On Sunday, Ballycoree, two miles north of Ennis, was occupied
by a troop of the 3rd King's Own Hussars, besides a force of two hundred of the Constabulary and two companies of the Leinster Regiment ; so that the Irish leaders gave up the notion of holding their meeting there. Instead, they marched out on the opposite road towards Limerick, and about a mile out of the town a halt was made and a few speeches were delivered,— the assembly, in spite of wet weather, being about five thousand in number. The resolutions were apparently not passed ; but that was of little consequence, as they certainly would have been passed unanimously bad the speakers been as terse as the occasion required. Mr. Philip Stanhope addressed them as Men of Clare, citizens of the British Empire," and assured them that " millions " of British hearts on the other side of the Channel were praying for them to-day ; but he did not say how many were praying that they might not be misled by such leaders as Mr. Dillon and Mr. Stanhope, and how many that they might be so misled. Mr. Dillon, who followed him, was more violent, and threatened the police openly that the day would come for punishing them so soon as Ireland should be self-governed. That would be a noble revenge, truly, to take on the mere instruments of a power which the Nationalists cannot reach. But we have no doubt that Mr. Dillon spoke the truth. When Colonel Turner and his force came up to disperse the meeting, the resolutions were handed to him by Mr. Stanhope. They were of the ordinary wordy and magniloquent kind. Mr.
W. O'Brien was also making a speech when the meeting was dispersed. There seems to have been no disposition on either side to come to blows, which was creditable to both sides. The words used were hard enough, but broke no bones.
