Diocese of Auckland.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 17, 3 September 1897, Page 4

Diocese of Auckland.

(From our own correspondent.) DEATH OF AN OLD AUCKLAND IDENTITY.

One more of the old stock has departed, and there will be missed from the portals of St. Patrick's a venerable and well-known figure in the person of the late lamented Mr. Edward O'Hare who passed away happily and peacelully, fortified by the rites of Holy Chnrcb, and surronnd«d by his sorrowing wife, son and daughter and grandchildren on Thursday, August 19th. A sturdy race were those pioneers who in the declining forties and early fifties implanted the iaith of St. Patrick in this Colony. As a rule the majority of them attained to a ripe oJd age. and in this respect it seemed as if it were the desire of him to retain in this " vale of tears " those propagators of the faith from distant Ireland that they might sow the seed in this pan of His \ineyard. Right well have they planted it deep and long, and may they hear the welcome sound, "Well done thou good and faithful servant," when, on crossing the bar, they meet their Pilot face to face. Of this pioneer body Mr. O'Hare formed a part. Born at Newry, he at an early age came out to New Zealand landing in Wellington inthe year 1856 with his regiment the 65th., or as the Maoris in the old days called it, the " Hikity Pip." Two years subsequently he came on to Auckland. For five years he followed the fortunes of war on the broad plains of Waikato, and afterwards in the Taranaki war. In these campaigns he took part in many a fierce and sanguinary struggle, and it was most interesting to listen to their recital from the lips of the old veteran. He was one of the first to join and promote the local branch of the Hibernian Society, of which he remained a member till his death. In the legendary lore of Ireland he was well versed. He had been married forty-nine years, and his wife survives to mourn his loss. He leaves one son, Mr. Edward O'Hare, and one daughter, Mrs. J. J. O'Brien, long and favourably known as a staunch worker at St. Patrick's in conjunction with the late lamented Miss Kate Sheehan. The deceased gentleman had been invalided for the last, three years, but was confined to bed only two days before his death. His death was peaceful and happy, he being attended in his last moments by Rev. Father Mulvihill. On Saturday the corpse was taken to St. Patrick's, where Solemn Requiem Mass was said for the repose of his soul. In the afternoon the funeral cortege journeyed from the cathedral to the little picturesque burial ground at Panmure, where the Very Rev. Monsignor McDonald performed the last sad functions at the grave, and spoke in feeling terms of the deceased gentleman, and condoled with his sorrowing relatives, amongst whom was Mr. J. J. O'Brien, J.P., son-in-law. Quite a large number from Auckland attended the funeral. May the soul of the late Mr. Edward O'Hare and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. TRIBUTE TO AN AUCKLANDER. Mr. John Campbell of Point Erin, Shelly Beach, Auckland, has just returned from a visit to Sydney where an admiring countryman paid him the following tribute of praise, every word of which is merited. The names of John Campbell and Point Erin are synonymous for geniality and cordiality, and no truer son lof In nisf ail exists than the proprietor of that •' sweet elysium " Point Erin : A grateful heart now welcomes thee To this fair city by the sea, | Generous Campbell, true and kind, Of tender heart and noble mind, And pp.rit bounteous as the dew That i'alls upon the mountains blue Those towering peaks so wild and grand, Along the shores of Maoriland. The memory of that wild shore I will retain till life is o'er, Its flowing streams, its cataracts grand Recall'd to me de j ar Erin's land. Its kindly people free from guile, Like those of that old sainted Isle, Its verdant knolls and valleys bright Filled my fancy with delight. Its azure lak~s and purling streams Still haunt me in my midnight dreams. And ne^er, till my latest hour, Can I forget that lovely bower — " Point Erin '" — over Shelly Beach, A name embalm'd in Gaelic speech. May peace and plenty ever shine In that elysian home of thine. Away from home, I found in you A noble frimd where friends were few. You gave me on that distant shore Vend viilefailthe galore. You chainicd the bard with converse bland, And drove me o'er that fairy land Terming with wonders and delights, \\ ith boiling springs— volcanic heights. Long may you fill that fairy bower Whore we oft spent the joyous hour In .social friendship and delight, O]er lovely Auckland's harbour bright, "With green mount Eden in full view, And Rangitoto's peaks of blue, Fair Auckland nestling betweenGiving life and beauty to the scene.

Your spouse, of kindly heart and hand, A daughter of the dear old land, May she live long, your pleasures sharing, In that sweet elysium — Point Erin, The naiad of its fairy waters, And queen of Erin's beautous daughters. Be mine the bliss to see once more The friends I love on Auckland's shore. Sydney, July 27, 1397.

J. B. O'Connor-Kekby.