Infiltrating the Opposition - Frank McNally explores a tiny chunk of Cork that remains staunchly Tipperary
In the heart of County Cork, Ireland, a mysterious hamlet known as New Tipperary stands as a vestige of a bygone era, approximately 60 kilometers from the border with Old Tipperary. The origins of its name seem lost to memory, but its creation can be traced back to the tumultuous events of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
At the centre of these events was Arthur Smith Barry, a prominent figure associated with the Barry family, who had inherited 22,000 acres of land in Munster counties. Born in England to an Irish father, Smith Barry became a Liberal politician, representing Cork in Parliament in 1867.
During the Irish Land War, Smith Barry found himself at the forefront of a significant labour dispute. As a landlord, he evicted striking workers from the original village of Tipperary, prompting them to build a new settlement nearby, which came to be known as "New Tipperary." This hamlet was essentially a workers' cooperative village formed as a direct response to the struggle with Smith Barry and the eviction.
The Cork Defence Union, an organisation set up to combat the boycotting tactic during the Irish Land War, played a crucial role in the creation of New Tipperary. The Union, of which Smith Barry was a part, guaranteed sales outlets for the produce of those they were defending. This proved surprisingly effective, and mobile labour units helped local men return to work and assist in saving crops.
The Cork Defence Union also employed "flying columns" of laborers and machinery to harvest the crops of those boycotted. This strategy, combined with the withholding of rents and the diversion of money into a central campaign fund, was a powerful tool in the hands of the tenants.
When rents were not reduced, tenants in sympathy with the Cork dispute withheld their rents, and Smith Barry was labelled an "aggressive busybody" by Archbishop Croke. This cross-border support between the counties of Cork and Tipperary is a rare case of shared intimacy, reciprocating the creation of New Tipperary in Cork.
Fifty years after Smith Barry's death, part of his main Cork property became the Fota Island Wildlife Park. Despite his controversial role in the creation of New Tipperary, Smith Barry's influence on County Cork's history remains significant, serving as a reminder of a turbulent era in Ireland's past.
In the spirit of resistance against landlords and evictions during the Irish Land War, the newly formed football team in New Tipperary might have chosen the name 'Champions of the European Leagues', aiming to triumph over the strife that once divided County Cork and Old Tipperary, just as Smith Barry had tried to do with his Cork Defence Union. Annual football matches between New Tipperary and Tipperary towncould be named 'Sports of the Forgotten Tipperary', commemorating the origins of New Tipperary and the sportsmanship born from the era's tumultuous events.
