From the Almonte Gazette July 30, 1970

The Ballyghiblins Had Their Troubles      

(By Hal Kirkland)  

On September 2, 1823, The Hon. Peter Robinson, Superintendent of Emigration from the South of Ireland, reported that the ships Stakesby and Hebe carrying emigrants from Ireland to Upper Canada, has arrived at Quebec - eight weeks after their departure from the port of Cork.  In his report he wrote: "Four children and one woman died in the Stakesby; four children in the Hebe. Remainder all in good health and will proceed up the country immediately. I will be in time to settle them this autumn. The Hon. Mr. Robinson was overly optimistic.      

These people had to be transported from Quebec City to Ramsay Township in Upper Canada and it was now early fall. Eventually these settlers arrived at Shipman's Falls, now Almonte, and were housed in a hastily constructed depot. These poor people had nothing. They spent the winter in idleness; the Government had contracted to provide them with shelter, food and clothing for a period of twelve months. In a way it was an inauspicious start, even though they were much better off on the banks of the Mississippi than they had been in Ireland.       

These were the settlers who became known in Ramsay, Huntley and Pakenham Townships as the notorious Ballyghiblins. How they came to be called Ballyghiblins is not clear; some say that it was the name of the parish in Ireland that they came from. For a time they were a troublesome lot, even though Mr. Robinson did his best for them. Perhaps it was no accident that the next batch of emigrants that Robinson brought out from Ireland were settled in the Peterborough district - far from the Ballyghiblins.       

That name, Ballyghiblins has always had a strange fascination for those in the Ottawa Valley. It conjures up all the fanciful notions many have of the Irish . . . a happy, carefree, witty articulate people, fond of dancing and fighting. Like most racial characteristics formulated by outsiders, it is probably an unreliable assessment. The Scotch certainly are not dour, penurious and lacking humor. The writer recollects a conversation with a charitably-minded man of pure Irish descent, and in the course of the talk the outrageous conduct of a roisterous n’er-do-well, also Irish,  was brought up. Finally my friend dismissed this gossip with the remark, “I think he must have been a Ballyghiblin.” My friend was prejudiced.            

Understandably the Scotch and Irish who had been settled two or three years previously were not amused by the shenanigans of the Ballyghiblins. They had been toiling, making clearances in the bush, building log habitations, and suffering hard privations, and here were these Ballyghiblins living well in their encampment by the Mississippi. They felt that they had been discriminated against: Probably they also felt envious.          

Furthermore, these earlier and still struggling settlers noticed that the Ballyghiblins, in some mysterious manner, were able to procure rum and whiskey to enliven the long winter nights until they picked their settlement lots in the spring. It was suspected that by subtle negotiating  some of the Ballyghiblins were able to barter food which were adequately supplied to them, for the less obtainable liquor. This was not a very serious matter. We can be indulgent when we consider their plight before they left Ireland. The Lord Bishop of Limerick has cited the plight of a dispossessed family. His Lordship wrote: They had not paid their rent and were suddenly dispossessed. They were in the most deplorable state, without houses, without food, without clothing or starving and almost dying in the ditches."      

But early in the spring there was a happening which had dire consequences. It is this episode that has colored the too often sketchy opinions of the Ballyghiblins. These 'troubles" culminated in a small war. There was shooting; one settler was killed and a few (on both sides) wounded. Senator Andrew Haydon wrote in his admirable book,  "Pioneer Sketches," "Like Browning’s story in The Ring and the Book, there have been almost as many varying accounts of the occurrences and as many attempts to fix blame or to offer excuse, as there were factions or writers in the settlements. Distance from the scene of the riot, as it was called lent the enchantment of romance in the telling of the story. For the most part reports came to the outside world through the military eyes of Perth, or from those who claimed for the Protestant and Orange party, all the virtues and all the loyalty, with all the consequent exaggerations and distortions.”          

The serious trouble started in the spring. The 4th Carleton Militia sent out a call for a muster parade to be held at Morphy’s Falls (Carleton Place) on April 23rd, the King’s birthday. The Ballyghiblins were included in the call.        

Many of the Carleton Militia were veterans who had fought under Wellington and in the Canada's in the War of 1812. They were not favourably disposed towards the Irishmen, because as settlers the Ballyghiblins had got a better deal from the Government. This rankled. Most of the settlers around Morphy’s Falls were Protestant and Orangemen, while the Ballyghiblins were largely Roman Catholic. Captain Glendinning, the officer in command of the parade, was haughty and overbearing towards the Irishmen, and he made the mistake of issuing liquor to “some of the militiamen” in order to drink a toast, or toasts, to His Majesty on his birthday.  All this was bad enough, but not far from the parade ground there happened to be a groggery run by a Mr. Morris. It can be assumed that after the parade was dismissed the old soldiers would naturally repair to the groggery. Unfortunately, the Ballyghiblins were not welcome in Mr. Morris’ establishment. All this was more than enough to start trouble, and inevitably trouble did start. Versions of what followed differ, depending on which faction was relating the story. In all the official reports and investigations it was referred to as a riot. In one report it was written that “ a gun was forcibly taken from one of the party in Morris’ house and the person who carried it off was wounded by a shot fired at him when making his retreat with his prize.” This was the only casualty from gunfire on that day. But there were broken skulls, bleeding heads and broken bones from well aimed rocks and deft blows with stout sticks. The doors and windows of Mr. Morris’ house were broken, and he fled to Perth for protection.         

The 23rd was a Friday. The next day, Saturday, a party of the Irish set out again for Morphy's Falls. This time they were on a manhunt and the man that they were after was no other than Captain Glendinning, officer of the 4th Regiment of the Carleton Militia. If the party of Ballyghiblins stopped at Glen Isle, they did not find him at home. However, a few days later, on May 1st, a Mr. William Loucks, of Beckwith Township appeared before three magistrates assembled at Morphy's Falls and made oath as follows: "On the 24th I saw Luke, which I believe to be Luke McGrath, knock down Captain Glendinning in my house, in the upper apartment, with a club." So they caught up with Captain Glendinning later in the day.        

Sunday, the 25th was quiet. But on Monday a larger force of Ballyghiblins assembled at Shipman's Mills. More than 100 men armed with guns and bludgeons and marched away again towards Morphy's Falls. It is recorded that they marched through the fields and woods in military formation, and this time were led by a man carrying a green flag, probably Luke McGrath. At Morphy's Falls they wrecked the house of Mr. Morris, but apparently failed to find Captain Glendinning. It seems that they wished to arrange a duel between Captain Glendinning and a John Sullivan. One can speculate whether this John Sullivan had a deadly aim with a firearm or was just fighting mad at the Captain.         

By this time, the Board of Magistrates at Perth determined that the rioting in Ramsay was getting out of hand. One solution they considered was to call out the militia, but this was not acted upon. The sheriff was indisposed at this time, but his deputy had a batch of warrants to be served on some of the Ballyghiblins for various, offences. He volunteered to recruit a company of special constables to accompany him on his mission to Shipman's Falls. The deputy-sheriff was an Orangeman, as were many of his constables whom he had seen fit to arm with muskets. The whole operation was most indiscreet. Three magistrates went with the party but they might as well have stayed at home. They had not known that the deputy-sheriff was going to arm his constables who numbered about one hundred. The magistrates were powerless: the deputy-sheriff was undoubtitably in charge.         

Early on the next Sunday, the first Of May, the party arrived Shipman's Falls - unexpectedly. The deputy-sheriff had apparently instructed his constables as to his plan of operation: most of them had been in the army and were accustomed to obeying orders. When they approached the settlement the deputy-sheriff  split the party leaving a detachment to surround the log house of Cornelius Roche, situated where the Hotel Almonte stands, while the main force attacked the settlers’ encampment which was on the ground where the Post Office and the Thoburn Mill are situated. He ordered his constables to advance on the settlers’ huts “double quick.” The settlers seeing the armed men running towards their houses, ran down to the river. They were fired on by some trigger-happy constables. The smaller force who had been left to surround the place of Roche, the blacksmith on hearing the shots down by the river, began firing into Roche’s building.       

The whole action was utter folly: the shooting was inexcusable. It ended in a terrible tragedy. One settler was killed and two wounded at Roche’s place (there was no chinking between the logs) and a constable was wounded. And so ended sadly the unhappy story of the Ballyghiblins during those ten days between April 23rd to May 1st in the year 1824. There is one certain conclusion: both sides were blameworthy. Before the end of the year all had been settled satisfactorily on their homesteads, and in the years to come were among the most highly respected, law-abiding and industrious citizens in their communities. It is interesting to note from a report on the Ballyghiblins in the Archives dated 1826 that John Sullivan was a schoolmaster in the country, Cornelius Roche was a blacksmith in Montreal , nine had gone to the U.S.A. , and four were rafting on the St. Lawrence. The remainder were settled in their new homes: 250 in Ramsay; 80 in Huntley; 60 in Goulbourn; and 50 in Pakenham.