Protest at Midleton Town Hall at the auction of nine houses the first step in the sale of Lord Midleton's Irish estate.
On 10 December 1964, it was announced that the second Earl of Midleton would be putting his entire estate in the Cork town of Midleton up for sale. The Midleton estate encompasses a vast amount of town property, including Midleton Town Hall, about 250 houses and land. Since the 1850s, the people of Midleton have been paying ground rents and leases to Lord Midleton's ancestors.
Preliminary to the main sale of the estate, nine vacant houses in varying states of repair are auctioned at Midleton Town Hall. Bidding is slow and three houses are withdrawn from the auction as they do not reach the reserve.
The idea that a whole town in Ireland can be owned by an English landlord and sold off to the Irish people is abhorrent to some. Outside the Town Hall, members of Sinn Féin carry banners reading:
'People of Midleton resist British imperialism. This town is yours why should you have to buy it?’.
‘This attempt to sell Midleton is an insult to our patriot dead.’
‘Sinn Féin demands that absentee landlordism is abolished.’
The remainder of the estate will be auctioned in April 1965.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 3 February 1965. The footage shown here is mute.
