IN PROGRESS

Michael Larkin of Kilcolgan More, King’s County married Mary Cantwell whom I believe was from the same area at St. Mary’s Church, Ferbane, Saturday the 14th of June 1823.

Three known sons John Thomas Larkin (born between 1828 – 1830, dates recorded vary, but I am pretty sure 1828 is the correct one), Michael Larkin 1832, and Thomas Larkin 1835 all at Kilcolgan More, a small agricultural area of farming just east of Ferbane Village. It’s likely that there were other children, I’ve just yet to find them. John would leave for Australia and write to his brother Michael who was in America in 1858 where they referred to their living father. Thomas would stay in the area at Kilcolgan Beg as a farmer. This is how I know that Michael (Snr) was alive in 1858. My understanding is that their mother Mary died on the 11th of July 1845.

Much has been written regarding the occupation by the English of Ireland, the tragedy of the Irish Potato Famine and the subsequent destruction it caused to the Irish. The famine between 1845 and 1852 having a permanent historical impact on where the Irish people would live throughout the western world.  Similarly much is known of the profound and deep-seated discontent between the Irish and the supplanting English. It was the English government who had control of Ireland, her resources, finances, governance, religion, education, and indeed the Irish people during this time of occupation. From 1537 onward the English government had tried to eradicate the traditional Irish culture by banning the teaching and use of the Irish language in ever increasing limitations of its use. These were political attempts to quash the Irish language and culture permanently. To force a homogenisation of English culture and Irish culture. Prior to the famine the estimated number of people in Ireland who spoke the traditional language was believed to be 40% with a rapid decline that followed the famine. This would continue into modern times with only this century, national recognition that the Irish language was at real risk of being lost permanently without a national address to reverse this. Currently 3.7% of Irish are believed to speak Irish on a daily basis. 

It should then come as no surprise then that we have been able to find at least some of the role that our Larkin family played in resistance during these dark times. Our Larkin’s were agricultural farm people.  Small tenant farmers in the county now known as Offaly but at the time King’s County in the province of Leinster. The area is located in the Irish midlands.  Ferbane itself being a small land-locked rural village. Eighteen-forty-nine found the Irish deep in the grip of the famine. Food was scarce and similarly the more-wealthy landlords were now actively using their agents to forcibly remove tenant farmers and their families from their small-holdings and were ‘throwing-down’ their houses once they were emptied.  The term throwing-down meaning to destroy the home so that it could not be re-inhabited once the agent and constables had left.  A widely unpopular move that caused extreme hatred among the poorer people towards these agents and indeed the land-lords.  The constabulary of the day were engaged in carrying out these reprehensible actions. The newspaper I have used for research here discusses in other articles the wide practice of night-time raids on properties of wealthier farmers and land-lords and ‘carrying away their corn’.  This meaning that bands of the poorer people would gather under the protection of night and numbers and then raid these crops and steal away the food for their own and neighbours use.  A highly risky activity that if caught in the act would see you most likely shot at and if you were taken into custody you would appear before the quarter-sessions.  The sentence could range from imprisonment, hanging right through to transportation to the colonies. Within the English government, there was a truly unbelievable lack of compassion for the plight of the Irish, which exceeded even the grim attitudes they held towards their own English poor at the time in its cruelty.

One night of the 14^th October, 1849 around 1am a group of about thirty-men from the local villages traveled to Killoughey. They were not meaning to carry away in their arms the crops either.  They took with them horses and carts so they meant business. The property they assailed was that of a tenant named John Keys who asked the constables who attended to let this be, however the constable would not and a fight ensued. Keys was a tenant of the Reverend John Baldwin so who knows whether this had been set up beforehand?  Gunshots rang out between both sides and one constable was killed with four more wounded in the affray. The constables wounded were Balfour, Gleeson, Doyle, Hall (who had argued and scuffled with Keys) and sub-constable Patrick Mortimer who was shot dead.  By this time the mob who appeared to be well organised and well armed had swelled to about fifty. The constables retreated to their barracks and it was believed that some of the mob members must have been injured, some perhaps grievously as blood marks were later found along the roadways in the light of day. Following the mob outbreak significant numbers of armed reinforcements were brought into the area and stationed whilst a thorough search was done in the district for any who might have participated. A coroner and magistrates  were also brought in. Offenders located were brought to Tullamoore where they were held pending their appearance at the assizes.  A hand-picked ‘suitable’ jury was rapidly put together. Eleven Protestants, eleven Catholics and one Quaker (all deemed to be respectable men, made up the jury). During the court-case the witnesses for the prosecution stated that about thirty shots had been fired in the affray to the best they could recall.

The witnesses would also state that they did not fire until they were fired upon and that they had thought it was John Keys who gave the mob the order to fire upon them.  They also stated there were between 100 and 300 people in the field and on the roadways they felt that night. Men who were charged with being at the affray were relatives of John Keys, being Joseph Keys and Michael Keys.  Joseph Keys property was searched, a gun was found, the coroner stated that the gun was the gun used in the murder of Mortimer (bullet matched gun and recent evidence of firing).  As a result Joseph Keys was committed to stand trial for his murder.

Following the incident, a head constable and ten constables, were brought in from Dublin and stationed at Killloughy.   Now here is where it gets interesting.  John Keys was located in the searches.  He was found and believed to have been ‘being hid’ by Patrick Larkin at Cornamona near Shannon Harbour.  Another prisoner was found hiding at Michael Larkin’s home in Ferbane.  (We have to think that this is our Michael Larkin, father of John Larkin (who came to Australia).  Given the rapacity with which the constables were gathering together any and all offenders or those they believed to have been involved it is highly likely that the Larkin’s found themselves swept up into this mix.  Particularly as they were harbouring fugitives.  Killoughy to Ferbane is 26 mile.

Ferbane Bogs, Oct 2023

On the day preceding the nights affray an agent of Sir Gore Booth, Charles Gage, Esq (denoting that he was considered a man of respectable means) was shot dead on his way to prayers by assailants who were believed to have waited in ambush of him along the roadway near to Ferbane. (There was an old ancient road that connected Corr townland to Ferbane. That road was later replaced with a road that connected Athlone and Ferbane.) The picture below showing the narrowness of the lanes and the height of the hedges, it would not have been difficult to hide and lay in wait.

Sunday, October 14, 1849 – This morning as this unfortunate gentleman (Cage) was riding to prayers on one of the tenants’ horses, he was shot dead on the road coming out of Creggan town land, a little above the bridge which divides Ferbane town land and Curraghdown. He fell dead off his horse, and was completely riddled from under his ear down to the lowest rib, on the left side. There were two shots fired at him both at the same instant. It is supposed three men were engaged in the dreadful affair; they were behind the ditch on Ferbane or Corr side, a place well selected for such a villainous deed. There was a country-man chatting him along at the time, and he fell completely over on the man, who being on his right side, received no injury. It is an awful sight. I was out and saw the poor fellow lying on the road just as he fell. His neckerchief was blown into bits, and some of it got in Royston’s field on the opposite side. As yet (4 o’clock p.m.) no clue to the murderer. The police are all out. The fellows fled in the direction of Corr (did they mean Clonony?) or Ballynahown. Escape of Mr. Cage was impossible, as he could not have been more than five yards from the muzzles of their deadly weapons; and the villains were so completely concealed behind the hedge escape was impossible. We are all excitement here. – The Kings County Chronicle and General Provincial Intelligencer

From having actually seen the area now, I am assuming that those involved headed west toward Shannon Harbour likely via Clonony which was not so far and then some may have headed northward toward Ballynahown again not so far and may well have had pre-arranged or sympathisers that they knew would hide them. 

Wednesday 14^th November 1849.

Edward Farrell, Patrick Kelly were charged with aiding and abetting in the murder of Cage. Additional men held in suspicion of being associated with the murder were Duffy and Grunning. Prisoners Cahill and Daly were discharged with the other four being sent to Tullamore Gaol. 

There was another Michael Larkin born at Lusmagh, near Parsonstown, Kings (now known by its proper name Birr), (his mother was a Quirke) in 1835. As the location is very close to Ferbane, I’m making a fair estimation that his branch would have been relations to ours. This Michael Larkin would be hanged as one of the Manchester Fenian Martyrs in 1867. See link https://www.dib.ie/biography/larkin-michael-a4686

It would be incomprehensible to believe that families and friends whose sympathies and politics in the same social and financial class would not have been shared. Especially at a time where basic survival in Ireland was so uncertain.

From the Griffith’s Valuation Killaghally or Wheery, County Offaly at this time, I’ve been able to compile a list of neighbour’s who lived very close to our Larkin’s and who would of certainly known of each other. There were more families in the extended area and into Ferbane who no doubt were all known to each other, for this however, I have just selected families who lived either in Kilcolgan More or Kilcolgan Beg. These were not towns so much as localities where people all farmed and lived on as little as an acre to a more substantial plot. Most of them being tenant farmers. The area was named for it’s proximity to the now removed Kilcolgan Castle (Offaly). John Boland, John Burke, Matthew Cantwell (KB), Matthew Cantwell (KM), Bridget Cloonan, Stephen Cloonan, Michael Coghlan (KB), Michael Coghlan (KM), Margaret Day, John Devery, Peter Guinan, Bernard Hennessey, Patt Holloway, Michael Horan, Michael Kelley, William Kelley, Catherine Kelly, Christopher Kelly, Michael Kelly, William Kelly, Andrew Kenny (KB), Andrew Kenny (KM), James Kenny, Laurence Kenny, Rev. H. King, Martin Lyons (KB), Martin Lyons (KM), John Maher, Matt Mc Glughlin, Patrick Mc Glughlin, Peter Redmond, Peter Redmund, John Rourke, John Rourk.

When I visited Ferbane, Oct 2023, unfortunately it was a very short stop and we’d reached the village toward the end of the day. I was driving from Dublin across to Galway and it was pelting down rain as a storm was lashing the whole of the British and Irish islands.