Burkes of Ballydugan / Michael Henry Burke (1853-1935) / Letter from Michael H Burke to his son, William St George Burke

Writing in some details about the unsettled economic times worldwide, and yet the Free State appears to be ‘financially sound, at any rate they can borrow more on reasonable terms and down a fairly clear sheet by their exterminating the British government and appropriating every thing worth having for themselves’ (p1), and being too clever for the British Government, by treaties, confiscation and compulsory Land Bills, has taken ‘all the valuable estates’ (p2); advising that the architect, Dunlop, advised that the contractor is willing to complete work in Ballydugan when the workers’ strike in Dublin is settled, to repair the chimney and plaster work; advising if St George is unable to find a suitable job and is ‘willing to undertake and take instructions from me to look after the place and my workmen and assist me in the general management of the estate of course I would prefer to select my own tenants as I have to be very particular to have men whose character I know and who are perfectly solvent which is indisputable’, outlining terms, such as the provision of turf and fire wood, and £25 every 3 months in cash, and how all he was given for the management of the place and collecting the rents when he was 45 years of age was £40 per annum. Advising that he has the house insured, and that he is still afraid owing to the underhand way of the Priests, their followers, his former herd and ‘land grabbers who took an active part in my persecution’ (p6), who are doing all they can to ‘uproot’ his plans to graze the lands to those who ‘had the courage to take them without my having to supply a herd’ (p6), one even got a bullet in the shoulder after the Priest denounced Burke in chapel, with two Republicans doing likewise outside the Chapel. Burke wrote that naturally he was ‘must anxious to retain my grip, unfortunately I am in recovery from a serious illness so I am not very strong at the moment’ (p6), but he has the support of Mrs Cameron and is sure he owes his life to her and the doctors.