East Galway Agrarian Agitation and the Burning of Ballydugan House, 1922

This book is based on the burning of Ballydugan house in 1922, a middle-sized country house on a 1,500 acre estate near Loughrea in Ireland's east county Galway. The study offers, in a microcosm, a representation of agrarian agitation in rural Ireland at the turn of the 20th century. The background to the burning of Michael Henry Burke's house is charted alongside the rise of land agitation and unrest in east Galway. A descendant of the Clanricardes, Michael Henry Burke was one of the few Irish landlords to remain on and rebuild his house on lands that were associated with his ancestors for over 400 years. The large numbers of evictions that took place in the region during the 1880s became the basis for the increased organization of tenants with regard to land matters; many societies and associations were established as a direct result. With branches all over east Galway, the Land League and the United Irish League voiced the disquiet of land hungry tenants and sought relief for its landless members. At Ballydugan, the collective expression and systematic protest for the transfer of land ownership included boycotting, landlord intimidation, cattle drives, and damage to property. The book offers a unique insight into the often unheard of landlord experience and perspective on agitation offered by Burke's granddaughter, Mrs. Claire Besnyoe. Her recollections and reflections on the family's decision to remain as landowners in the new Irish state and beyond bring a distinctive element to this study. The consequences of the Burkes continued occupancy were not anticipated by the agitating Ballydugan tenants and the ownership of this estate continued to be a source of ongoing contention for several decades afterwards.