Irish News.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 41, 18 February 1898, Page 9

Irish News.

BELFAST.— LiberaI Sentiments.— The Lord Mayor of Belfast enunciated some commendably liberal and broad minded principles at a banquet recently given in his honcr. He acted, he said, on the broadest principles, recognising- no distinction of creed or class. To this end he severed hi.s connection with every political organisation and in every way endeavoured to preserve an attitude of strict neutrality on questions that divide the sympathies of his fellow-citizens. His last public act as Lord Mayor of the old Corporation would always be regarded by him as one of the most satisfactory, and he thought the fact of a Protestant Lord Mayor having been so cordially invited to open the great bazaar that v\as organised by the Catholics of the city in aid of their new Mater Infirmorum Hospital was abundant proof of their appreciation of his efforts in the direction he had indicated, and he trusted the performance of that act would long remain as an incenthe to those whose desire it is to exhibit a feeling of good will and to co-oper..te harmoniously in good work with those who might differ from them in politics and religion, but who were, nevertheless, brothers, and with whom they really have every practical interest in common. Here, then, is an example which the Orangemei' of the northern capital might well take to heart. If. instead of perpetually protesting their loyalty and reiterating their eagerness to preserve the integrity of the Empire against the perfidious designs of the '• rebels of the West and of the South," they imported into their lives a little of their Lord Mayor's liberality of spirit they would be more likely to gain the sympathy and respect of impartial minded men. CAVAN. — Irishmen in New Zealand and throughout the colonies generally will learn with deep regret of the death of the Rev. Charles Farrelly, P.P.. Castletara, which occurred recently at his residence, Castletara. Co. Cavan, after a comparatively brief illness. The late Father Farrelly was one of the most esteemed pastors in the county Cavan. By his kindness and charity to the poor, his attention to the wants of his people, ;ind his endeavouring at all times to advance their interests, he became very much endeared to his flock, who now sincerely mourn his loss. Father Farrelly \\ as only 411 years of age. and was 2~> years a priest. — It. I. P. KILDARE.— The Late Bishop Lynch.— The solemn anniversary oilife and Requiem Mass tor the repose of the soul of the late Most Rev. Dr. Lj nch, late Hishop of Kildare and Leighlin, were recently ctlebraU i d. The Most Key. Dr. Foley presided. The Most Rev. Dr. Brownrigg, Bishop of Ossory, was also present. Right Rev. Mgr. Murphy, P.P., V.G., Kil are, sang the Requiem Mass, assisted by Rev. I]. O'Sulhvau, the College, as Deacon, •>' 1 the R<-v P. Cantillon, the College, as Sub-deacon. The Y<->j Jtcv. .John Delaney, Vii e-Pr. sident. the College, officiated a-^ Ma-ter of Ceremonies; and the Chanters were Rev. John Murr.iy. Chaplain. Carlow, and Rlv. P.itiick Goriy. C.C.. Carlnw. MAYO.— Ordination of a Priest.— T« tiio Convent of Charity. Friar* Hill, Ballughadt rrin, leeently. the Mo-t Rev. Dr. Lyster. Bishop oi Aehoniy, ordained and rais-ed to the dignity of priesthood the Ri'v. .Michael J. Doherly. eldest son of Mr. J. Doherty, Rose Cottage, Keltimagh. MEATH.— Homes for Workhouse Girls.— The very commendable movement set afoot by the Irish Workhouse Association to start ho nes for Workhou-e girls h.>s be. n materially aided by a munificent donation of £2 )U • troui the Countess of Heath. WEXFORD.— Reduction of Rents.— Sir Thomas E^monde, Bart., M.P., has agreed to sell his Askamore (state to the tenants at IS yoar.s' purchase. This will give the tenants a reduction of 2S per cent. Wtiile on the question ot rcnls it might be added that there appear* d to be indicat.on on the pan of lar^e landholders in England to re-adjust their rent'-. Lord Salisbury has just given reductions ot 30 and 20 per cent, re-ju-otively to tenants of his large ami small holdings on the half year's rent due at Michaelmas, while Eui Cow per ha-* reduced his rents all round by 20 per cent. A contemp'iraiy asks it these stat>suun will encourage their friends, the Irish landlord.-, to do what th* y ha\e done themselves, and pertinently adds that if the ivnts are L'O and 30 per cent, too high in England, where half the local rates arc at present paid out of the pablic taxes, how much moro do the Irish tenants, who havo no ltatu.tr Bill, need reductions .' It .s admitted on all hands that the drpre^b>on in agriculture in Iceland is much greater than in England. But even allowing ie only to be the siuie. owing to the iact that England is the market tor must Irish produce and that the cost of carriage across the Channel must always be deducted from the Irish prices, the condition of Ireland must still be infinitely worse. Lord Salisbury's own voluntary act is of more value to prove the case of the Irish tenants than volumes of mere oratory. A Soldier Priest- — In subscribing to the new edition of The History of the Iniurnrtion. by the Rjv. P. F. lvavanagh, the Rev. Father Patuck Murphy ot Knockaree wrote a highly interestingletter dealing with the part p'.aye I ii th it memorable rising by that hon-li arU'd pitnotic pi.c- , Father John Murphy. In the course of his letui. winch appo ir d in the Enniscorthy (hut rdtuit, and which subsequently found its way into many Colonial and American journ iK Fuller Patrick Murphy says : •' 1 may say that your humble servant is the grand-nephew ot the brave soldierpriest, Father John Murphy, who first headed the pikemen after the burning of his own chapel ot Boulavogue on Whit Sunday morning, 171)8. Jn the townlan.l of Tmourry he was born, his fatner, Tho nib Murp iy, h(.in'.r a larjre farmer and bacon-curer. He had three brothers. Philip and Mo.cue (my grandfather), and Patrick, who was killed on Vinegar Hill. Father Murphy was educated in Loin am, in the peiwil times, when there were no colleges in Ireland. Boulavogue was the first misti n he was

appointed to after his ordination. It was he who baptised my father, whom he called after himseU", saying that he would have him educated for the priesthood if he should livr. But, alas ! he was destined not to Of his subsequent life and death your readers are aware. Where his body lies cannot be ascertained so far. Tradition says that his head came down the river and was caught in a fisherman's net. and afterwards was buried. At all events, if all the priests had followed his example, when they preached peace to an outra-.-ed peasantry, Ireland might be in v different position to-day. Here in this parish on Whit Sunday morning, Father Barry presiched peace, and one of the local magistrates got into the sanctuary after him and told the people to stop quiet, and that same week the chapel was set fire to by the yeouieu."

Death of a Zealous Priest. — Following fast upon the death of the Rev. P. M. 0 La.iry, which we ann mnoej in our issue of last week, we hxve now to chronicle the da -ease of the Rev. AnJrew Murphy. C.C., of Kilt'aly, and old friend and college companion of the editor of the N.Z Tablet. His demise created widespread and the most profound regret throughout the County Wexford. The deceased clergyman received his early education at St. Peter's College, and having completed his ecoleiiasticil course in Maynooth, wis ordained 12 years ago. His first curacy was in Clongeen, from whence he was trmsferred to Kiltealy. His zeal in the discharge of his .-acred duties, his administrative ability, and his generosity ot heart, won the abiding affections of the people. A short time ngo the de :ea«ed contracted a fever which, despite every care, proved fatal Requiem Office and High Mass was celebrated in the Kiltealy Church. The sanctuary was deeply draped and the cc rli.i reposed on a catafalque in the contre of the aisle. Twenty-six of the diocesan (.lejgy were present, and every bench was filled during the solemn ceremony by the parishioners, who were deeply affected at the loss of their spiritual guide and temporal adviser. The remains were interred near the altar in the church. — R.I.P. GENERAL. Honouring a Brave Irishman.— The bravery of Irish sailors and Irish soldiers has been exemplified again and again in times of danger, and the latest witness to the courage which is inherent in the Celtic character is Stoker Lynch, upon whom the Queen has just conferred the Albert Medal of the first class, for having endeavoured, under circumstances of great danger, to rescue a comrade during the stranding of the torpedo destroyers " Thrasher" and " Lynx" on the Cornish Coast. The Spread of the Gaelic Language.— l' 1 hi«t week's issue we saw lioiv thegreat revival in thesiudy of the ancient tongue of the Celtic rare* hud not only oiled into existence socii ties thioughout the whole ot Ireland, but thai the movement h.id even spread to England, where numb rs of enthusiastic liishtnen had banded themselves together for mutual a»sL-tai cc in their res. an lies in the Gaelic language. Hut it appear* tnat nowhere has the movement met with inure wide id success ihan in the- land of the Stars and Stripes — tint mighty republic w h< re thousands of the flower and youth of Ireland have set toith t) seek the opportunities denied them in the unhappy land of their birth. In Baltimore and Washington Universities Gaelic ch.iiis have been established, and a similar project is now afoot m the celebrat ed Harvard College. At the Irish side of the water the Queen's College, Cork, and the Drumcondra Training College have made somewhat similar arrangements, and these facts and others not tain> d in the r« cord of the year's work testify the success of the movement. The branches in affiliation with the Le igue have increased tro'ii 2^ to 4i> ; there is a growing demand for rish books, and everywhere th" evidences are multiplying that the Lib urs of the organisation h ive not been in vain. Nothing tells more c oquently < t its practical efforts towards the preservation o' the old tongue than the enumeration of the instances in which tte Irish el< rgy have made it the medium of i st ruction to their flocks That the Gaelic Le.igue may go on and prosper in its patriotic minion will be the aspiration of all who would not willingly see the heritage of the ancient tongue disappear.

Remember '98.— The movement to celebrate the memory of '98 is gaining fresh vigour and force daily in many countries, but in none more so than in the old land, which witnessed the red ordeal of the great rising. Organisations have been formed in every village and town, and the greatest enthusiasm has been excited at the near approach of the eventlul day. An especially strong br .nch Ins been established at Wexf'ord, where the Rev. P. F. Kavanagh, O.S F.. of Cork (the yi: ted author of the Ht^t»ry <>f tin 1 fitxiirn't * tion), was to have d hvcred a lecture re. ently in the theatre on the subject dealt with in via book, a new edition of which is to be issued shortly.

The Railway Dispute : Intimidating a Railway Servant.—^n incident arising out of the ructnt railway dispute indicates the extent of the filing existing during the crisis. At the Londonderry Petty Sessions a porttr m tho employ of the Great Northern Railway Company summoned three fellow-employee- 1 , a fireman, an engine cleaner, and a labourer, for assault. It appears that when a strike was imminent a s.'ivtu number of the employees served notue on the Company that they would cease work if their demands were nut complied with. Subsequently the complainant, without con-ulting the Railway Servants' Society, withdrew his notice, and raised considerable feeling against him amongst the workers in consequence. Going home one night, the three defendants assaulted the eomplaintant, calling him a ''scat, 1 ' and threatening him with all sorts ot dire punishment. Each of the defendants was fined and bound over to keep the peace.

Reviving the Gaelic in Scotland.— Word has reached the old land that a band of enthusiast is doing in the Highlands what is being done in Ireland and throughout the world by Irishmen to foster the study of the Gaelic tongue. Unfortunately the Gaelic

speaking in most parts of the Western Highlands have almost died out. At present there is only one student in the Celtic class in Edinburgh University, and in the Gaelic class, founded by the late Professor Blackie, very few more. The enthusiasts are looking to the Gaelic Mod for aid, and the Highland Society has offered to give prizes for the best metrical translation into Gaelic of Burns' "Epistle to a Young Friend," while a fund is being raised in Oban to defray the expenses of rural Gaelic choirs to the Mod, and to provide prizes for their encouragement.

The Truth about the Murder of Carey.— The romantic Btory about the avenging Nemesis which persistently dogged the footsteps of Carey the informer, until death paid the penalty of his treachery, has been swept away, and the death of the unfortunate man's widow, which recently took place in a little village on the south coast of England, elicited the fact that O'Donnell had a much more prosaic reason for perpetrating his foul deed than the inculcation of the principles of the Fenian Society. As a matter of fact, the emmisaries of the police department said that O'Donnell was not a Fenian at all, and the sole reason why he killed Carey was that he had quarrelled with him in a game of cards. When the Phoenix Park murderers were being tried and the base treachery of Carey turning informer led to his acquittal, he and his wife, with their three little boys and two baby girls, were smuggled aboard the " Melrose Castle " for Capetown, the story r..n that the prattling of one of the little boys gave O'Donnell the cue, and following him he put an end to his life. The fact was, O'Donnell confessed to Mrs. Carey that if he had not quarrelled with her husband over a game of cards he would never have shot him. So history gets written.

The Death Of Mrs. Carey. — After the death of her husband Mrs. Carey and her family returned to England, and from that time till the period of her death few people knew what had become of her. The fact was, she lived in peaceful retirement at a little south coast village under an assumed name, educating and bringing up her family respectably, she being in receipt of a small weekly income which she received from the Home Office. The eldest son went abroad and enlisted in the French army, while the two younger remained in England, one joining the navy and the other the army. Mrs. Carey was generally supposed by her neighbours to be an Irish lady in reduced circumstances, drawing a small income from an impoverished Irish estate. The funeral was attended by the members of her family and one other person, Mr.

Patrick Mclntyre, ex-Scotland Yard inspector, now proprietor of the Foresters' Arms, High street, Borough, who, it will be remembered, was directed by the Home Office to protect Mrs. Carey during her residence in England. Over-Taxed Ireland. — The extraordinary fact that recently came to light that Ireland is paying every year into the English exchequer about £3,000,U00 in excess of what it ought to pay is leading to the formation of financial reform leagues. At the formation of a branch of the league at New Ross, when representatives of the Town and Harbour Commissioners and the Board of Guardians were present, Mr. M. J. Finn, C.T.C . who presided, said : " The best way to try and get the redress of this grievance is by being united, and by agitating fairly and perseveringly for our rights (hear, hear). This is a question that effects every class, and it is a question which ought to interest everyone, without regard to class or creed, or politics, and I am sure by uniting together and falling into line with the rest of the country we will be able to compel the Government to take some steps to effect a relief of the grievance under which we labour." The following resolutions were unanimously carried :: — ■' In the opinion of this meeting it is imperative on Irishmen of all political parties to join in the effort now beintr made by the Irish Financial Reform League to redress the undue burden of taxation which, after investigation by the Royal Commission, has been found to press unduly on the resources of Ireland." '" That it is the opinion of this meeting that there is no justification for delay in dealing with the financial grievance of Ireland, as disclosed by the report of the late Royal Commission, on the plea of appointing a further Commission, which in our judgment is entirely unnecessary."' The Irish Butter Industry- — An effort is being made to get the Government to introduce a Bill next year to give effect to the recommendations of the Select Committee on Foods and Drugs Adulteration, and the Butter Merchants' Association throughout Ireland and England are acting in conjunction towards this end. The recommendations of the Committee included one that margarine should not be coloured to resemble butter, but should be sold in i s natural state ; that the mixture of butter with margarine should be prohibited ; that a Board of Reference should be appointed to fix standards for the different classes of butter and lard and other fpoda, so as to provide against adulteration, These provisions were

omitted from the Bill introduced last year, with the result that it was opposed and withdrawn. The object of the present movement' is to have it re-introduced. The precautions which were cropping up in England for the presence of boracic acid in butter are also being considered in Ireland. This is used as a preservative, but some analysts have pronounced it injurious, while others consider it harmless. It has been decided to call the attention of the Government to the recent prosecutions instituted against retailers for selling Irish butter cured with boracic acid preparations as a preservative. Careful investigation of the matter, and consultation with scientific authorities go to show that various preparations of borates are wholesome and necessary for the perfect curing of provisions, and the Government is n quested to obtain and publish, for the guidance of manufacturers and public analysts, the opinion of their officials at Somerset House Laboratory as to what are, and what are not preservatives, as mentioned in Clause 4 of the Margarine Act of 1887.

Distressing Agricultural Outlook.— Confined to Bed through Starvation— From the latest file we have received we learn that the outlook for the \vint< r in South West Kerry, West Clare, and in Mayo was extremely gloomy. In West Kerry it was stated that unmistakable signs of great privation and want were everywhere apparent in the barony of Ineragh, extending over a considerable portion of this county. Farmers declared that the yield is only one-twentieth of last season. In West Clare, no fewer than 450 cases of distress in one electoral division in West Clare were reported, and the attention of the Inspector of the local Government Board was drawn by the Kilrush Guardians to the terrible state of the distress which prevailed throughout the whole of the Western County. The opinion was expressed that the Government should render aid and it was suggested that the deepening of the Kilrush Creek or the extension of the railway to Carrigaholt would then give the necessary employment. Resolutions were passed urging all Irishmen to join the Financial Reform League which ia endeavouring to redress the undue burden of taxation so heavily pressing on the resources of the country. In the Ballinrole Union a member of the Board of Guardians declared that he never saw such misery. The people were in an awful way. Twenty small tenant farmers who appealed for relief were offered the house. One of these distressed people was on his bed for two weeks, starving for the want of something to eat. A large

meeting, held at Achill, drewi attention to the destitute condition of a large number of families through the almost total failure of the potato crop.