The Leinster Leader 11 March 1939.
MAYO MIGRANTS
SETTLE IN KILDARE
BOON TO SCHOOLS
The migrant families from Swinford who have take possession of the three holdings at Sherlockstown, Naas, were busy arranging furniture etc., when visited by a "Leinster Leader" representative on Monday.
Of the three families who have arrived, there are eleven children in the first, ten in the second, and seven in the third.
James McLoughlin, the senior of the party and father of 11 children, expressed great satisfaction with the generous provision made for them by the Government. It would take them some time, he said, before they got used to the new conditions and surroundings, but nothing, he added, could exceed the kindness with which they were received by the people amongst whom they had come to live.
The 28 children are all of the school-going age, and Mr. McLoughlin said their first concern would be to have arrangements made for sending them to school. The nearest school is Sallins.
"I hope," he said, "the teachers there will get an increase of salary for this big increase on the roll."
It is expected that between 30 and 40 holdings will be provided this season for migrants from the congested areas under the Land Ministry's scheme for dealing with urgent cases.
Four families from Swinford and one from Foxford have just been settled on lands acquired by the Land Commission on the Hawksworth-Smythe estate in Westmeath.
Under this phase of the general migration scheme, which is a settled part of the Department's policy, provision is made for special cases caused by chronic congestion.
Every assistance is given to set up the migrants so that they may take full advantage of their new holdings.