Draft:Portumna Workhouse

Portumna Workhouse

Portumna Workhouse is a workhouse located in Portumna,County Galway, Ireland.

History

Portumna Workhouse

The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 was introduced to Ireland in September 1838. George Nicholls was tasked with leading the commission. he was previously the English poor-law commissioner. Portumna's Poor Law Union was established on 22 February 1850, accommodating for a population of 30,714 in 15 District Electoral Divisions. It comprised of parishes taken from both the Loughrea and the Ballinasloe Unions. The workhouse is located in 8 acres of land. It cost £7,775 to build with the potential to house 600 inmates. However, there was never any more than half of what it could house, despite the poverty inflicted on the population and the Great Famine at this time.

Portumna Workhouse was designed by architect George Wilkinson (architect).The workhouse opened in 1851, accepting 221 inmates. Its Board of Guardians included Ulick de Burgh, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde as chairman, Anthony Nugent of Pallas Castle, Tynagh as vice-chairman and John Eyre of Eyrecourt as deputy vice-chairman. Henry Ogle was appointed master of the workhouse. Ogle became embroiled in controversy when in 1864, Father Patrick Donellan exposed him and the medical officer Dr Coates. Ogle was accused of supplying poor quality food. In November of the same year, the coroner Martin Pelly held an inquest into the starvation of a young child in the care of the workhouse. The Poor Law commission cleared the Board of Guardians of blame in the child's death. The following year, Ogle vanished, emigrating to New York where he died in 1896. The Sisters of Mercy began the running of St. Vincent's Hospital in March 1886.

The workhouse continued in use with fluctuating numbers up until the 1920s. In May 1921, Crown forces were garrisoned in the workhouse while Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) volunteers were based there during the period of the Truce of 11 July 1921. National Army (Ireland) forces were stationed there for 2 years also.

List of Masters

Henry Ogle (1851-1865)

Thomas Rodgers (1865-1866)

Thomas Costello (1866-1875)

Thomas Gordon (1875-1880)

James Cosgrave (1901)

Martin Donohue (1901-1911)

Closure and Further Uses

Portumna Workhouse closed down in October 1921. This was the result of the closure of all workhouses in Ireland by the Irish Free Sate government. In 1931, a knitting factory was established in the one of the rooms of the disused workhouse by Oscar Zimmerling. Its grounds were used by the Portumna Local Security Force (LSF) for drill practice during The Emergency (Ireland). The Galway county hurling team of the late 1940s trained in the workhouse grounds during this period too. Bord na Móna held some of the complex for its machinery and offices in 1951. Portumna Packers Co-Operative Ltd. leased the buildings from Galway County Council in 1966. This company sourced local produce for export to Great Britain. The Board of Works or Office of Public Works also held offices and storage facilities there.

Irish Workhouse Centre

The South East Galway Integrated Rural Development Company decided to preserve the workhouse in 1999. The Irish Workhouse Centre project was launched by then Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney in 2006. The complex has been cleaned up and five of the buildings have been re-roofed.The Irish Workhouse Centre officially opened to the public in 2011. It tells the story of life within a workhouse, allowing people to engage with the history of the poor in 19th century Ireland. It is the only interactive workhouse centre in Ireland.