1 Copy 486 17th April, 1916. Dear Mr. O'Donnell, With reference to your recent letter relative to the
Killorglin Town Tenants, I am desired by Mr. Birrell to
say that he has made enquiries into the matter, and he finds
the facts are as follows :- The town of Killorglin was included in the Ventry Estate
which the Congested Districts Board offered to purchase.
A number of houses in Killorglin are in the hands of
middlemen and when the matter came before the Judicial
Commissioner he ruled that any holdings not in the direct occupation
of the direct tenants would be regarded as intervening
interests which should be either redeemed or excluded from sale.
Under this ruling 35 holdings in the town of Killorglin held at
rents amounting to £107:10:6 were excluded by the Land
Commission from the Vesting Order, and the sum of £2,582,
being the purchase price of these intervening interests, was
deducted from the original offer of the estate. The Board are advised that, the estate of Lord Ventry
having been vested in the Board without these holdings, it
is not possible for the Board now to purchase them under the
Land Purchase Acts, as they are non-agricultural holdings,
and, as these holdings cannot be acquired by the Congested
Districts Board under the Land Purchase Acts, Mr. Birrell
does not consider that anything would be gained by his
receiving a deputation on the subject. Yours faithfully, (Sd.) APM Under Secretary
A.P.M.
17/4/16. Thomas O'Donnell, Esq., M.P.,
House of Commons.