ROLL OF SECRET SOCIETIES IN IRISH HISTORY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3144, 20 November 1922, Page 8

ROLL OF SECRET SOCIETIES IN IRISH HISTORY.

The influence of the Irish "Secret Societies" is still strong in the affairs of that country. Primitive forms of these societies' can be found as far back as Christian era. An indistinct personage, whose name is now Anglicised as Finn Mac Cool, appears to be the source from which these curious organisations derive their origin, writes tlie London correspondent of the Christian Science Monitor. He was a "magician," horn about 200 A.D.. and chief of a band of retainers whose avowed object was to make WAY V\£V\\\\Kt v\ll vuvuucs vuul uvvad'ers of Ireland. He derived bis title of "magician" from the fact that his follower* observed a mysterious and secret ritual, the performance of which was carefully concealed from the noninitiated. Finn Mac Cool has lent his name to almost every secret and semi-secret organisation in Ireland to this day. The Fenians derived their title from the "Finanna. The Irish Roy Scouts Association of recent years is entitled Fianna Eireann. The only secrecy observed by Finn Mac Cool was in his ritual, which was probably adopted, as that of the Wahm Gericht and the Freemasons, as a distinguishing mark and a means of secret communication!. The element of "magic" associated with it was no doubt that their influence largely controlled the policies of the kings of Ireland in the tenth and eleventh centuries and the, revolts against British rule in the intervening period usually originated in the inner circles of :t "brotherhood." Tn modern times a number of the "men of '48." or those concerned in William Smith O'Brien's attempted rising in 1848, escaped abroad and set themselves to revive an organisation for the establishment of Ireland as a republic. John O'Mahony founded the Fenian Brotherhood in the United States. O'Douovau Rossa the Phoenix Society in Ireland, and James Stephens the Committee of Public Safety in Parrs. These societies gradually became merged into one. and the union became known as the Fenians. The movement appealed from the first mainly to the "landless men." and was denounced bv the Roman Catholic, priests. Tlie exploits of the' Fenians aire too well known to need . recapitulation ; with,the imprisonment of Michael' T)avitt the movement sank into the obscurity from which it had arisen, but not before it had taken steps to insure its perpetuation. The principal leaders had banded themselves into the Irish Republican Brotherhood. The Trish Republican Brotherhood consists of a. Supreme Council', con trolling a number of "circles" and "subcircles." The members of amy given circle are. in theory at least, entirely unknown to those of another; their chiefs, termed "centers," are nominally unknown to one another, and in turn arc ignorant of the identity of the members of the Supreme Council. They receive general orders and interpret them to the members- of their circles. These precautious ensure secrecy and limit betrayal to the comparatively unimportant members of a single circle. "The Trish Republican Brotherhood shall do its utmost." says tlie first clause of the constitution, "to train and equip its members as a military body for the purpose of securing the independence of Ireland by force of arms; it shall secure the co-operation of all Trish military bodies in the ao' complishment of its object, and shall support every movement calculated to advance the cause of Irish National Independence." Tn pursuance of this policy the organisation captured Sinn Fein in 1915 and retained control of it until the split following on the acceptance of the December Treaty by Dail Eireann. The Republicans, or trcogulars. as their opponents style them, who are causing troublo in Ireland, now may be considered as members of the brotherhood, who, finding themselves abandoned by the break-away of Sinn Fein, are determined to carry on the ancient struggle by every means in their power. even though such action spells the ruin of Ireland.