The Fenians

Michael Davitt held his first meeting after Irishtown there, and later the process servers were chased away by the people who also stopped evictions. History repeated itself in 1910 when evictions were threatened and the local men were brave enough to stand by their neighbours. For their actions ten spent six months in Mountjoy gaol.

Williamstown was a stronghold of Fenianism and such names as John Finnegan, Farm; James A. McLoughlin, Kildare; John Maloney, Kilmore and John Smith, John Cunneely, Mattie Geraghty and Mickie Hawthorne from the town will be remembered when history is being written.