SPEECH OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF CASHEL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IX, Issue 430, 8 July 1881, Page 11

SPEECH OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF CASHEL.

At Kilkenny lately Dr. Croke received another of these popular tributes to which he is now so accustomed, but one the cbeery heartiness of which could only be found in Tipperary. His Grace, in his annual visitation of the parishes of the archdiocese, arranged to begin with Ballingarry. The LOtice of his coming was short, but the people of the historic district hastily determined that the welcome should be no cold one. The Archbishop about three o'clock, having driven over from Thurles, arrived within a mile of Ballingarry. and must have been considerably surprised at the vast gathering which greeted him at that spot. The committee of the Ballingarry Land League were foremost in the assemblage, behind them were a number of members of the Ladies' Land League on side cars, and then a long column of people, choking the hedge-enclosed roadway, with green banners in their midst, and a couple of bands playing welcome music. All hats were raised and a mighty cheer went forth as his Grace's carriage rolled up. A rush was made to take out the horses, but the Archbishop wished this mark of the people's feelings to be omitted. For a short time obedience triumphed o^er enthusiasm, but only for a short time, and then in a few minutes a score of stalwart Tipperarv men were dragging the carriage along, amid continuous cheering and the music of bands. In this way the village was entered under a triumphal arch, which bore the inscription, '• Welcome to the great Archbishop of the South." The carriage was drawn up a short hill to the church gates, and there his Grace wa<? received by the Very Rev. Dr. Ryan, P.P., V.G., and president of the Ballingarry Land League ; Rev. J. Hickey, CO., vice-president ; and Rev. P. Ryan, C.C. An address from the Ballingarry Land League was then read. His Grace replied : Mr. Fitzgerald, Dr. Ryan, and men of Ballingarry, I thank you very sincerely for this short but at the same time emphatic and cordial address. It has been my lot to receive many addresses during my lifetime, and, in all probability, I have received as many, perhaps, as any other ecclesiastic in this or in any other country, for, as you know, it has been my fortune, either for good or evil, to have travelled a great deal, and to have encountered the scattered children of my race in almost every land upon which the sun shines, and I am proud to be able to say that I never yet met a body of Irishmen in any country, whether in the British colonies or in the gTeat Republic of the West, who did not entertain for me some kindly feelings, and bid me accordingly, when I came in their midst, a cordial and hearty welcome (applause). But I can safely assure you, and you can trust to my word, because whatever I am, I trust I shall be truthful, that I never received an address or a reception in any part of the world that gave me greater gratification than the address I have received this evening, and the manifestation of kindly feeling you have shown in my regard. The name of Ballingarry, I may say here fearlessly, was associated with my younger days, and many and many a time, when I was a much younger man than I am to-day, I was asking myself was it not a strange thing that in the troubled times of the past why was it that those men who risked everything for their country's good went and made their last, as it was their first and, unfortunately, unsuccessful effort for their country, why was it they pitched on Ballingarry. Ballingarry, I said, after all was a country place ; it d'd not seem to afford any strategical position, and why wa3 it that Ballingarry was selected for commencing the battle which in those days was a very foolish thing to commence, and which which would be foolish to commence now, but at all events which was forced upon them, and from which they could not shrink (applause), I can answer now what I could not answer then, because I see men here who are stalwart in sizs and heroes in heart ; I see there are men here prepared to make any little effort that a man may make for his country, and it is only on that supposition I know that I have been welcomed here so warmly as I was this evening. I have done but little, but I tell you what it is — J would be prepared to do more and to dare more (applause). There was a time in the great Republic of Sparta when if a crisis came the law was that no man should be neutral. A man should declare for or against the Republic, and all my life through, thank God, I never acted upon the principle cf neutrality (hear, hear). I nailed my colours to the mast (cheers), and I told at once what I believed and what I did not believe, and I took the consequences (renewed cheers). That has been my course all through life, and for the rest of my life lam not inclined to depart from it. Therefore, my principles are unmistakable, my principles are embodied in one thing — I am a man of the people, and shall be always with the people (cheers). I know that in other countries the people are sometimes a very dangeroos lot to follow. Following the people in France or in Germany, or in Italy, or, unfortunately, now in Belgium, and almost all the countries in Europe, would be doing what would be wrong. But do you know what I have said — and 1 have said it in high places, and every day of my life confirms me in the conviction — that the instincts of the Irish people are so good, it is impossible they can be wrong (applause). And therefore, when, en masse in a body, the religious, sacramentreceiving, Bupernatura]ly-gifted— marvellous'y supernaturally-gifted — people of Ireland, who would not wilfully do any wrong to anyone — when they seize upon a certain principle and wish to carry it into action, and strive to do so, I am as sure as I am of my own existence that that principle is right, and the action of the people is, therefore, to be commended (applause). Therefore, when I saw this business of the League, this uprising of the Irish heart and the Irish head and the Irish arm against the tyranny by which the people of this country were kept down for ages — when I caw that swelling like an immense hurricane and sweeping over the country I said, " It is impossible that can be wrong, because the Irish heart is always right and the Irish bead guides it to a secure aim." Therefore, independent of any reasoning of my own, that is what I say. I have acted upon it, and shall act upon it, to the end (applause). Therefore, I say to you, no mistake about it, we are all Leaguers here ; we are all men who do aot wish to do any injury to any one ; we do not wish to

injure the landlord or to injure the shopkeeper. We will pay the landlord his legitimate rent ; we will pay the shopkeeper his debt. We wish no wrong to anybody ; but is there not an old saying charity begins at home 1 and if we do not wish the landlord any wrong, or the (shopkeeper any wong, we do not wish ourselves any wrong either. The people have their rights, and now that they have risen in their might I pray them to htand to their guns (applause), uot to give up in any way whatsoever, or abaudon in any way the path they have taken until they have secured their rights, and nothing but their rights (applause). Well, then, these being my views, of course, you know very well that I am glad to receive aa address from the Land League of this place. I wish the Land League of this place and every other place success. I know they will achieve success, and they will achieve it by always keeping two things in view— first, the principle of right that I spoke of a short time ago, and next, the desire not to do wrong. You can do wrong in two ways— first, by refusing to pay your just and legitimate debts, which I know the Irish people never will do, and, secondly, by offering violence to anyone. I tell you we are an excitable people, and when a man is excited the chances are, if there is a man opposing him on the other side, he may do something that is wrong, offer violence to somebody, and thus not only break the law but give strength to the enemy. Therefore, I say, you are sure of succes-s, because, right will always prevail, and you are right ; but it will be upon the two conditions that you do no man injury and offer violence to no man. No outrage, no shooting, no collisions with the police and military ; we are not prepared for those things, and if they are attempted, the people will be sure to be the worst off in the latter end, and it will give strength to the enemy. We don't know what God Almighty might have in store for this country yet, but it would be a most anomalous thing if the most religious, the most God-fearing, the most devoted and the best people in the world, in one sense of the word, would be the poorest, most miserable, most persecuted and abject in another. Hence I have hope for Ireland (cheers). I have hope that we will rise yet. I have hope, if not in my time, and probably not in my time, yet at some time or other, that Ireland will be what she ought to be. She ought to be a happy country ; she ought to be a prosperous country ; we ought to have plenty to eat and drink and be well housed, and having that, we would have made a step in advance (applause). It grieves me to see the people in ragrs, it grieves me to see their houses poor, it grieves me to see them distressed and trampled upon, and my aspiration and prayer, standing close to your beautiful church, beside your pastor, and in the presence of thin great gathering, is that Ireland may be what she ought to be — be happy, prosperous and contented (loud cheers).