We drove on rapidly and called on Father O'Neill, the parish priest.

We found him in full canonicals, as he was to officiate at the function this morning, and with him were Father Dunphy, the parish priest of Arklow, and two or three more robed priests.
Father O'Neill, whose face and manner are those of the higher order of the continental clergy, briefly set forth to me his view of the transactions at Coolgreany.

He said that before the Plan of Campaign was adopted by the tenants, Mr.William O'Brien, M.P., had written to him explaining what the effect of the Plan would be, and urging him to take whatever steps he could to obviate the necessity of adopting it, as it might eventually result to the disadvantage of the tenants.

"To that end," said Father O'Neill, "I called upon Captain Hamilton, the agent, with Dr.Dillon of Arklow, but he positively refused to listen to us, and in fact ordered us, not very civilly, to leave his office." It was after this he said that he felt bound to let the tenants take their own way.

Eighty of them joined in the "Plan of Campaign" and paid the amount of the rent due, less a reduction of 30 per cent., which they demanded of the agent, into the hands of Sir Thomas Esmonde, M.P., Sir Thomas being a resident in the country, and Mr.Mayne, M.P.Writs of ejectment were obtained against them afterwards, and in July last sixty-seven of them were evicted, who are now living in "Laud League huts," put up on the holdings of three small tenants who were exempted from the Plan of Campaign, and allowed to pay their rents subject to a smaller reduction made by the agent, in order that they might retain their land as a refuge for the rest.
All this Father O'Neill told us very quietly, in a gentle, undemonstrative way, but he was much interested when I told him I had recently come from Rome, where these proceedings, I was sure, were exciting a good deal of serious attention.