Tipperary in 1875, but was ineligible as an undischarged felon. Mitchel’s health was in decline and he died at Dromalane House in Newry on 20th March 1875.

Locket containing a portrait miniature of James Harshaw. This miniature was painted in America by a Mrs Aylen, on behalf of Harrison Frazer, grandson of Jane Martin Frazer, a niece of the diarist. It is based on a daguerreotype photograph, taken of James Harshaw in Dublin in July 1849 and recorded in his diary - “Sat for my likeness to Gluckman in Daguerreotype Stile” From a private collection. Photograph courtesy of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

Courtesy

John Martin and John Mitchel with the Reverend John Kenyon, who was strongly associated with the Young Irelanders. As a militant nationalist close to John Mitchel, Kenyon denounced Daniel O’Connell and his followers, and urged an early rebellion in 1848 of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

A Great Change: the Famine and Emigration

James Harshaw, John Martin and John Mitchel each had different responses to the Great Famine which ravaged Ireland from 1845 – 1850. Over a million people died and during and after the Famine, around 1,800,000 people emigrated. This was an unprecedented exodus in a period of just over ten years and was one of the largest population movements of the 19th century.

Although Newry itself was not as badly affected, the Famine had a greater impact on its hinterland. The Irish Poor Law of 1838 had set up mechanisms for helping poor people. One of which was the establishment of workhouses, while anotherwas local relief committees. Some benevolent landowners provided food and employment. James Harshaw’s diaries record the appearance of potato blight in Donaghmore in August 1848. He became involved in Famine relief and was a member of the founding committee of the dispensary in Donaghmore which was set up in the same year. His diaries chronicle the efforts of the local Famine relief committee.

As a landlord John Martin was aware of the pressure on his tenants during the Famine and took no rent from them. He mortgaged his estate to finance Famine relief and suffered personal tragedy with the loss of his mother in July 1847 who died from a fever caught while attending to the sick.

These experiences led him to contribute articles denouncing the British government’s relief policy in John Mitchel’s journal the United Irishman.

The Famine was the key event in John Mitchel’s career and his political views were radicalised by worsening conditions suffered by people during the winter of 1847-8. This was highlighted in his response to the scenes of suffering he witnessed in Galway earlier that year. Writing in the Nation he began to formulate his theory on the Famine. He argued it was not primarily a natural disaster but a deliberate attempt to exterminate the Irish peasantry, in order to feed Britain’s expanding industrial population and to ensure that Ireland would be easier to govern.

One of the affects of the Famine was the upsurge in emigration to Britain and North America. Newry became the centre of emigration for southern Ulster and northern Leinster as people fled the terrible conditions on the land. Ships carried thousands of people from Newry and Warrenpoint, sometimes to America or Liverpool.

Poster advertising the sailing of the Lady Caroline from Warrenpoint to New Brunswick in Canada in June 1847

Local merchants such as Frances Carvill acted as emigration agents Newry and Mourne Museum Collection

Union Workhouse, Newry. Opened in December 1841

From the Ordnance Survey, 1861. Crown Copyright

Harshaw, Martin and Mitchel: their reaction to

Great Famine and their legacy

The legacy of James Harshaw, John Martin and John Mitchel reflect their individual spheres of influence. James Harshaw is of more local significance than national figures such as Martin and Mitchel. His legacy, however, is his detailed diaries which give a unique insight into the Donaghmore area from the 1830s to the 1860s. They are an account of rural life before, during and after the Famine and show its social and economic impact on the local population. They record farming activities including cultivation of crops and the rearing of livestock.

The geneaological significance of the diaries is important as they detail the names of local people and provide information on local baptisms, marriages, deaths and emigration. Amongst the families mentioned are Marshall (of Buskhill), Todd, Speer, Moffitt, Morrow, Wright, Malcolmson, Bradford and McKelvey. Also documented are accounts of how the Evangelical Revival of 1859 impacted on the Presbyterian community of the area.

Admired for his personal integrity and honesty, John Martin is not as widely known today as John Mitchel. He was, however, involved in various Nationalist organistions, ranging from the radical Young Ireland group to the more moderate Home

Rule movement. On a personal level he was generous to his family and friends. On the death of his sister in law and brother he took responsibility for their children’s welfare, coming home from Paris to care for them. He was also attentive to his uncle, James Harshaw, in his final illness.

Of the three men, John Mitchel is the most well known due to his prolific writings at the time of the Famine, especially his book, Jail Journal. His radical thoughts on Britain’s response to the Famine has had a deep influence on Irish Nationalism even to the present day. Later Nationalist figures such as Arthur Griffith and Patrick Pearse were strongly influenced by Mitchel’s ideas and beliefs. Griffith agreed with Mitchel’s condemnation of British Free Trade and Pearse regarded Jail Journal as one of the “four gospels” of Irish Nationalism.

Mitchel and Martin are remembered in a number of ways in the area. A statue of John Mitchel was erected in 1965 and the local branch of the Irish National Foresters is named after him. The grounds of Glenn Athletic Club, near Jerrettspass, is known as John Martin Park, as is a residential area in Newry.

the
Drawing of John Martin in his later years, possibly from the John Mitchel Branch of the Irish National Foresters in Newry Newry and Mourne Museum Collection Title page and portrait of John Mitchel from an edition of his Jail Journal published in 1921 Newry and Mourne Museum Collection

Contributors

A number of people with local connections have been invited to contribute articles to this booklet to provide a deeper insight to the people and events explored in the exhibition. The contributors are:

Joanne Cummins

A Gallery Attendant at Newry and Mourne Museum and a native of Donaghmore, Joanne has a Master of Arts in Heritage Management from the University of Birmingham. She has worked in the local arts and heritage sector for ten years.

Adrian Murdock

A lifelong resident of Loughorne, living close to John Martin’s birthplace, Adrian has been closely involved with the “Harshaw/Martin” story, since the Harshaw diaries were returned to Belfast in 1996. He is an active member of the Old Newry Society and Rathfriland Historical Society.

Anthony Russell

An academic with a wide experience in researching and directing major historical projects, most recently the cross community, cross border ‘Rebels and Loyalists – The Love Story of John Mitchel and Jenny Verner’. Anthony was involved in the development and delivery of the ‘Borderlands’ degree and is the academic consultant for Dundalk Institute of Technology’s ‘Global Border Studies’. He has been involved with Old Newry Society for many years and is the current Chairman of Newry and Mourne Museum Sub Committee.

Maud Hamill

The Secretary of the Abbey Historical Society in south Antrim. After retiring from a business career in 2002, Maud returned to her love of history and now researches genealogy, conducts historical walks and speaks on the history of landowning families.

Dromalane House, built in 1866, by Mr. Hill Irvine, brother in law of John Mitchel and owner of Dromalane Mill He was also a landlord in Donaghmore. Both John Mitchel and John Martin died here in March 1875.

© William McAlpine

Donaghmore National School, originally built in 1859

Donaghmore Parish Church

Built in 1741, on an ancient Early Christian site. A High Cross is located in the graveyard

Photograph from the Frontier Sentinel, (March 13th, 1965) showing members of the Mitchel Monument Committee at the erection of the John Mitchel statue, St. Colman’s Park, Newry. Also included are the sculptor Domhnail O’Murchadha and his wife and Sean McAteer of James McAteer and Sons who erected the statue

Gravestone of the Reverend J. Davison Cowan at Donaghmore Parish Church. He was Rector of Donaghmore from 1882 until 1922 and was the author of An Ancient Irish Parish Past and Present being the Parish of Donaghmore County Down, published in 1914. The Rev. Cowan consulted James Harshaw’s diary in America when he was writing his book

Membership certificate from the John Mitchel Branch of the Irish National Foresters, Newry, 1921 Newry and Mourne Museum Collection

James Harshaw and Donaghmore Presbyterian Church

James Harshaw was a prominent Presbyterian and ruling elder in Donaghmore Presbyterian Church; a church with much history, having stood in the townland of Lisserboy since 1705.

As ruling elder, he was the administrator of church affairs, and details of these activities form a large part of his daily writings. In the years 1859-1860 he writes about some of the leading events taking place in the church.

The minister at the time, the Reverend Patrick White, embraced the Revival movement and many new members were added to the congregation. Revival services were held almost daily in the Presbyterian Church, in school houses, mills and the open air, and were well attended.

During the 19th century the church played an important role in the education of local children, and Harshaw played a leading role in the effort to build a new school house in 1859, when Donaghmore National School was erected by subscription in the townland of Tullymurry replacing the schoolhouse in Ringclare.

The school, under Presbyterian management, employed Robert Sloan as the first teacher when it opened on 1 April 1860, with an enrolment of approximately 50 pupils. He remained in the post for nearly 31 years, and the school educated generations of children until its closure in 1993.

August 28 – Sabbath

The 1859 Evangelical Revival, which started in the parish of Connor in Antrim, swept through most of the towns and villages of Ulster. James Harshaw’s diary provides a detailed account of the movement in Donaghmore, which had a great effect on the congregation. He writes about the meetings, the speakers, people being ‘impressed’, and describes the apparent hysteria of some women during church services:

Mr. White preached the gerl Sloan impressed was very ill and made a pitious nois, the congregation seemed alarmed and requested Mr. White to pray. He was about the middle of his sermon – we all went to prair...’

Harshaw wrote about the attempt to build a manse a decade before, but 1860 was the year the venture took a leap forward. A site had been promised in the townland of Loughorne on 11 April 1860 by John Martin, who laid the foundation stone on 8 June 1864. The Rev. John Elliot became the first occupant of the manse when it was completed in 1867, and Harshaw visited him there that year.

Donaghmore Presbyterian Church in the early 20th century

The church stands on the boundary where the four townlands of Lisserboy, Loughorne, Tullymurry and Aughnacavan meet

From An Ancient Irish Parish Past and Present by J. Davison Cowan (London, 1914)

James Harshaw’s gravestone at Glascar Presbyterian Church

Harshaw – on the 30th ult., at his own house, James Harshaw of Donaghmore, aged seventy-one years for nearly fifty years a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Congregation of Donaghmore; greatly regretted by all his neighbours, friends, and kindred. [The funeral will take place on Saturday (to-day), at eleven o’clock a.m.]

James Harshaw’s death notice from Newry Commercial Telegraph, Saturday, February 2nd , 1867

John Martin

John Martin, Nationalist journalist and politician, was born on 8 September 1812 at Loughorne, near Newry, Co. Down.

He studied medicine in Dublin until he inherited the estate at Loughorne, Co. Down, on the death of his uncle, John Martin. He proved to be a benevolent landlord and during the years of the famine, he took no rent from his tenants and even mortgaged his property to bring help to the needy.

In the 1830s his politics followed those of his close friend John Mitchel in advocating the Repeal of the Act of Union. He joined Daniel O’Connell’s Repeal Association in about June 1844. But with others withdrew from the association to form the Irish Confederation in 1847.

Martin wrote articles for the Nation, “Young Ireland’s” newspaper, and later Mitchel’s United Irishman. When Mitchel was arrested and exiled he began his own, the Irish Felon, which lasted five issues before he was arrested and charged with treason. He was sentenced to ten years transportation and was sent to Van Diemen’s Land.

He received a conditional pardon in June 1854 and he entered politics again when he set up “The Irish National League”, which received little support. He was sympathetic towards the 1868 “Manchester Martyrs” and led the honorary funeral procession to Glasnevin Cemetery.

The Home Government Association (HGA) was formed in 1870. In January 1871 he was the first HGA candidate to be elected in Ireland, becoming MP for Co. Meath. He acted as secretary to the Home Rule League on half pay and later became “Honorary Secretary” with no pay.

Aside from his political life, John Martin was well travelled. In 1839 he visited his sister in Canada and the following year he toured Europe. After his pardon he went to live in Paris where he also had a sister. He returned to Ireland in 1858, to shoulder the responsibility of guardian to his orphaned nephews and nieces in Kilbroney, Rostrevor.

He married Henrietta (John Mitchel’s sister) in London in November 1868. From 1869 to 1870, they travelled in Canada and America, where they were warmly received in New York, Boston and New Jersey.

In 1875, when he heard that John Mitchel was ill, he returned to Newry from Westminister. After developing pneumonia at John Mitchel’s funeral, he died at Dromalane.

He was laid to rest in the family plot at Donaghmore Church of Ireland, not far from his birthplace.

Donaghmore Presbyterian Church Manse

Completed in 1867, John Martin donated the land for the building of the Manse in 1860

James Harshaw’s diary records the following meeting on April 11th, 1860:

“Met John Martin in James Martins, on a deputation with Mr Greer, W Young, & John Harshaw when & where, John Martin promised us a site for a manse, for the congregation of Donaghmore, so far as he could”

PRONI D/4149/D/6

John Martin’s grave at Donaghmore Parish Church

John Mitchel

Born in Dungiven in 1815, John Mitchel was the son of the Reverend John Mitchel a liberal, Unitarian minister, whose church was in High Street, Newry and whose home was in Dromalane, where the young John was reared.

During his apprenticeship as an attorney in 1837 he met Jenny Verner and fell in love with her. Following an attempt to elope John and Jenny were married in the Church of Ireland, Drumcree, in February 1837. Their story is entwined with the politics of 19th Century Ireland and the United States and was to end with John Mitchel dying in Newry, in 1875. In between they were to experience elation, separation, deportation and the loss of three of their children against a backcloth of world events.

It was John Mitchel, more than any other writer, who shaped the nationalist perception of the Great Famine, especially when writing in the Nation and his own newspaper United Irishman. His revolutionary zeal deepened as the Famine worsened and he encouraged “Young Ireland” to rebel in 1848. The British reacted with the Treason Felony Act and Mitchel was exiled to Van Diemen’s Land. It was Mitchel whom Pearse described as “one of the four evangelists of Irish Nationalism”. It was he who first declared that the tricolour should be the national banner of Ireland.

Near death, John Mitchel had a national, but pyrrhic, victory as an abstentionist M.P. Mitchel’s politics were republican and extreme, both in Ireland and America, but he is remembered on three continents for his sincerity and the sacrifices made for his ideals. His support of slavery and the Confederacy continue to vex, even sympathetic historians, but his vivid writing, especially Jail Journal, is widely admired.

In death friends and enemies were generous. The London Times commented, “The man who was feared and hated with an intensity which only terror could produce was endeared to those who knew him intimately as an affectionate relative and a sympathetic friend. His public life has been a terrible mistake, unfortunate for his country and still more calamitous to himself.” Fellow Newry man, Lord Russell of Killowen, described Mitchel as “The best of the Young Ireland writers…the most brilliant journalist I have known.”

The title page of The Life and Times of Aodh O’Neill by John Mitchel which was published in 1845 Newry and Mourne Museum

John Mitchel’s statue, St. Colman’s Park, Newry

The sculptor was Domhnail O’Murchadha and the statue was erected by James McAteer and Sons in 1965

Letters from Canada

Four letters rediscovered and donated to Newry and Mourne Museum give a unique insight into a Donaghmore family who experienced emigration. The letters relate to the Marshall family of Tullymurry Cottage.

The first letter home, dated 15th October 1839, was sent by Andrew Marshall to Robert Blexham of Newry. We learn that Andrew and his friend Robert Porter travelled from Newry to Dundalk, then to Liverpool on the ‘Glasgow’ and on 25th July 1839 sailed for New York on the ‘George Washington’.

Andrew had an eventful voyage, including the becalming of the ship for 10 days and a 4 hour hurricane in which the ship lost her sails and he feared for its safety. He was sick on the voyage but was cared for by a man called William McAvoy, Co. Monaghan who had left because of debt.

Andrew’s second letter of October 1839 was addressed to his father at Tullymurry Cottage. He details his journey to New York including the few hours in Newry before travelling to Dundalk. He was one of 30 cabin passengers and the cost of his journey was £8. 14s. 5d. He wrote it was wonderful to be in a country with no rent cess tax to pay and that farmers were independent and received good prices for their produce.

The third letter, sent by Andrew to his brother Joseph, is dated December 14th 1839. He learns that

his sister Essy has died. Although she did not enjoy good health he felt that his departure hastened her death. The changeable weather is mentioned; snow, frost and then an Indian summer and that the wooden houses were a terrible fire hazard.

Between 1839 and 1845 the family in Ireland kept in touch. Marshall moved from New York to Ontario, Canada where he married Margaret Lowry, and by 1851 they had three children and were living in Durham County, Ontario.

In the final letter, from Isabella, Andrew’s sister dated July 9th 1845 we read that the family had received his letter dated May 11th and they were sorry to hear that times in Canada were ‘sore in your worldly circumstances’. It would appear that Andrew had asked Isabella to come and visit and she intends to take up his kind offer.

“Mary Jane and I intend to travel and could you meet us in New York or Port Hope.

I intend to bring a check from the Newry Bank for £100 intend to bring two feather beds and mattresses’.

I intend to bring our money over in gold but could you direct us in your letter when you write, if a letter of credit would be better.’

Letter written by Andrew Marshall from Watertown, New York to his brother in Tullymurry, Donaghmore in October 1839 Newry and Mourne Museum Collection

Extract of letter written by Andrew Marshall in Watertown, New York (North America) to his father in Tullymurry, Newry (Ireland) written October 1839 Newry and Mourne Museum Collection

The letter describes Andrew Marshall’s journey to America and mentions his homesickness

Our accommodations were comfortable, our crew consisted of 30 cabin persons, 30 in steerage, 22 sailors, 5 waiters and stewards, 2 mates and captain, one cow, 6 sheep, 5 hogs, geese, turkeys, hens and ducks. I felt homesick my thoughts were on home and often did I think how my sister Essy would feel after me thus leaving her while I felt downhearted, Robert felt rather rejoiced and would often tell me when I was 4 years from home I would not feel so bad at leaving it again.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, thanks are due to the staff of Newry and Mourne Museum for their assistance in producing this booklet:

Joanne Cummins

Emma Farrell

Shane McGivern

Maureen O’Connell-Fitzpatrick

Frances Potts

Anna Savage

Thanks also to Joanne Cummins, Adrian Murdock, Anthony Russell and Maud Hamill for contributing articles to this booklet.

We are also grateful to Andrew Frazer, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and Armagh Local Studies Library for loaning items for the exhibition and to William McAlpine for photography.

We are deeply grateful to Frank Ryan of the Irish Society in Vanvouver, Patricia Scott Greenway and Maud Hamill for ensuring that the Marshall letters have been donated to Newry and Mourne Museum.

We would also like to thank Marjorie Harshaw Robie for all her help and advice during this project.

Text by Noreen Cunningham, Dr. Ken Abraham and Declan Carroll.

John Mitchel’s signature from a Bond between James Halyday, a Newry merchant and Anne Guy of Newry, signed in 1840 Newry and Mourne Museum (Reside Collection)

Bond between James Halyday, a Newry merchant and Anne Guy of Newry signed by John Mitchel. This was drawn up in 1840 when John Mitchel was in a legal partnership with Samuel Livingston Frazer in Newry and Banbridge Newry and Mourne Museum (Reside Collection)

Drawing of the Crown Mound Farm, which was leased from the Earl of Kilmorey in 1807 by Denis Caulfield, a Newry merchant and distillery owner. Denis Caulfield was the uncle of Denis Maguire who unsuccessfully contested the Newry parliamentary seat in 1831 and 1832, and of Denis Caulfield Brady who won the seat in 1835 Newry and Mourne Museum (Reside Collection)

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