125th anniversary of Rural District Council in Offaly commemorated

OFFALY Archives’ local government collections cover an extensive range of local government organisations – from grand juries, infirmaries, rural district councils, town commissioners, poor law unions, county councils, committees of agriculture and urban district councils.

The material from the collections was acquired by Offaly County Library in the 1950s and covers roughly two hundred years of history. The earliest surviving government body records held in Offaly Archives are those of the King’s County Grand Jury, containing presentments granted at assizes, coroners’ report book and list of jurors, from 1830 to 1898.

Rural district councils were created through the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, and functioned under the level of the county councils, responsible for a range of local government operations including: local transport infrastructure, health and sanitation, and the construction of labourers’ cottages, as well as more unusual duties such as ensuring school attendance and the defence of malicious injury claims.

Rural Districts were eventually abolished by the Local Government Act of 1925, and their powers were transferred to county councils. Birr was also served by an Urban District Council, which bore responsibilities for roads, water rates and public lighting. The Urban District Council was replaced by a town council, which was abolished in 2014.

Local government archives, such as records of urban and district councils, are valuable sources for researchers as they not only capture the massive political changes at a national level, but also serve as a record of decisions made at a local level. Birr Rural District represented the electoral areas of Banagher, Birr Rural, Clonmacnoise, Ferbane, Frankford and Kinnitty. Of the Birr Rural District Council, 18 Minute Books, 4 Financial Minute Books, a register of cow keepers, 2 Councillors Declaration, Labourers' cottages general rental, Labourers' cottages repair ledger and a register of mortgages all survive.

The first meeting of Parsonstown/Birr District Council was held on Saturday April 29th 1899 in the Board Room of the Union Workhouse and chaired by Michael Dooley. Many of the councillors in attendance also sat on the Parsonstown Board of Guardians. A surveyor’s report on the roads was read, giving details of mileage, rates and valuations. Arrangements were also made for maintenance of the four pumps in Banagher, and letters were read for improvements and applications to labourers' cottages.

A report was read by Dr Mitchell from Kinnitty, reporting a case of scarlatina [scarlet fever] in his district, and that he had given instructions to the parents of the child as to isolation, to prevent the spread of the disease. It was agreed to have monthly meetings held on the first Saturday of each month, and that two meetings of the council would be held annually in Ferbane for business affecting the barony of Garrycastle.

On the 19th August 1899, the council examined and considered “representations under the Labourers Ireland Acts before them today and act and decided in each case in the manner herein before setforth the Rural District Council, as Sanitary Authority of the Rural District, hereby determine and agree to make an improvement scheme under the provisions of said Acts”. The council resolved that 36 cottages and an allotment for each, should be erected in pursuance of this resolution, and that the plots of land required for the scheme should be purchased outright. At this meeting it was also resolved that the design of the corporate seal of office would be a “round tower and wolf dog with the words, ‘Rural District Council of Birr No. 1’”.

On January 22nd 1900, the annual budget was reviewed and an approximate estimate of expenditure for road maintenance and repairs to bridges and gullets for the next financial year was £4,028.

At a meeting on May 5th 1900, the Council adopted the resolution shared as a circular by Lisnaskea Rural District: “That this Council upon her Majesty’s Government to amend the Irish Education Act, so as to empower the Commissioners of National Education by a state-aided grant, to have all Schools under their control properly heated during the Winter months, and thereby remove the sad and deplorable grievance which at present exists; and that copies of this Resolution be sent to the Resident Commissioners of National Education, the Chief Secretary, the Lord Lieutenant, the Prime Minister, and our County Manager”.

The meeting of November 3rd 1900 saw the first public meeting after the 1900 general election, where Michael Reddy was elected as MP. The Council resolved the following motion, “That we the members of the Birr Rural District Council No 1 at this our first public meeting since the general election was held, cordially congratulate our newly elected MP, Mr Michael Reddy, on his glorious triumph over his venomous factionist foes, and we hail with satisfaction the reunion of all thorough Nationalist in Ireland under the banner of the United Irish League, both Parnellites and anti-Parnellites uniting, and we appeal to all patriotic men both lay and clerical, to give no countenance to any further attempts to dispute the voice of the people now unmistakably declared at the poll. And we also appeal to the Nationalists to give the assistance in their power to their MP’s to establish branches of the United Irish League in their respective parishes and to make the Parliamentary Fund a real success”. The motion was passed unanimously, and further resolved that copies of this resolution be sent to Michael Reddy, John Dillon MP and John Redmond MP.