Lord Clanricarde is here in one wing of a great barrack, standing, as I understood Mr. Tener to say, on the site of a former fortress of the family.  Lord Clanricarde’s property here is put down by Mr. Hussey de Burgh at 49,025 acres in County Galway, valued at L19,634, and at 3576 acres in the county of the City of Galway, valued at L1202.  These, I believe, are statute acres, and in estimating the relation of Irish rentals to Irish land this fact must be always ascertained.  Of the so-called “Woodford” property the present rental is no more than L1900, payable by 260 tenants.  The Poor-Law valuation for taxes is L2400.  There was a revision of the whole Galway property made by the father of the present Marquis.  Of the 260 Woodford holdings only twelve were increased, in no case more than 6-1/4 per cent, over the valuation.  In 1882 six of these twelve tenants applied to the Land Court.  The rents were in no case restored to the figures before 1872, but about 7 per cent. was taken off the increased rental.  The assertion repeatedly made that in 1882 rents were reduced by the Land Court 50 per cent. on the Clanricarde estates, Mr. Tener tells me, is absolutely false.  In the first year of the Court no reduction went beyond 10 per cent., and in later years, even under the panic of low prices, the average has not exceeded 20 per cent.

After making arrangements for a car to take me on to Woodlawn, where I was to catch the Dublin train, I went out with Mr. Tener to look at the town.

My drive from Loughrea to Woodlawn was delightful.  It took me over a long stretch of the best hunting country of Galway, and my jarvey was a Galwegian of the type dear to the heart of Lever.  He was a “Nationalist” after his fashion, but he did not hesitate to come rattling up through the town to the Estate Office to take me up; and after we got fairly off upon the highway, he spoke with more freedom than respect of all sorts and conditions of men in and about Loughrea.

“He’s a sharp little man, that Mr. Tener,” he said, “and he gave the boys a most beautiful beating at Burke’s place.”

This was said with genuine gusto, and not at all in the querulous spirit of the delightful member of Parliament who complained at Westminster with unconscious humour that the agent and the police in that case had “dishonourably” stolen a march on the defenders of Cloondadauv!

“But we’ve beaten them entirely,” he said, with equal zest, “at Marble Hill.  Sir Henry has agreed to pay all the costs, and the living expenses too, of the poor men that were put out.[19] I didn’t ever think we’d get that; but ye see the truth is,” he added confidentially, “he must have the money, Sir Henry—­he’s lying out of a deal, and then there’s heavy charges on the property.  A fine property it is indeed!”

“In fact,” I said, “you put Sir Henry to the wall.  Is that it?”

“Well, it’s like that.  But we shan’t get that out of Clanricarde, I’m thinking.  He’s got a power o’ money they tell me; and he’s that of the ould Burke blood, he won’t mind fighting just as long as you like!”