History

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Michael Davitt portrait circa 1878
Michael Davitt portrait circa 1878

The Life of Michael Davitt

The hero and patriot Michael Davitt was born in Straide County Mayo on the 25th March 1846, during the Great Famine. He was the second of five children, four of whom were born in Straide; Mary in 1841, Anne in 1848, and Sabina in 1850. Michael’s only brother James was born in Haslingden on the 30th June 1853 and died two years later on the 12th of March 1855.

His father and mother, Martin Davitt and Catherine Kielty were tenants on the John Knox estate at Straide. Upon being evicted from their home in Straide, the family was forced to go to the workhouse in Swinford. After Catherine discovered the rules of the workhouse required Michael to be separated from her, the family immediately left the workhouse and like many other evicted families at this time, decided to emigrate in search of a better life.

Arriving in Liverpool by boat from Dublin, they set out on foot to Haslingden, almost 50 miles away. Haslingden was an area of England where locals from the Straide area had already found work.

Davitt’s father managed to find temporary lodging for his family. However, after only two days here, they were evicted for a second time, when it was discovered that Michael had the measles. Davitt’s father then set up a tent against a wall and James Bonner, a worker from County Armagh, took the sick child and family into his house, even though he had four small children of his own.

The census of March 1851 shows the Davitts as lodgers in Owen Egan’s house in Wilkinson St. At that time, there were a total of fifteen people living in the small house. Later the Davitts’ succeeded in renting at Rock Hall, where families from the west of Ireland lived. Michael’s father and mother found work as hawkers, and a year later Martin found work as a farm labourer. Martin Davitt was literate in English and wrote letters home for other families whilst also teaching them to read and write in English.

Michael’s Childhood and Early Work Experiences

At just nine years of age, Michael Davitt started working in a cotton mill at Ewood Bridge, on the outskirts of Haslingden. He passed himself off as being over thirteen years old and worked 60 hours a week. His pay was 2s.6d, a week.

He later moved on to Whittaker and then to Stellfoxe’s Victoria Mill near Baxenden, outside Haslingden. It was here that he got his right arm caught and badly injured in a machine on 8th May 1857, resulting in amputation.

After Michael Davitt recovered from his operation, John Dean a cotton manufacturer, became his benefactor and Davitt got a second chance at education in the local Wesleyan school run by George Poskett, which he attended for 4 years.

The Fenians

In 1861 Michael started working again, this time under better conditions for Henry Cockcroft, who had a Post Office, printing, and stationery business. He started evening classes at the Mechanics’ Institute where he had the benefit of a library and newspapers and began to study Irish history.It was at this time that Michael Davitt became politicised and joined the Fenians. By 1870, he had risen through the ranks of the Fenians, and was organising secretary for Northern England and Scotland.

On the 14th of May 1870, he was arrested at Paddington Station in London for smuggling arms to Ireland. He was charged with treason-felony and sentenced to fifteen years’ penal servitude. After 7 ½ years imprisonment, he was released on a ticket of leave, and returned to Ireland in January 1878, along with three other released prisoners. On their return, they were welcomed by Irish Political leaders including Parnell and James Daly.

The Land Reform Movement

The need for land reform was highlighted by a meeting organised by James Daly, editor of the Connaught Telegraph, who was very active with the Tenants Defence Association. Daly advised the tenants in January 1879 to organise a meeting at Irishtown to highlight the injustices and evictions taking place in the area.

Davitt helped organise the Irishtown meeting, which was chaired by James Daly of Castlebar. Davitt did not attend the meeting, because he was a Fenian ex-prisoner out on a ticket-of-leave. Thousands attended this historic meeting, which resulted in eviction notices being withdrawn, as well as a 25% reduction in rents. The success of this large event showed the power of mass demonstrations, and that a real and lasting improvement of tenants’ lives could be achieved.

The Formation of the Irish Land League

Following the success of Irishtown, as well as other land meetings, the members of the Tenants Defence Association (including Davitt & Daly) met at Daly’s Hotel in Castlebar, on the 16th of August, to form the Land League of Mayo; this resulted in the establishment of the National Land League of Ireland in Dublin, in October 1879, with Charles Stewart Parnell as President and Michael Davitt as one of its secretaries. The key objective of the organisation was achieving the ‘3 F’s’: fixity of tenure, free sale, and fair rent.

Davitt and the Land League leaders toured the country, addressing meetings and organising resistance. The most famous incident took place at Lough Mask House, near Ballinrobe, involving Captain Boycott, an agent for Lord Erne’s properties in Mayo. In 1880 the Land League organised a campaign of ostracisation against Captain Boycott as a result of the continuing rent increases being imposed on tenants, by Lord Erne. Shops refused to supply food, servants left their roles, and blacksmiths refused to shoe his horses. Reporting on this episode for the New York Tribune, American journalist James Redpath coined the phrase “Boycott”, and in the process created a new word that is still used to this day.

Gladstone’s Land Act 1881

Gladstone’s Land Act of 1881 – followed by the Arrears of Rent Act 1882, which was the outcome of the Kilmainham Treaty – effectively ended the Land War, and Parnell now steered the tenants towards the next goal: Home Rule.

Davitt was elected MP for North Meath in 1892 but was later unseated because of complaints of clerical interference. After being elected once again in 1893, this time for Northeast Cork, he was unseated a second time because of bankruptcy. However, not to be deterred, at the 1895 general election, he was once again elected MP, this time for South Mayo.

International Social Justice Campaigner

Michael Davitt travelled to Australia and New Zealand, acknowledged funds received in support of the Land League, and spoke at mass gatherings about the conditions and rights of the Maori and Aborigine people.

In 1903, he travelled to Russia as a journalist with the New York American Journal, highlighting the pogroms taking place in Bessarabia, while he condemned anti-Semitism in a sermon given by Redemptorist Priest, Fr Creagh in Limerick in 1904.He also played an important part in the Trade Union movement both in England and Ireland and in his last years was involved with the growing English Labour Party.

GAA & Glasgow Celtic Patron

Michael Davitt was one of the initial patrons of the GAA and, together with Parnell and Archbishop Croke, many GAA clubs, grounds, and stands all around the country, still bear his name to this day.

He was also a patron of Glasgow Celtic Football Club which was founded to help poor Irish immigrants in Glasgow. It is believed that the name ‘Celtic’ originated from Davitt. He was an honorary member of the board and in 1892, to great acclaim, laid the centre sod on the new Celtic Park, and the silver spade used to perform the ceremony was presented to him as a present. Davitt remained a strong supporter of Glasgow Celtic, and its ideals, throughout his life.

The Death of Michael Davitt

Michael Davitt died of sepsis at Mount Elphis Hospital, Dublin on 30th May 1906, following a tooth extraction. Not wishing to have a public funeral, Davitt’s body was brought quietly to the Carmelite Friary, Clarendon Street, Dublin. However, over 20,000 people filed past his coffin the next day, before his coffin was brought, by train, to Foxford, County Mayo. People turned out at every station along the way. A huge crowd attended his funeral in the grounds of Straide Friary, in the shadow of the church where he was baptised.

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