Abolition of the Boards of Guardians

Meeting in Lifford to amalgamate the County Donegal Boards of Guardians

Report of a meeting held in Lifford in August 1920 where all but the Ballyshannon and Dunfanaghy guardians were present. This meeting suggested that the number of workhouses in the county be reduced and that the County Council take over the maintenance of the workhouses.

Copyright of Donegal County Archives. No reproduction without permission

Meeting in Lifford to amalgamate the County Donegal Boards of Guardians
Copyright of Donegal County Archives. No reproduction without permission

Meeting in Lifford to amalgamate the County Donegal Boards of Guardians

Report of a meeting held in Lifford in August 1920 where all but the Ballyshannon and Dunfanaghy guardians were present. This meeting suggested that the number of workhouses in the county be reduced and that the County Council take over the maintenance of the workhouses.

Copyright of Donegal County Archives. No reproduction without permission

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Dail Eireanns response to the proposed meeting to amalgamate the County Donegal Boards of Guardians

Letter from Dail Eireann stating that the proposed resolution to be discussed at a meeting in Lifford regarding the amalgamation of the workhouses might be regarded as a step in the right direction.

Copyright of Donegal County Archives. No reproduction without permission.

Dail Eireanns response to the proposed meeting to amalgamate the County Donegal Boards of Guardians
Copyright of Donegal County Archives. No reproduction without permission.

Dail Eireanns response to the proposed meeting to amalgamate the County Donegal Boards of Guardians

Letter from Dail Eireann stating that the proposed resolution to be discussed at a meeting in Lifford regarding the amalgamation of the workhouses might be regarded as a step in the right direction.

Copyright of Donegal County Archives. No reproduction without permission.

Enlarge image

The Dail also set in motion the process of dismantling the boards of guardians, to which the boards gave their full backing, in practice dissolving themselves.

At a meeting held in Lifford in August 1920 the question of the amalgamation of the workhouses in Donegal was raised and the following resolution was passed: "this meeting unanimously recommends the Donegal County Council to take over the maintenance of the workhouses and make them a county charge, this meeting considers that the number of workhouses could be reduced and have all the inmates either boarded out or maintained in any one institution. This meeting also thinks that the infirmaries should be maintained by the County Council - the existing workhouse system should be abolished forthwith."

At a meeting of Milford board of guardians on 14 August 1920 a letter was read from the Local Government department of Dail Eireann in which they approved of the above resolution passed by the various Donegal boards of guardians as a step forward and toward their goal of the complete abolition of the workhouses. With the birth of the free state this ideal of Dail Eireann became a reality as they set about a process of centralistion of power in the county councils and the government and the removal of lower level tiers of local government bodies such as the rural district councils and the boards of guardians.

With the removal of the boards of guardians came the abolition of the workhouses and the poor law system of relief in Ireland. The board of guardians of Milford was officially abolished on 14 July 1923 along with the other County Donegal unions.

Images on Right:

Extract from the meeting discussed above (BG/119/1/88, 14 August 1920)

Letter sent by the Dail Eireann, Dept. of Local Government approving of the proposed resolution. (BG/119/1/88, 14 August 1920)

Click here for a transcribed version of the above images.