Gort Rural District Council: Minute Book, 1899-1901

Includes

- ‘Resolved - That having duly considered representations for the erection of Labourer’s Cottages it is hereby resolved that twelve cottages be erected …’.  Includes list of labourer to be assigned a cottage (p33).

- ‘That as the majority of the members of this Council paid no attention to the reading of a Resolution at our last meeting sympathising with the Boers, passed by the Borough Council of the City of Limerick and forwarded to us and signed adopted, I give notice that at our next meeting that thee adoption of this resolution be upset, for we meet to do the business of the District and not for entertaining wild political resolutions’(p80)

- Extract from the Medical Officer’s Return form ‘Sanitary condition of District is not good.  The yards are not properly drained, not clean and some of them have no closet accommodation, besides some of them are inhabited by pigs and have deposits of manure, which poison the air with foul smells.  Some of the inhabitants for want of such accommodation use strict corners, back streets, lanes, passages and other places as closets hereby fouling the air with their various gases and endangering seriously the water supply’ (p205).

- ‘That we condemn in the strongest manner these burning outrages which are becoming so prevalent in the County.  We consider as the occupiers have now to pay the whole of thee rates it is a great hardship on them to be burthened (sic)  with payment for these outrages which don’t tend in any way to elevate the social or political condition of the country’ (p242).

- ‘Resolved - Having ascertained through the correspondence given to the press on the 23rd ulto. by Edward Martyn Esq. Of Tulyra Castle, the true causes which caused him to resign his position as Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant of our County, we congratulate him on his spirited action, while deeply sensible of the loss which we and the County at large sustain in being deprived of his enlightened official advocacy of justice to out County and our people.

That we stigmatize the insult to his hospitality as an outrage to kindness.

That we recognise and appreciate Lord Ashbourne’s estimate of Mr Martyn as “the head of an old Catholic family, and now a distinguished literary man” as contrasted with that of Lord Clonbrock who sees in his unwillingness to listen to the strains of “The Absent minded beggar” a violation of the oath of allegiance.

That we offer our sympathy all the more willingly and respectfully to Mr Martyn as one of the few Galway Landlords who has disposed of his extensive property to this tenants under the provisions of the land purchase Acts, and on terms satisfactory to his tenants…’(pp350-351).

- ‘Resolved - …place on record our strongest condemnation of the cowardly and treacherous conduct of the voters of Galway Borough who, while professing nationalist sympathies, proved by their conduct at the late election by handing over thee representation of the Borough to an avowed enemy of the National cause, that they were always trading under false pretences, and unworthy of the name of Nationalist’(p620).

- ‘That we the members of the District Council and Board of Guardians of Gort assembled this day, desire to express our heart felt sorrow at the death of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, and most humbly to convey to His Most Gracious Majesty the King, Queen Alexandra, and the members of the Royal Family our sincere condolence and sympathy in their sorrow’ (p801).

- ‘Resolved : That the names of the Gort streets be put up in Irish letters subject to the decision of the Local Government Board as to the legality of incurring expenditure for this purpose’ (p853, see also p871).

- ‘That we …desire to place on record the great loss the Irish race has sustained by the death of the Fenian Chief - James Stephens - that we desire to convey our sincere sympathy to his friends…’(p872).