School: Breachmhaigh (roll number 13222)

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1. Evictions in Co. Sligo (continued)

   

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   die there for all the landlord or his agent cared. There was a landlord named Sir Robert Gore Booth in Lissadell one time. He was the grandfather of the present owner of the estate, and while the present man is a real gentleman and kind to his neighbours the same cannot be said about Sir Robert.
   "When Sir Robert was landlord over this part of Sligo the rents the people had to pay were very high, and what was worse, if the people improved the dirty wet patches of land they were trying to live on, the rents were raised. There was a tax put on every window in the house and any house with two chimneys had to pay a higher tax than those with only one. In order to avoid paying many poor people built up the windows and you would see cabins with no chimney at all. The people also had to do all the landlords work. A man who owned a horse and cart had to do carting and each work on a certain no of days every year. Those who hasn't a horse had to spend a longer time working for the landlord. And of course it was always when the poor man was trying to do his own work that he had to throw all there and go off on his masters business

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. áit-spás-timpeallacht
      1. riaradh talún (~4,110)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Michael Rooney

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   74

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Ard Trasna, Co. Shligigh