38
100 T.W.CONDONofWaterford,
member of the IrishConfederation. A small collectionof letters and
documents from thepapers ofCondon andhis family, including
a)
ALS toCondon fromChas.GavanDuffy,writingonbehalf of the
IrishConfederation, datedMarch29
th
1848, 1ppwith cognate address leaf,
saying theCouncil believes ‘a speedy electionof theproposedCouncil of
ThreeHundredhas becomenecessary inorder toprovide the countrywith
someorganwhichwill be entitled to speakonbehalf of the entirepeople, and
tonegotiateour libertieswithEngland’, and askingwhether a jointmeeting
ofRepealers canbeheld to that end ‘inyour district’. Address leafwithpost-
marks,April 1848, traces of popstrage stamp, seal lacking.
b)
ALS toCondon from J[ohn]B[lake]Dillon,Dublin, June 31865, 4
pp (single folded sheet],with a good signature, about his candidature in aWa-
terford election;with a second letter, undated, on the same subject, 8pp (two
folded sheets), discussing expenses etc.
c)
ALS to ‘John’ from JohnWalshofMountainCastle, June 13
th
1877,
4pp (single folded sheet), concerning the funeral of ‘poorMr.O’Keeffe’,with
detail of attendance etc.
d)
ALSon a letter-card toMrs.Walshof ‘Suirville’, Clonmel, 1pp,
dated30.4.[18]92, from (Fr.)Michael P.Hickey, enquiring about ‘copies of
Meagher’s letters toyour father’,with a view topublishing them at some
future time. ‘They shouldbe interesting toWaterfordpeople; but then
there is so little literary taste, or spirit, or enterprise in Ireland, that anyone
undertaking thepublicationof such aworkwould certainly run considerable
financial risk. Howevernous verrons, as theFrench say.’
e)
Printedbroadsideheaded ‘List of theTag, Rag andBobtail,who
signed theWaterfordPetition againstCatholicEmancipation’,with a list of
about 150names in two columns,with addresses and some interestingdetails
- e.g. ‘MatthewPomeroyMurphy, a crazy schoolmaster ..whohas changed
his religion as often as his clothes; finishedhis earthly careerwith a razor.’
Damaged, incomplete at head and foot, repairedwith stamp-paper, but a
most interestingdocument, possibly circa1830.
f)
Amanuscript PromissoryBill for £209, issuedonAugust 17
th
1884 to John J.WalshLRCSSbyMauriceWalsh and signedbyhim;with
items including aMinistryof FoodSugarRegistration card (Dungarvan,
firstworldwar?), a copyof theCatholicRecordofWaterford andLismore,
Feb. 1919, including an articlebyElizabethCondon, and a collectionof
newspaper cuttings (mostlypopular song texts ofWaterford interest).
As a collection,w.a.f.
€400 - 500
101 JOHNMITCHEL [1815-1875], revolutionary.
A remarkableALS, 4pp (single folded sheet), datedDublin10
th
Jan[uar]y1848,
to his friend and colleague [Thomas Francis]Meagher, urgingMeagher at all
costs to attend ameeting ‘onWednesday evening’ [probably a preliminary to
the crucialmeetingof 4February1848], atwhich thepolicyof the [Irish]Con-
federation in relation to theuseof exclusivelypeacefulmeanswas tobe settled.
Foldmarks, rear leaf a little soiled, but generally in very good condition, with
abold signature.
Born near Dungiven, Co. Derry, the son of a Presbyterianminister, Mitchel
practised as a lawyer inNewry, where he became aware of the injustices suf-
feredby local Catholics. He subscribed to ‘TheNation’, and in1845moved to
Dublin and became a central figure in the Young Irelandmovement. As the
famine took hold in 1846, Mitchel’s views becamemore radical. With other
Young Irelanders, hewithdrew from theRepeal Association afterO’Connell’s
motion repudiating the use of violence. In 1847 he claimed that the British
Government was using the Famine to decimate the Irish peasantry, allowing
shiploads of food to leave Irish ports while the people starved. He advocat-
ed a rent and rates strike, and forcible resistance to evictions. These views
dismayed his colleagueWilliam SmithO’Brien, who called ameeting of the
council of the IrishConfederation to reiterate its commitment toconstitution-
almeans - apparently themeetingwhichMitchel isurgingMeagher toattend.
Mitchel is writing in response to a ‘desponding’ letter fromMeagher, from
whichhequotes phrases - ‘ “noheart todo anything”! - “Noheart to remain
in thiswretched country” ‘. He remindsMeagher that ‘Youboreno small part
in the formationof theConfederation, and in its conduct hitherto. Will youat
themoment that it iscalledon to shapeadeterminatecourse, leave it to find its
way as it can? Youwere theglory&ornament of our companywhen thewater
was smooth& the winds fair - will you abandon the shipwhen she has got
among thebreakers, andon a lee shore?’
Mitchel says that whateverMeagher’s views on ‘this cursed Policy’ may be, ‘I
think you are bound to be at themeeting onWednesday evening .. You are
enlisted & have taken the SacramentumMilitare -- desertion is out of the
question - the country is wretched, & therefore youmust not abandon her
- you arebound todowhat oneman can to saveher, either from “butchers in
a social shambles”or from snivellingmoral-force agitators.’
In theevent, themeetingof4FebruaryendorsedO’Brien’spolicy. It isnotclear
whetherMeagher was present or how he voted, but apparently he remained a
memberof theConfederation. Mitchelwithdrew, and foundedhisownnews-
paper ‘TheUnited Irishman’. InMayhewas chargedwith treason-felony, and
was sentenced to 14 years transportationby a packed jury. SmithO’Brien ve-
toed a proposed attempt to rescue him, and in June 1848 he was removed to
Bermuda, whence he escaped toNewYork five years later in 1853. Amonth
after his transportation, in July 1848, SmithO’Brien finally launched a rising,
whichwas adismal failure.
A magnificent letter, which illuminates the force and courage of Mitchel’s
character, in contrast toMeagher’s apparent wavering. Letters fromMitchel
are rare.
Provenance: papers ofMeagher’sWaterford friendT.W. Con-
don,whomayhave received it fromMeagher.
€3000 - 5000
