Generosity in a land of no millionaires

THE people of Ballyferriter were willing to put their hands in their pockets and dig a lot deeper than their contemporaries in Dingle who got a right lash in The Kerryman of 100 years ago for falling behind in their contributions to the Irish Volunteers Dependent Fund.

The fund was set up following the Easter Rising to help the families of Volunteers who had been killed, injured or jailed. In July 1916, The Kerryman published a letter from the committee of the Irish Volunteers Dependent Fund in which they appealed to their friends throughout the country to form local branches and to do all in their power to raise money to enable the good work to be carried on.

Subsequently local branches were formed across the country, with varying degrees of success. One of the success stories was Ballyferriter and The Kerryman of July, 29 reported that the village and district has raised the “splendid sum” of £62-12-6d.

“What we may, without the slightest exaggeration, call a marvellous contribution has just been made by Ballyferriter... Considering the rather sparse population of the locality, and also that it has not yet come to be regarded as the abiding place of millionaires, this subscription on the part of Ballyferriter easily wins for it pride of place in Kerry,” the paper proudly stated on the front page.

Meanwhile in Dingle, the month of August was half over and the town had raised only £42. John J Malone, secretary of the local committee, was encouraging contributions which could be delivered up to September 1.