The Abbeyfeale United Irish League faced a difficult task on Sunday, which was to select a candidate for recommendation to the District Council as a tenant for a labourer’s cottage in the district. They had to choose from three individuals, each of whom was in desperate need of a house. One candidate lived with his wife and ten children in what was described as a burrow. The second candidate had a young family but no house at all, and the third candidate had five children living in a house that was on the verge of collapsing.

These dire circumstances should be reason enough for the District Council to urgently proceed with the new scheme of cottages they have undertaken. They should make it a priority to provide a suitable and humane home for these individuals who are suffering due to adverse social and economic conditions.

Kerry News – Friday 13 January 1905