The ‘Indomitable’ O’Halloran Family

Eviction Resistance in Bodyke in 1887

​A widely publicised eviction took place on 10 June 1887 near Bodyke in east Clare. The farm in question was held by John O’Halloran. Women played an important defensive role in evictions during the Land Wars, and the O'Halloran sisters – Honoria, Annie and Sarah – and their mother, Harriet, were by no means unique in their fierce resistance during the siege on their homestead. The family held out for hours against an armed invading force, which according to the Freeman’s Journal (11 June 1887) numbered 400 men.  

Female members of the O'Halloran family from Bodyke. Photo, taken June 1887, forms part of the Eblana Photograph Collection in the National Library of Ireland (ref. no. EB_2664).

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