On September the 16th, 51 hurlers, athletes and officials set sail for New York. The tour turns out to be a financial disaster. The weather is poor, attendances are small and the tour is cut short. Worse still, the travelling party are out of money and their bills are mounting.

Exhibition match at Madison Square Garden

Contact is made with the ‘Patron of the Association’, Michael Davitt. He agrees to make £450 available to them by way of a loan. This is a substantial sum of money in the 1880’s. In order to repay Davitt, an end of tour exhibition match is held in Madison Square Garden in New York. This venture is also a loss maker. The GAA cleared its debts but Michael Davitt never received repayment.

Their principle aims were to improve the plight of the tenant farmers and to ultimately return the land of Ireland to its rightful owners – the ordinary people who tilled the soil for generations.

Both objectives would eventually be achieved.

The men and women ‘who made the Land League’ were the sons and daughters of those who went through the horrors of the “Great Hunger”.

In remembering James Daly and Charles Stewart Parnell, we recall slogans such as “The Land for the People” and “Keep a Firm Grip on your Homesteads”.

Newspaper Report from the era

“Michael Davitt will rid us of the Landlords as surely as Saint Patrick banished the snakes”.

“May those who drink the water never forget the debt to those who dug the well”.

#michaeldavitt #davittmuseum

One of their adventures was in the village of Straide, Foxford, county Mayo. Written as Strade at the time. They went to document the 13th century Strade Abbey. Beranger kept a journal of the expedition through Connaught. He wrote about their time in Strade. On the road into Strade, the axel on their cart broke. They arranged to have it repaired and went about their task. As the artists set up to capture an impression of the abbey, they were confronted by two irate ladies in genteel dress. A rumour had circulated that the men were keeping bad company, namely Richard (Dick) Twiss. In 1775, this wealthy Englishman, having travelled for a month in Ireland, wrote a very unflattering account of its inhabitants, while praising the scenery, save the Giant’s Causeway, he didn’t think it worth the trip). Twiss described the Irish as crude, ignorant and uncultured people. Twiss had not journeyed to Connaught, but had assured readers that the province was home to savages.

The ladies ranted at the stunned men, about the infamous Dick Twiss. One can only wonder how the scene appeared to the bewildered Bigari, who without a word of English or Irish, must have thought what is happening, what on earth had they done? Eventually Beranger managed to get a word in edgeways, protesting their innocence of any association with “the liar Twiss”. He added a few more insults about Twiss for good measure.

Beranger placated the ladies, convinced them they were there to document the monuments in this beautiful countryside. The antiquarians were invited to take refreshments, Beranger politely declined. He said they had to continue along their way, already delayed by the broken cart axel. In his diary though, Beranger wrote that they felt it would be prudent not to tarry, lest any other misinformed people set upon them. They took four eels from the river for their dinner and departed. We can be appreciative that Bigari, despite the drama, drew a wonderful sketch of the Abbey.

In that summer of 1779 Beranger and Bigari produced some fine artistic impressions of monuments and ruins in Connaught. At the time, their work was the most extensive archaeological survey undertaken in Ireland. There is no doubt we owe these two men a debt of gratitude for their artistic snapshots in time (Harbison 2002). Indeed, here at the Davitt museum we see it as a marvel to look at Angelo Maria Bigari’s rendition of Strade Abbey from that summer’s day in 1779.

Gabriel Beranger took other journeys throughout Ireland. Even though he found Angelo Bigari to be most agreeable company, this was the only trip they shared. In 2002 the archaeologist Dr Peter Harbison produced a wonderful book on the work of Beranger and Bigari in Connacht titled Our Treasure of Antiquities.

A Chamber Pot Rhyme

As for Twiss, a footnote.. An enterprising chamber pot manufacturer in Dublin, placed an image of Twiss on chamber pots with this verse:

Here you hold a liar,
Well deserving of hell-fire,
Everyone who likes may P—
Upon the learned Doctor Twiss

The documents were found in Newport area, a place well known to the Minister and where he has strong family connections. He delivered a very well received speech to the exceptionally large attendance. Impressive contributions were also made by Virginia Teehan, CEO of the The Heritage Council, T.D.’s Michael Ring and Dara Calleary TD and Leas-Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council Michael Kilcoyne.

Pat Chambers Speech

Pat Chambers spoke brilliantly combining passion and humour in his address. The highlight for many was the Phil Brady interview. Phil lived in Tom Mulchrone’s house as a child, next door to where the documents were found. Phil, who is Pat’s aunt, was interviewed earlier this year by Maggie, Pat’s daughter, and a 6 minute clip was played to the enthralled audience.

Minister Chambers, Leas-Cathaoirleach Michael Kilcoyne and Phil Brady jointly cut the tape to officially open the collection to the general public. The exhibition is available for public viewing at the Michael Davitt Museum until Sunday July the 31st.

This project has been funded by The Heritage Council’s “Heritage Capacity Fund”.