Voters of 1830 from Ballinrobe & Kilmaine Barony and their environs.

Many Townlands in the area are included

By Averil Staunton

Throughout Ireland The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 was passed by Parliament in 1829; it was the culmination of the process of Catholic Emancipation. It repealed the 1673 Test Act and the remaining Penal Laws which had been in force 1728.

Its passage followed a vigorous campaign on the issue by Irish lawyer Daniel O’Connell. O'Connell had firm support from the British Prime Minister and the Duke of Wellington.

This Act permitted members of the Catholic Church to sit in the parliament at Westminster under the then extant penal law; O'Connell as a Roman Catholic, was forbidden to take his seat in Parliament. The Home Secretary in England Sir Robert Peel, who had until then always opposed emancipation concluded: "though emancipation was a great danger, civil strife was a greater danger."

Peel drew up the Catholic Relief Bill fearing a revolution in Ireland and guided it through the House of Commons. The Duke of Wellington worked tirelessly to ensure its passage in the House of Lords, and threatened to resign as Prime Minister if King George IV did not give Royal Assent

The following three pages lists the now new voters in Ballinrobe, Kilmaine Barony and their environs.

The three pages were extracted from the South Mayo Family Research Journal published in Ballinrobe.

The SMFR office is on Main Street, Ballinrobe. You can check out their website at http://www.mayoroots.com/

Just click to open each page which is in alphabetic order.