Irish News.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 37, 14 January 1898, Page 9

Irish News.

ARMAGH. — Annual Pair. — This important fair was held on Thursday, November 11, in favourable weather. In the cattle department the supply was not equal to the demand. Springers of the best quality were scarce, and fetched from £18 to £20 each ; second class animals, £14 to £17; inferior, £13 down. Milchers giving a good supply, £13 10s to £15 each; inferior, £10 to £12, and fron £9 downwards ; three year old heifers and bullocks in prime condition realised from £11 to £12 each ; two and a half year old, £9 9s to £10 10s ; two year olds, £8 to £9 ; one and a half year olds, £6 10* to £7 10s ; yearlings, £4 to £6 each. Beef, 50s to 52s per cwt ; inferior, 44s to 48s per cwt. There were neither sheep nor lambs in the fair, although there were plenty of buyers on the look out for mutton. The horse fair was well stocked. Troopers fetched from £28 to £30 ; tram and bus horses, £25 to £28 ; carriage horses, from £50 downwards ; colts, £15 to £30 ; hacks, £10 to £15; cobs and ponies, £10 to £16. Some inferior horses changed hands at prices varying from £5 to £10.

BELFAST.— Belfast Municipal Elections— The Most Rev. Dr. Henry, Bishop of Down and Connor, preached on Sunday, November 7th, in St. Peter's Church, Belfast. Before addressing the large congregation the Bishop said he wished to make one or two remarks on a subject painful to him as their parish priest and bishop. It appeared that misguided men were going about among their fellow-Catholics endeavouring to mislead them with regard to himself and his priests. He had been informed that they were telling the people that the Bishop had given up the Catholic Association and its candidates for the Town Council, and that priests were in favour of their candidates. Now, he wished them and all the Catholics of that district to understand that it was false — absolutely false — that he had given up the Catholic Association or its candidates. On the contrary, he held that it would be a calamity for Catholic interests if any other men were returned by them to the council. It was, therefore, his most earnest desire that the candidates of the Catholic Association be one and all returned to represent him and them and all the Catholics of the city in the new council.

CORK. — Cork National Society. — The winter session of the Cork National Society was opened on Sunday, November 7th, under the most auspicious circumstances. Mr. J. C. Flynn, sessional chairman, presided, and he was supported amongst others by Alderman Crean, M.P. The chairman, in his opening address, congratulated the members on the success that had attended their efforts. He hoped that Cork would not be found behind Dublin and Belfast in taking a prominent place to commemorate the historic events of '98 (applause). He hoped the same steps would be taken in Cork, so that Nationalists of every shade of opinion might come together to celebrate this great event (applause). Alderman Crean, M.P., also addressed the meeting.

CARLoW.— Tenants become their own Landlords.— According to our contemporary, the Nationalist, of Carlow, a final and complete settlement of the long-standing dispute on the Clongorey estate is at hand. Mr. C. J. Eagledow, M.P., has just returned from Dublin, where he had been engaged for the past week in making final arrangements for the restoration by purchase of the evicted tenants, and the negotiations between Mr. Engledow and the trustees of the estate are practically complete. All the evicted tenants have signed agreements, which, have also been signed by the trustees, Messrs. Maher and O'Kelly, and lodged with the Land Commission, with the request for the sanction of an advance of the purchase money. Owing to the fact that the time for the making of such application by evicted tenants had lapsed, Mr. Engledow experienced difficulty in negotiating the matter, but thanks to persistent and intelligent efforts this obstacle has been overcome. Fifty-five evicted tenants have signed the agreements for purchase, and some non-evicted tenants will also be offered the advantage of purchasing. The restoration of the evicted tenants is bound to have the very best effect on a very wide district of the country, and will tend to remove a fertile source of irritation and ill-feeling amongst a large section of the community. The evicted tenants, during their long separation from their farms, have in the most laudable manner supported themselves and their families by honest industry, but they are all most anxious to regain possession of their old homes. Mr. Engledow is to be warmly congratulated on the success of his efforts, and on the excellent piece of work he has done, not only for the evicted tenants, but tor the entire district. All previous attempts at settlement had proved abortive, and it speaks well for his tact and earnestness, as well as for the influence which he is able to exert, that he should have succeeded in bringing matters to a satisfactory conclusion.

DUBLIN.— OId Guard Benevolent Union.— The members of the above association assembled on Sunday, November 7th, in their rooms, 87 Marlborough street, Brother J. O'Clohissy, P.P., presiding. The secretary reported that the Executive Committee has elected Messrs. P. O'Shaughnessy and J. Cahill as members of the Union, that it (the E.C.) was making preparations for the fitting observance of the forthcoming anniversary of the judicial murder of Allan, Larkin, and O'Brien, executed by a cowardly and panic-stricken British Executive on the never-to-be-forgotten 23rd day of November, 1867 — for the unintentional homicide of a police constable ; that the Old Guard, its sympathisers, and sympathisers in general with the memory of the men who died for lreJland, would assemble in Beresford place and on Edon quay on ■Sunday afternoon, the 21st day of November, in order to march to HQlasnevin, accompanied by the national bands of the city and suburbs. In reply to a question from a member, Brother O'Brien replied that an invitation would be issued through the Press to the ladies and gentlemen who last year contributed evergreens, flowers,

and wreaths for decorating the graves in Glasnevin to this year repeat their generous offering, and that evergreens, wreaths, flowers, etc., could be forwarded to 16 Tara street, and addressed to him. The general routine business of the 0.G.8.U. then followed, at the conclusion of which the meeting adjourned.

Extraordinary Surgical Operation.— We learn that three members of the medical staff of the Eye and Ear Hospital, Molesworth street, performed on Wednesday, November 1 lth, an operation unique in Ireland at all events, it was nothing less than the cutting off from a recently deceased pig of an eye-lid, and the attaching of the same to the eye of a man who needed the appendage. By permission of Mr. Michael Roche the experiment was carried out in the Garden lane stores of the old-established baconcuring establishment of Mr. P. Kehoe, Francis street, of which Mr. Roche is proprietor. The eye-lid was taken from the pig just at the moment of deatn, and with wonderful quickness was attached to the human subject — not of course without much pain — but there is reason to believe successfully. It is said that a similar operation has been frequently performed in Germany, but this is the first time that it has been attempted in this country. If the eyelid obtained and attached in such a singular fashion turns out a success, a wide field would appear to open fur surgical work of a kindred nature.

The Lord Mayor Of Dublin.— The Lord Mayor of Dublin will have to fight for his seat in the Town Council before his year of office is out, says the Dublin Freeman. Mr. Bernard Goveran has been selected by an influential body of the burgesses to contest the seat in the Usher's Quay Ward, from which his Lordship retires this month. It is, perhaps, unusual to contest a Lord Mayor's seat during his year of office, but under all the circumstances of the case it is advisable that the Lord Mayor and his constituents should have an opportunity of exchanging confidences. We will not attempt to anticipate any pronouncement that may be made from recent events, but entirely apart from those events we think that Mr. Goveran would make a much better representative than Mr. M'Coy, whose unsound policy on the Land Commission and his shameless fiunkeyism alone disentitle him to the confidence of the National electors.

KILKENNY.-Oollapse of a Scaffolding.-On Tuesday, November 9, an accident of a rather serious nature occurred at Kilkenny, by which four painters were more or less seriously injured. It appears that the men, who are in the employment of Messrs. Champion Brothers in this town, were engaged in painting the interior of the new dining hall which has lately been erected at the rear of St. Kieran's College. From some cause or other the scaffolding gave way, and the men were precipitated to the ground, a distance of about 20ft. All received more or less serious injuries, but one, named James Hoyne, had one of his legs broken and also had his spine injured, it is thought badly. Edward Fitzpatrick also had his back injured, whilst John Kiuchilla received several bad cuts about the head and face. The remaining man, Michael Hanley, received several cuts about the thighs and lower parts of the body, as well as having his ankle very badly bruised. All four were conveyed immediately to the Kilkenny County Infirmary, where they at present lie under the care of Dr. C. E. James and Dr. J. Byrne Hackett.

LIMERICK.— The New Church for Limerick— The Rev Father O'Donnell, Administrator of St. Michael's, Limerick, has received a letter from the Most Rev. Dr. O'Dwyer, relative to the new church which it is proposed to erect in the upper portion of St. Michael's parish. His lordship says : '• I shall give you, as my personal contribution in installments as the work progresses, £500, and the same amount out of funds which are at my disposal. As things now are, it is practically impossible for you to discharge your sacerdotal responsibilities. When you speak in the present parish church of some matter of practical importance your voice does not reach one-tenth ot your people. For many of them, except for the necessity of calling for you in their last hour, there might as well be no parish clergy, and the consequence is that while those of the people who frequent the churches of the regular clergy are good enough, there is a considerable number of people growing up and living in the parish with very little practical religion, simply for the want of pastoral care."

LEITRIM.— Land Commission Sittings.— At the Manorhamilton Quarter Sessions recently, the hearing of land cases was taken up. The first was that of M. M'Ternan, Beagh, Drumahair, tenant ; E. A. White, landlord ; old rent, L 4 ; poor law valuation, L 3 ; area, 12a statute. The court valuer's estimate was L 3 15s gross, L 2 10s net. Judge Waters said it had been proved that the tenant, in the course of one year, carried 33 tons of limestone on his back to improve his land, which was now in splendid condition. The land was originally waste, and was held by the tenant at L 2 per annum. He had increased the value of the holding, and the landlord, at the same time, had been increasing the rent to Lo 10s. In 1893, before the Land Commission, the rent was fixed at L 4. He would fix the rent at L 2 10s. Rents were fixed in the following cases : Landlord, Weir and others ; tenant, Catherine Boles ; area, 18a 2r 23p ; old rent, Lll 4s ; valuation, LlO 10s ; new rent, L 7 15s. Landlord, Margaret Ramsay ; tenant, Thomas Gormanly, Drumduff, Ballintogher, ; area, 9a Or 5p ; old rent, L 4 12s ; valuation. L 5 15s ; new rent, L 3 3s. Landlord, Susan Keon ; tenant, P. M'Partland, Cornagee, Doura ; area, 19a 3r 33p ; old rent, Lo 3s 6d ; valuation, L 5 15s ; new rent, L 3 Is lOd. Landlord, George Johnston ; tenant, Allen Nixon, Coraleskin, Manorhamilton ; area 15a Or 33p ; old rent, L 3 10s ; valuation, L 3 18s ; new rent L 3 10d. Landlord, Hugh M'Ternan ; tenant, Cormack Brown, Sweetwood, Killarga ; area, 8a 2r Op ; old rent, L 7 ; valuation, L 6 ss ; new rent, L 6 ss. James Johnston, landlord ; William Whitten, tenant, Ardagh, Kinlough ; area, 28a Or Op ; valuation, L 8 ; old rent, L 5 5s ; new rent, L 4.

MAYO.— The Agrarian Question in South Mayo— Our Claremorris correspondent writes that at Claremorris Petty Sessions

on Friday, November 12, before Mr. Thomas Tighe, D.L., J.P. (in the chair), and Dr. Maguire, a case in which considerable interest was manifested came on for hearing, when four young men named Jas. Burke, John Walsh, Thomas Prendergast, and John Campbell were charged on remand with having at Murneen North on the Ist inst by threats and menaces unlawfully attempted to compel Honour Sweeney and her son, John Sweeney, to leave their service and lawful employment, viz., that of herds or caretakers for one Richard Geoghegan. The defendants were further charged with having maliciously broken some furniture on the occasion. Mr. Geoghegan, who is an ex-member of the Royal Irish Coustabulary, residing in Castletown, took one of the evicted farms on the Bourke estate. The magistrates decided to return the defendants for trial to the next assizes. TIPPER ARY. — New York's Clonmel Sherifi.— Mrs. Dunne, Parnell street, Clonmel, on Friday morning, November 12, received a telegram from her son, Mr. Thomas J. Dunne, New York, stating that he had been elected sheriff of that great city under its new charter. The news spread quickly through the town, and Mrs. Dunne had many callers congratulating her on the success of her son. Indeed the people of Clonmel have reason to feel proud of the great honour conferred on one of her exiled sons by the voters of New York. Mr. Dunne emigrated to New York some 28 years ago when quite a young man, and having served his time to the building trade, joined Mr. Kennedy, a builder, in partnership, and continued to prosper so well that when Mr. Kennedy died some five years ago he (Mr. Dunne) took over the whole business, and is now one of the most extensive builders in the city. He is a millionaire, and has considerable house property in the city. He has always taken a prominent part in the work of the local political, and Irish associations, and occupies a leading place in the Tammany organisation. New Tipperaiy Licences. — Those who have been liberal of sneers at New Tipperary since the division in the Irish Party made it easy to sneer, will, perhaps, feel a little ashamed of themselves after reading the report of the Tipperary Licensing Session. Two of the evicted tenants, who were deprived of their licences during the Balfourian reign of terror, applied for new licences for houses in New Tipperary, and obtained them by a majority of 9 votes to 2, in spite of the vigorous opposition of Mr. Yates, D.1., on behalf of the police. It was mentioned by Mr. Frewen, solicitor, that every |

house in New Tipperary (the fee simple of which will henceforth vest in trustees for the benefit of the people) is at present tenanted. He might also mention that Messrs Shanks and Co., Dublin, had purchased a place adjoining New Tipperary for a manufactory of mineral water, and that would bring a great lot of business to the place. Dr. O'Ryan had also applications from the Messrs Cleaves for a site for a condensed milk factory. This will not be agreeable reading for latter-day cynics ; but there are Irishmen who have not altogether forgotten the time, when, in the words of Mr. T. D. Sullivan, M.P., the poet laureate of New Tipperary. " The newest town in Ireland was the pride of all the land."

WEXFORD.— Changes in the Diocese of Ferns.— His Lordship Most Rev. Dr. Browne, Bishop of Ferns, has been pleased to appoint Rev. P. Doyle, C.C., to the Administrator of the parish of Wexford, vice Rev. Thos. O'Connor, who has been given the pastoral charge of Tin tern. Rev. P. O'Connor, C.C., has been appointed Rector of the Church of the Assumption, Wexford, and spiritual director of the female branch of the Wexford Confraternity of the Holy Family. Rev. Wm. Kehoe, C.C., Ballymitty, has been transferred to Rathangan ; and Rev. Thos. Busher, who for some time past had retired from active clerical duty owing to ill-health, has become sufficiently strong to become C.C. of Ballymitty. Rev. Thos. Cooney, Professor in St. Peter's College, has been appointed C.C. of Wexford, and will be attached to the Church of the Assumption. Rev. Thos. O'Connor, C.C, Castlebridge, has been appointed a Professor in St. Peter's College ; and Rev. J. Hartley, C.C, Wexford, has been appointed spiritual director of the men's branch of the Wexford Confraternity.

The November Fair. — The Wexford fair was the largest that has been witnessed in the town for some time With the exception of sheep business which was rather dull. The cattle on an average were of a better quality than has been offered i'or sale for some time. However, there was no increase in price, and current 'rates were obtained everywhere, viz. — il~> to £7 for yearlings, and >£7 10s to £10 10s for two year olds. Calves sold well, and there was an improvement in price. Sheep, of which the number was limited, were in brisk demand. Wethers sold irom 32h to .'s7s, and lambs were eagerly bought up. Bacon averaged K)s per cwt., and small pigs went very cheap, irom 18s to 2.";5. Some of the finest bonhams were sold at 22s each.

GENERAL. Irish Priests for Trinidad.— Fathers Coveney (of Galway), •Sutherland (of Newry), and Walsh (of Cork) Dominicans, and Father Corkoran (of Galway), secular, left Southampton on Wednesday, November 10, by the steamship of the Tullamore Board of Guardians last week, Medway, for Trinidad. The Trinidad mission will in future be supplied exclusively from the Irish Dominican Province, the Very Rev. Father Hickey, Provincial, having been appointed Visitator by the Master-General, to whom the missionary Fathers are subject. There will be eight Irish priests there when these Fathers arrive. The Clergy and the Irish Language.— The cloßing years of the century is witnessing a wonderful revival of the Irish language. Now, as always, the clergy are its strongest and most practical supporters. They are leaving nothing undone to encourage the beautiful language of their forefathers. The Most Rev. Dr. MacCormack, Bishop of Galway, in addressing the pupils of Nun's Island Seminary recently, said he was glad to notice that some of the songs heard that day were sung in Irish. It gave him great pleasure to hear them sing in the language of their country. Now was the time for them to study the native language. They should do everything in their power to acquire a good knowledge of it, because it was the language of their sires, the language of their country, and they wanted to make Irishmen Irish, for unfortunately they were not all so. He trusted that the parents would help their children in this matter and encourage by every possible means the study and practice of the native language. At a retreat given last month in Loughrea by Father Lynch, a Passionist Father, the Rosary was recited by the rev. gentleman in Irish during the devotions. Encouragement such as this is certain to give a great impetus to the movement for the revival of the language. The Irish University Question.— The Most Rev. Dr Henry f Bishop of Down and Connor, presided at the annual distribution of prizes in St. Malachy's College, Belfast. His Lordship, in the course of his address to the pupils and friends on the work done since the establishment of the college (with which he was intimately connected forjtwenty-five years before his elevation to the episcopal dignity), made an important refernce to the Irish mniversity question. Having detailed a few of the hardships caused to students of

similar educational establishments to St. Malachy's, he proceeded to give as his opinion, after a long experience in conducting the college, that the great desideratum for the advancement of Catholic education in Ireland was a well-endowed Catholic university with its colleges where Catholic young men at little expense to their parents could prepare themselves for the higher positions in life. As long as they were deprived by their rulers of equality in the matter of higher education so long would their becondary and primary schools languish for want of this most important stimulus to study and exertion on the part of Catholic boys and young men. It was vain to expect boys to work for literary distinction, especially in the senior f>rade of the intermediate system when they knew that there was no prospect of their being able to probecute their higher studies at a unvcrbity unless at the sacrifice of their religious conviction*. Besides, until a Catholic university should have trained them their intermediate schools could not be supplied with a suitable number of competent Catholic professors. The present Government admitted their claims and pledged itself to redress them. It had power to do so if it had only the courage of its convictions. Responsible statesmen would not, it was to be hoped, be deterred from doing their duty to the Catholics of Ireland by the noisy and unreasoning declarations of the Orangemen of Ulster and their Grand Master, who, he gave it as his opinion, did not express the views of one-half the non-Catholic population of the province, who were not one-half of the total population of Ulster, although the supporters of the Orange (Jrand Master in the views he propounded would lead them to believe that he represented the opinion of the entire province. He did not believe that their educated and tolerant non-Catholic neighbours would offer any opposition to the reasonable demands of their fellow-countrymen.

Irish Art. — There are none of the National attributes of Ireland which her jealous rivals have endeavoured more vehemently to snatch from her and assume as their own than her sublime style of architecture, and all that appertains to it. Many and many a volume has '*een written to prove her ignorant, barbarous, etc., before the " happy " period of her political connection with England from which alone, as some people will have it, she may date the commencement of her literature, civilisation and the arts and science. William Hogarth was born in London in l(ii>7 or WIJB,W I JB, of Irish parents. His father was a yeoman of limited means and unable to provide the son with more than an elementary education. The boy soon developed a genius for design and became apprenticed.

to a silver engraver. Sir James Thornkill took an interest in the young artist and assisted in procuring 1 employment for him. The acquaintance resulted in a way which Sir James little expeoted, for young Hogaivh eloped with his daughter. For a time there was an estrangement, but the irate father-in-law became reconciled as Hogarth began to win distinction in his profession. Many of his pictures were the subject of controversy as to their merits during the artist's life, and it is said that the controversies in which he became engaged with the critics of his times so affected his health and spirits as to hasten his death, which occurred on the 2."> th of I October, 1 764, at the age of <>7 years. As an illustration of the old adage that genius is seldom appreciated by its own generation, six of Hogarth's pictures that were sold in 1774 for lOOdols. brought (J,."i00 fifty years later. THE DEAD WHO DIED FOR lUELAXD. (By John Boyle O'Reilly.) The dead who died for Ireland ! 0 ! these are living words, To nerve the heart of patriots — to 3teel avenging swords — They thrill the soul when spoken, and lowly bends the head With reverence for the memories of all our martyred dead. The dead who died for Ireland — the noble ones — the best, Who gave their lives for motherland, who poured upon her breast, In freedom's cause, the blood she yave — who, with their dyingbreath, Sent prayers to God to heal her woes — then sealed their love in death. The dead who died for Ireland ! — how hallowed arc their graves ? With all their memories fresh and green, oh ! how could we be slaves .' How could we patient clang the chain ? How could we fawn and bow ? How could we crouch like mongrels 'neath the keeper's frowning brow ? Ye dare not, men of Ireland. Ye dare not thus disgrace The dead who died for Ireland ! — the guardian* of our racr. 'Tv/as blackest sin to bear the yoke, 'twas crime to ki^t, the rod. Their very blood would ri.-e and cry for vengeance up to God. The dead who died for Ireland ! Ah ! what a sea of woe-. What depths of foul oppression do those sacred words disclose : On the field and on the scaffold, and wherever men could die, They gave their priceless lives without a murmur or a sigh. The dead who died for Ireland ! Oh ! were they still alive, They would trample on the fetters — they would break th' accursed gyve ! Tb( y would fight for home and altars ; they would fight for name and race, But they're dead ; they died for Ireland — oh ! who will fill their place ? Be rroud, ye men of Ireland ! Be proud of those who died ; Nevtr men o'er all the farth had nobler cause for pride. Hope and strive and league for freedom ; and again the souls will rise Of the dead who died for Ireland to cheer you to the prize. The dead who died for Ireland are beacons in our night, From the halo round their sacred graves we'll catch the holy light That will beam on Mother Erin, w r hen her sons no more are slaves, And the dead who died for Ireland shall sleep in freedom's graves.