Carbally Ladies Land League Commemorative Plaque.

On Sunday, December 11th, 1881, a group of girls held a meeting after attending Mass at Carbally chapel, at which they established a branch of the Ladies' Land League. The names of these girls were: Alice Butler of Ballyshoneen, Margaret Corcoran of Kilmacleague, Ellen Cotter of Carbally, Alice Flynn of Carbally, Bridget Foley of Ballinamintra, Johanna Foley of Ballinamintra, Mary Phelan of Orchardstown, Catherine Power of Brownstown, Mary Power of Liscelty, Mary Anne Power of Ballinamintra, Annie Murphy of Coolum and Margaret Taylor from Ballymacaw. The Carbally Ladies’ Land League branch held their meetings in Ellen Cotter's house for as long as the branch existed. These girls were then too young to be swayed by personal or selfish motives; to these girls, it was the call of their country in a time of trial and danger, and they gladly answered that call. They were all young girls at that time, and this Carbally branch was remarkable in that it was officered and administered entirely by youth. In other districts, married women took a considerable share in the work. Again, not one of those girls flinched, no matter from what quarter danger threatened. The English Government was constantly threatening various pains and penalties, but those Carbally girls remained true to their trust, faithful to their founder, and constant in their fidelity to Ireland. The complete account of the Carbally Ladies’ Land League branch can be found on the following website: The Carbally Ladies Land League

The Cotter cottage was located about fifty yards to the north of the gate going into the Carbally graveyard and was on the right-hand side of the road. Over the years, the Cotter house fell into disrepair, and all that remains today is a small section of the gable end wall. In recent weeks Pat Muldowney and Jim Caulfield have been working at the site, preparing to place a commemorative plaque, which will be sheltered by a structure representing the cottage. The existing part of the gable wall will be disassembled and then rebuilt as part of the housing structure. The plaque will bear the names of all the members of the Carbally Ladies’ Land League branch.

This fundraiser aims to cover the costs of the plaque and the surrounding structure. It would be a shame if Carbally were to forget these ladies and how they stood up for the rights of the poor all those years ago. There are still descendants of the girls living in the Carbally area to this day. This commemorative plaque will help preserve the Carbally Ladies' Land League branch's story for generations to come.