Irish News.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIV, Issue 33, 11 December 1896, Page 21

Irish News.

(From Contemporaries.) ANTRIM.— The Giant's Causeway.— Every effort is to be made to rescue the Giant's Causeway from the grasp of the Syndicate which some three months ago began fencing in the approaches to that great natural curiosity. The opinion of counsel confirms the contention that there is a public right-of-way. The question is certain to occupy the attention of one of the Irish Superior Courts, Mr. McElroy, editor of the Ball \j money Free Press, having been served with a writ for alleged trespass on the part of the Giant's Causeway Appropriation Syndicate. It is most unfortunate that thia attempt to impose a tax upon visitors to the Causeway should have been made at a time when the Irish Tourist Association are trying to do something for their country in developing its many natural attractions as a holiday resort. CORK.— The Father Mathew anniversary.— Both in Cork and Dublin the Father Mathew Anniversary was celebrated in a manner worthy of the great apostle of temperance. In Cork the Rev. J. Connell, S.J., delivered a powerful lecture before a large and appreciative audience, and on the motion of Mr. Maurice Healy, M.P., seconded by Mr Orean, M.P., a warm vote of thanks was accorded to the lecturer. In Dublin there was a splendid gathering in the Father Mathew Hall. The Very Rev. Father Bernard. 0.5. F.C., who presided, delivered an eloquent panegyric on the illustrious Franciscan Capuchin, the 100 th anniversary of whose birth they were celebrating. DOWN. — Mercy Convent, Newry. — The Convent of Mercy, Newry. County Down, has been awarded a medal and certificate by the authorities of the late Chicago Exhibition for specimens of Limerick lace and their exquisitely hand-sewn underlinen, done by the girls of the Indubtrial Schools attached to the convent. These schools were first started by the Hon. Mrs. Ross, of Bladentburg, Ro6strevor, many years ago, and are still competing with ma«hine work and with great success, as many and very costly orders come in from the nobility and gentry of England. There was a solemn ceremony of reception in this convent lately, when Miss Quinn, daughter of Mr. Bernard Quinn, J.P., Beachmore, Kildress, and sister of the Rev. M. J. Quinn, C.C., Camlough, and niece of Rev. Charles Quinn, Camlough, made her first vows which devoted her life to the care of the sick and poor. Most Rev. Dr. M'Givern performed the ceremony, assisted by the Rev. J. Carlin, C.C., Newry. The priests and friends were afterwards received by the Rev. Mother and Sisters. DERRY' — A Brave Girl. — A short time ago, as a party of young people were crossing a wooden bridge which spans the River Faughan about a mile from the village ot Cl.iudy, a young te itleman from Belfast, who had come to the village to marry one of the ladies who accompanied him on this ore.iMon, mi*sed his foot and fell into the water, which was about 20ft, deep at the place. When the young lady siw her lover disappearing from vie a she piteously appealed to thrw near lor help, but in vain, as no one felt inclined to court almost certain death. When he was about to disappear for the third time she heroically leaped from the bridge into the deep waters, and with tine hand she assisted her lover while she swam with cun-ider.ible difficulty against the current. After great exertion, and when almost exhausted, she brought him to the riverside, when both were helped out. Restoratives were applied, and after some tune both were able, to proceed to their respective residences. DUBLIN.— The Third Order of St. Francis— A Retreat for the members ol the Third Order of St. Francis attached to the Franciscan Capuchin Friary, Church street. Dublin, was opened on Sunday, October 4th. by Very Rev. Father Bernard, 0.5.X.C.. Provincial, and brought to a close on Sunday the 11th. During the week of Retreat the spacious church was crowded to its utmost capacity at all the exercises. At the general Communion on Sunday morning at eight o'clock, a magnificent proof was afforded of the fact that the eloquent and impressive discourses of the preacher had found their way to the hearts of his hearers. The church was crowded to inconvenience, and almost everyone of the congregation approached Holy Communion. A general re-union of the members of the Third Order was held on Monday evening at eight o clock, when the ceremonies of reception of new members and solemn profession were performed. Over one hundred novices were received. Fifty of them joined the Brother's congregation, and fifty-four the Sisters. The meeting terminated with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. KERRY.— Appointment of Clerk of Works Killarney District Asylum. — Bishop Coffey presided at the monthly meeting of the governors of the Killarney District Lunatic Asylum on September 17. The principal business to be disposed of was the election of clerk of works for the new buildings which are to be added to the asylum, and for which J. B. Healy. of Tralee, has been declared contractor for £;i, 1.).">. There were eighteen candidates for the situation at a salary of £2 I<K per week. The contest lay between two local builders, P. O'Dri-coll and J. Nunan. Both received three votes each, and the chairman gave his in favour of O'Driscoll, who was declared elected, subject to the approval of the Board of Control. KILKENNY.— A Successful Missionary School.— Eleven years ago the Sisters of Mercy at Callan opened a missionary school which deserves to be more widely known. It was founded with a view to meet the pressing demands of the missionary progress of these late years, and, thus far. it has fully realised the expectations of its founders, Cardinal Moran, Archbishop of Sydney ; Bishop

Murray, of Maitland ; Bishop Dunne, of Wilcannia, and others. St. Brigid's Missionary School is intended to prepare and qualify girls to enter convents at Home and in foreign lands. Already more than sixty postulants have pone forth to foreign and Home convents, and only one has failed, and that on account of ill-health. Religious from this school are now doing good work in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Newfoundland. Ireland, England, Scotland, and France, whilst new applications are daily arriving from these same countries, as also from Africa, the East and west Indies, the Greek Islands, and the " Black Belt " in America. At present there is a number in training for most of these missions. KING'S COUNTY.-Bronze Medal for the Sisters of Mercy.— The Judges of the Chicago (U.S.A.) Exhibition have awarded a beautiful bronze medal to the Sisters of Mercy, St. John's Female I ndustrial School, Birr, for the best specimen of lace work in the art industries section of the exposition. The specimen which secured this international trophy was similar to that which was awarded first prize at the exhibition connected with the Horse Show at Dublin recently, and was turned out by the same juvenile workers who carried off two special and two first prizes at the Birr show, where the value of their case of exhibits exceeded £100. SLIGO.— A Sligo Boy in New Zealand.— The sugo Champion of Octofier 3 has the following : — We clip the following 1 paragraph from the New Zealand Tablet :—": — " Some time ago the Town Lands Trust of Masterton decided to establish technical classes in the town with the funds at their disposal. We are pleased to note that Mr. Dolan, master of the Catholic school there, has been appointed Professor in agricultural chemistry. Mr. Dolan is a Sligo man and a very clever teacher, and considering that there was keen competition tor the post, his appointment is a compliment which cannot be otherwise attributed than to his ability and fitness for the position, for he is comparatively speaking a stranger in the district, and, therefore, his selection is not owing to any other cause save merit. Mr. Dolan holds a South Kensington School of Science and Arts certificate for the subject which he has been appointed to teach, so he is fully equipped for his work " The young gentleman referred to ib Bernard Dolan, son of our respected and popular townsman, Mr. Owen Dolan. T.C. He is an ex-pupil of Sligo College, where he received his first lesions in chemistry from the editor of this journal. After winning high distinctions at the intermediate examinations he proceeded to Australia and subsequently to New Zealand. In both places he met old comrades of his father, who is well known and honoured by many leading Irishmen in both colonies. Although Mr. Dolan i-> only twenty-one years of age the appointment he has secured is both very important and lucrative. Simultaneously with the discharge of his professorial duties he is reading for the New Zealand Bar. and we have no doubt, with his natural ability and sterling character, he will do honour to the name of Ireland in that far-off Southern Colony. We heartily congratulate our fellow-townsman on his son's success. TIPPERARY.— Death of a Veteran Irish Journalist. Death has removed from the ranks of Irish journalists one who may lie said to have been the dm//// of the profession. John O'Shea of Nenagh. For close on three-quarters of a century he was associated with papers there and elsewhere. Mr. 0 Shea was editor of the .\mn///i Guardian sixty years a^o. IFe subsequently edited the Li mater JJ.rjiris.i, but on the late Peter E. Gill starting the 'iippcrary Ailroeatt Mr. O'Shea became connected with that journal and the connection lasted for a very lon^i period. Again, however, he transferred his services to the \< umjli (i 'mi ril 'tint, with which he remained associated until advancing a<_:e compelled him to seek that well-earned retirement which his Umn and diligent labours entitled him to. Mr. O'Shea wrote some \olumes of poetry which commanded much popularity. His illness was ot brief duration, and he passed away in the i'i<jrhty-eigth year of his age. consoled by the presence of his son. John Augustus O Shea, and his daughter, Margaret O'Shea. GALWAY.— The Fishing Industry.— Heggan is at present a flourishing spot. A curing station for fish is being built by the Congested Districts Board and the Board of Works are putting gates to the dock. The amount of mackerel taken in Cleggan is almost beyond calculation. One individual alone sold six thousand fish in two weeks. Three rival companies are buying the fish and the prices went up from (Is to 8s per hundred. LIMERICK.— Death Of a Nun.— The death is announced of the Rev. Mother Mary A. Butler, of the Presentation Convent, Ballingarry. Her demise is deeply regretted, especially by the members of her community, to whom she had endeared herself by her many noble qualities of head and heart. She was sister of the late Col E. Butler, who died last year in France, and niece of the late Archbishop of Cashel, the Most Rev. Dr. Slattery. The Requiem Office and High Mass was celebrated at the convent chapel. The Very Ri>v. Canon Cantwe'l, P.P., presided, the celebrant of the High Mass being the Rev. M. Barry. P.P. Ballylanders ; deacon, Rev. Father O'Leary ; and sub-deacon, Rev. Father O'Connor. GENERAL. The Tercentenary of the Potato.— Queen Elizabeth's illfated courtier, Sir Walter Raleigh, has one claim upon Ireland which other land-grabbers of that period cannot advance and that is the inrtoduction of the potato. It is three hundred years ago since he planted the first fruitful tuber in his Youghal garden, and the fact has suggested the idea of a tercentenary celebration to a member of a Gardeners' Association, in the shape of a conference and an exhibition of potatoes towards the close of the year. The esculent has been well termed the bread of the poor, and here in Ireland on more than one occasion the success or failure of the crop meant life or death to the peasantry whose staple food it had become. Parties interested in this novel and interesting celebration are requested to communicate with Mr. Shaw, secretary of the Irish Gardeners' Association, Dublin.

Actß Of Bravely Rewarded.— The committee of the Royal Humane Society of London has conferred testimonials on the undermentioned persons in Ireland for acts of distinguished gallantry :—: — John Jackson, 32, for, with the assistance of Constable Keogh, savin? Constable Curinane at the Anglo- American Station, Valentia Island ; Jeremiah Carroll, a fisherman, of World's End, Kinsale, for saving the life of a boy named J. Deasy, who fell into the water from the pier head at Kinsale ; Constable James Brennan, of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, Summerhill, for saving Patrick Murphy in the channel between the mainland at Wharf road, Dublin, and Wharf Island ; Henry Whipple, for saving J. Courtney at Passage West, County Cork ; Anthony Dunleavy, 22, a labourer, of Belmullet, County Mayo, for rescuing Patrick Dalton, son of a small farmer and lighthouse keeper ; Henry Berry, 18, of Tenby, in the service ot M. Mason, newspaper proprietor, for saving Richard Bradley, agent of the Clonmel branch of the Bank of Ireland at Tenby. The head master of Ranelagh School, Athlone, reported the case of one of his scholars, Norman Sampsey, a lad of 14. The plucky little fellow, after great risk, saved Albert Edwards, aged 11. who fell overboard from a steamer which was moored in the river. Other recipients of rewards are : John Simpson, 38. harbour pilot, of Belfast, for saving Thomas Dodd in Belfast Lough in sixteen feet of water ; John Hogan, 20 ; John Hare, 30 ; Peter Donnellan, 25, of Ballycore and Boreheen, Ennis, who, with the aid of Mary Duffy, Mary Blake, and Kate Butler, attendants in the Ennis District Lunatic Asylum, rescued demented Mary Marrina. who attempted suicide in Ballyalla Lake. The Catholic University Medical School.— Commenting in its leading columns on the calendar issued by the Catholic University Medical School in Dublin. The Freeman')! Journal writes : — As we look at this long honours list, which sets out page after page the exhibitions won in the Royal University during the past ten years, won, too, in open competition with richly endowed colleges, we ask ourselves how have our unendowed colleges .secured such a record ? The answer must plainly be either by the excellence of their teaching or the brilliancy of their students, or by both. How completely are our Catholic educational institutions neglected by the State ! Notwithstanding its public utility — its students, we learn, number over 20U — notwithstanding the success with which it competes against the endowed colleges in public examinations. and the number of men which it trains for the Public Service, from its foundations forty years ago thib medical school of the Queen's College. Belfast, recently required funds to build new laboratories, the Government placed a sum of several thousand pounds at their disposal for this object, without, we understand, bringing the matter formally before Parliament. Not, be it understood, that we object to this support of the Belfast College, the excellence of whose work and the inadequacy of whose resources we fully recognise. but we object to the unequal treatment in this regard ol the Catholic University Medical School, which is now a chartered institution, incorporated under the Educational Endowments Acts, with a board of genernors and a regular constitution, and which is in as favourable a condition for receiving State aid as any of the Queen's colleges. Still, it is completely neglected in this regard.