Evictions in Kilmactigue

Evictions in Kilmactigue Parish. By Marie Fleming.

In the second half of the 19 th century, many farmers were still struggling with the aftermath of the famine of the 1840’s, they were also fighting against the high rents being charged by their landlords. Life was hard and uncertain, the bad harvests and harsh weather coupled with the Depression of the 1870’s made it difficult for the farmers to eke out a living on their small farms, this in turn led to their inability to pay the exorbitant rents demanded by their greedy landlords. While subsequent organisation like the Land League endeavoured to ease the plight of these farmers, the evictions still continued.