1 The O' Curry College Carrigaholt Co. Clare 6th August, 1916. Dear Mrs. Green, Colonel Moore has asked
me to give you particulars of the
petitions which a group of people
working from this College originated.
I am enclosing a list but
think that it does not represent
the total sent in, as in each
case the people to whom forms
were sent were asked to enlist
their friends in these districts
and some of them did so.
Mr. Claud Chevasse wrote out a
form of petition in Gaelic which
he sent to some friends in
Gaelic districts. I think it highly
probable that in each place these
petitions were signed & forwarded,
but only in two instances did
the people concerned write to
say they had forwarded the
petitions. Mr. Claud Chevasse 2
has left the college, but if you
write to him at Temple HIll Terenure
Dublin, he may be able to procure
definite information as to the work
done in each place. Mr L. Mac Mr. L. Mac Eochadda got many copies
typed and procured nine petitions
through friends in various places.
He thinks that more than nine
were sent in & I have asked
him to provide particulars as
to these & let you know. Among those who worked very
hard were Mr. Francis Ormsby,
Ranelagh Schools Althlone &
Miss Mac Mahon of this College.
He instructed the people in each
case to send the petitions directly
to Mr Asquith so cannot estimate
the number of names signed.
I heard that a great number of
names were attached to the Galway
& Carlow petitions & Father
Creghan of Grange told me
he had got all the best
names in Sligo. The
Carrigaholt petition has
I think between 70 & 100 names 3
was signed by all the local people
of importance. We were greatly hampered
in our work by the shortness of time
& by the fact that all news reached
us a day late. We had only two
typewriters and Miss Nellie O'Brien
& Miss Noreen Fox had to work
very hard. There is not a district
in Ireland that would not have sent
petitions. These people only needed
to be told what to do & where
to send the petitions, but I am
afraid many districts did not
even know till too late that
petitions could be sent. Letters
on the subject were not allowed
in the Dublin papers till near
the end. We got as many letters
as possible into local papers
but many of them are only published weekly. Mass was said on
Thursday Wednesday for the life
of Mr. Roger Casement & you 4
on Friday. We would have had Mass on
Thursday but did not know the
reprieve had been refused. News only
reached us in answer to wire in
the afternoon. Everyone here was
filled with rage & grief & we
all hope that means will be
taken to let people all over
the world & especially in
America know the brutal
details of this latest example
of English rule in Ireland. Nothing could illustrate better
than the fate of Sir Roger Casements
and Sir —Pyle. Mr. Pyle was a
fishmonger who grew rich enough
to get himself voted into the Lord
Mayorship of Dublin as a
strong nationalist. At the right
moment when Queen Victoria paid
a visit to this country he
turned traitor to his party and
was made a baronet as a reward
for proposing the address of welcome
Note running up the side of the page:
Miss M. O' Farrelly the Irish College Gortahork Co. Donegal
could give you particulars of those sent from Donegal.
I know too that petitions were forwarded from
Very illegible text continued along top of page
section.
We have
not
particularly.
perhaps
Miss Helen
Ui Neill
would tell you. Sincerely yours Ella Young