| Michael Davitt was born in Straide, County Mayo | | | | IRB and Parnell both refused to accept the new |
| in 1846 at the height of the Great Famine. He | | | | policy. But Davitt launched a 'new departure' with |
| was the second of five children born to peasant | | | | huge success in 1879 in response to an economic |
| parents. When Michael was only four years old his | | | | crisis that threatened the rural populations with |
| family was evicted and they were forced to | | | | famine. Davitt planned a huge campaign of |
| emigrate to Lancashire in England. He began | | | | agitation to reduce rents, founding the Irish |
| working in the cotton mills at the age of nine, | | | | National Land League to provide the agitation with |
| tragically losing his arm after it got entangled in a | | | | a nationwide organisation, Charles Stuart Parnell |
| cogwheel. When he was fifteen he enrolled in night | | | | became its president. The league practically united |
| classes at the local Mechanics Institute where he | | | | all nationalists and land agitators under a single |
| was granted access to the library. He began to | | | | organisation. In part the League served as a relief |
| read about Irish history and the Irish social | | | | agency but it's main task was to organise |
| situation becoming more radical with regard to | | | | resistance to the landlords, preventing evictions |
| land nationalisation and Irish independence. In 1865 | | | | and securing reductions in rents and for the main |
| he joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood, rising | | | | goal of turning tenant farmers into owners of |
| quickly through the ranks becoming organising | | | | their land holdings. Davitt was arrested for his |
| secretary for Northern England and Scotland. He | | | | outspoken speeches and he was sent to Portland |
| was arrested in 1870 for arms smuggling and | | | | prison. The Land War convinced the authorities in |
| sentenced to fifteen years penal servitude. He | | | | Britain that the landlord system in Ireland needed |
| was released after seven years following | | | | change. A series of land acts eventually |
| persistent agitation seeking amnesty for Fenian | | | | transformed Ireland into a land of |
| prisoners, rejoined the IRB and became a | | | | owner-occupiers. However, Davitt declared that |
| member of its Supreme Council. In 1878 Davitt | | | | the slogan of the Land League of 'The land for |
| travelled to America, embarking on a lecture tour | | | | the people', had meant national ownership to him, |
| organised by John Devoy, whom in collaboration | | | | he envisioned this as the only real solution to the |
| with Davitt formulated a new policy for the | | | | land problem. |
| national movement, the essence of which was an | | | | Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring |
| alliance of constitutional and revolutionary | | | | Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, |
| nationalists on both self-government and the land | | | | private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and |
| issue. However, both the Supreme Council of the | | | | independent self drive tours of Ireland. |