Irish News.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVI, Issue 17, 2 September 1898, Page 9

Irish News.

CORK-— Death of a Parish Priest.— Canon MacNamara. parish priest of Monkstown, is dead. He was in his 71th year, and the 50th year of his sacred ministry. His first appointment was that of chaplain of the Cork Workhouse, but the work of his lire on the mission achieved its chief success in the years he spent in the Cathedral parish and in the parish of Monkstown, where for three and twenty years his daily life was a daily preaching of tbe Gospel. CLARE.— Forming a Branch of the League.— a public meeting was held at Mullough, on June 28, to form a branch of the United Irish League in this district, and denounce land grabbing. Matthew Kelly presided, and contingents were present from Killard, Cree, Doonbeg, Kilmacduane, and Caherfenick. Resolutions were passed in consonanoe with the object of the meeting, and making arrangements for a great national demonstration at Doonbeg. DERRY. — An Orange Proclamation. — The following extraordinary Orange proclamation was recently posted on the hoardings and delivered at Catholic houses in Derry : — ' A grand Orange demonstration will be held in Donegal, ou Tuesday, 12th July, 1898. Who fears to speak of Derry, Aughrim, and the Boyne. Papists, stand aside 1 We conquered you before and can do so again. Our motto still is : Down with Home Rule. Hurrah for King William, and to hell with the Pope. Procession to be formed at new Orange Hall, and to parade the principal streets, after which a public meeting is to be held. God save the Queen.— By order.' The proclamation naturally evoked the most intense indignation, and although some Orangemen seek to disclaim the authorship on behalf of their party, it is generally regarded, according to a correspondent in the Berry Journal, as the work of certain well-hnown Orangemen in Donegal. ' DOWN.— Orange Ruffianism— lt is reported from Ballynahinch, County Down, the scene of the recent disturbances, that a dastardly outrage was perpetrated at Killegerton Cemetery, in the townland of Listooder, on a Saturday in the early part of last month.

A number of persons kept up a contiruous fusilaSe of revolver firing. The following day (Sunday) a body of individuals proceeded to the cemetery from the direction of Ballynahinch and demolished an old stone cross which marked the last resting place of a Catholic clergyman, who is supposed to have died in the Kith century. The vandals tore up the soil and placed a scroll of a flag in the centre of the burial place. DUBLIN-— Commemorating a Patriot Priest.— A large and enthusiastic public meeting was held in Dublin on July 3, under the auspices of the Father John Murphy '98 Club, on the occasion of the unveiling of a splendid banner commemorative of the patriot priest. The banner is a splendid piece of artistic work. On one side there is a life-sized portrait of Father Murphy with a sword in his right hand, while in the left he bears aloft a green flag. In the background is a company of pikemen whom the gallant priest and patriot is leading onward. Above the picture in letters of gold are the words, ' Father John Murphy '98 Centenary Club,' .and at the foot the words ' South Dock Ward.' On the reverse side is a harp, underneath which is written, ' It is newly strung and shall be heard again.' The banner is supported by two long brass poles with croppy pike heads. The O'Connell Fife and Drum Band, Sir John Rogerson's Quay, with banner, attended. The chairman (Alderman Daniel Burke) in the course of his speech, said that the meeting was organised to do honour to one of the greatest Irishmen of the '98 movement — a man who struck terror into the hearts of the British Government (cheers). He was an Irishman of whom Sir John Moore said he was more than an equal to any of Napoleon's generals (renewed cheers). The Lord Mayor of Dublin for 1899.— At a meeting of the Dublin Corporation last month Sir Robert Sexton was chosen Lord Mayor for 1899. An amenument, 'That in view of the large increase which a Local Governmert Bill contemplates to the Municipal Electorate the question of the nomination of Lord Mayor for 1899 be postponed until the first meeting of the Council after the exercise of the franchise by those electors,' was lost by 2'J to 23. FERMANAGH— InsuIt to a Catholic Dignitary.—Considerable indignation was caused in Enniskillen on a recent Saturday when it became known that the Right Rev. Monsignor Smollen, P.P., while on his way to St. Michael's Church to attend to his weekly confessional duties, was grossly insulted by a private of

the 27th Inniskilling Regiment named Arthurs— at least that is the name ascertained by the police. This man, it appears, met the Archdeacon somewhere about Belmore street, and walking up close to him, cried out 'To hell-with the Pope' twice, hissing the Words almost in the priest's face, who cabled at the police barrack* and reported the case. A- sergeant at once proceeded to the railwaystation, and having 1 ascertained the offender's name, the matter was at once reported to the military authorities. Considerable' indignation was felt in town, for there is no one more inoffensive, fatherly, or benign in his ways than the Archdeacon, and he is respected by Protestants as much as by his own people, whose interests he carefully watches. After due investigation, the offender was tried on Wednesday by Court Martial and sentenced to six months imprisonment. GALWAY.— The Police and the' American Flag.— A singular incident occurred at Clifden recently. Captain Charles Underwood O'Connell, who had been on a visit to Clifden floated the American flag from the window of his hotel in honour of Independence Day. Shortly afterwards a Justice' of the Peace, who was a visitor to the same hotel, told the proprietor to haul the American flagdown. To this Captain O'Connell Ob]Vcted,antl-.the flag was allowed to remain where it was. Shortly afterwards he went for a walk outside the town, and when he returned he found his flag removed by order of the police authorities. Harsh Evictions.— There is still a friend left here and there says United Ireland, to the evicted and harassed tenants of Ireland. While the majority of their brethren look on indifferently at eviction and consequent suffering, a few faithful friends, priests and laymen, are doing what they can to utem the tide of landlord oppression. Among these must be reckoned Father Newell, the parish priest of New Quay, County Clare, on the southern shore of Galway Bay. He recently drew attention to some harsh evictions carried out by Major Lynch, of Renmore, Galway, in his parish, and he has, consequently, received some private assistance for the poor people. Father Newell returns to tbe subject in a public letter published recently. He says : — ' I regret to have to add that more ' processes ' were served a day or two ago on the same island. In the early days of the Land League, Major Lynch was one of the first to put down his name for £100 for the funds of the 'Property Defence Association,' got up by the late A. M'Murrogh Kavanagh.

I wish he would show a like generosity to the poor tenants in these trying times. The moral of this and similar pitiful stories is that the people require again a protective organisation, widespread and powerful, to prevent the landlord from indulging in his pet pastime ot harassing legal process and subsequent eviction. KERRY.— Prevalence of the Potato Blight-Several of the local farmers who attended the market at Killarney last month have given painful accounts of the manifest prevalence of the blight and its extensive destruction in the potato gardens in many o£ the farms within a radius of four and five miles of Killarnev ISot alone has the blight appeared, but extensive failures of the seeds have been visible in many discriots in the neighbourhood. LlMEßlCK.— lmpending- Evictions —The Munster News says notices of eviction at the instance of Viscount Southwell have been served on the relieving officer of the Kathkeale Union The Su^/Sm a ?, alnst tenants'bn the Southwell property, of which Mr K IP v^ lll VSV S the a . Bent ' The **$* are sifcuate( i the parish of Rathkeale, barony ot Lower ConnelTo, and quite adjacent to the former town. Several offers were made to effect a settlement which proved futile. MAYO.-Improving the People's Homes.-As the result of a meeting held at Milltown, over whiolithe Rev. P. MoAlpine the pastor, presrled, efforts are being made to improve the homes of the people aud their surroundings. The Very Rev. Dr. O'Hare fa £^I^*s3? *""* WiU ~ *"*'*»» ** ROSCOMMON. -Death of Two Priests -The Rev. P Bambrick, curate of Kilbride, has been called to his reward at the fwl B «* ent y-two. Father Bambrick was born JTo**aSl County Roseommon. He received his early education at a local grammar school and at Summer Hill, Athlone, and Maynooih where he completed his studies and received his ordination He was stationed at KUmore, Roscommon, Boyle, Geevagh, Athlone Chffoney and Derrane or Kilbride. The Rev. Michael Burnt pastor of Taughmaconnell, is also dead. Father Burns, who was fiftS years of age, was a native of BaUymaoward. He was a cIS fellow m Maynoothof Bishop Healy, of Clonfert. Father Burn? first mission was Cappatagal, then Eyrecourt; Thence he was promoted to the pastoral charge of Taughmaconnell, a large parish on the Roscommon side of Ballinasloe, where he ruled for fourteen year?

Evictions on the O'Connor Estate.— The sheriff's bailiff. accompanied by a posse of police, proceeded to the townland of Altore, near Ballinlough, last month, and evicted Mr. John Fleming, an extensive farmer and shopkeeper, and his aged mother. The farm which is situated on the estate of Mr. Arthur O'Connor, The Palace, Elphin, was sold out by the Ulster Bank in the Courts, after several unsuccessful attempts at a sale. The purchaser was Mr. Thomas Faraher, the Railway Hotel, Ballyhaunis. Two men were put in possession of the farm after the eviction. SLlGO.— Educational Arrangements-— in cocnection with the recent misunderstanding regarding the teaching staff of the Sligo schools, a publio meeting of the people of Sligo, convened by the mayor (Mr. P. A. M'Hugh, M.P.), was held in the Assembly Rooms, Town Hall, last month, for the purpose of protesting against the utterances of a certain section of the Dublin Press and certain public utterances made in the town of Sligo recently in reference to the action of the Most Rev. Dr. Clancy, Bishop of Elphin, in regard to the re-introduction of the Marist Brothers as a teaching community in the town. The meeting was a very large and representative one, and in point of numbers and enthusiasm indicative of the fact that the people of the town are to a man on the side of the Bishop in the course of action upon which he has considered it fitting and advisable to enter in regard to the future educational arrangements of this portion of his diocese. TIPPERARY— The Manchester Martyrs.— Some time ago a number of Nationalists of Clonmel decided to raise a memorial in Clonmel in honour of the memory of Allen, Larkin and O'Brien, and collectors were appointed to raise subscriptions. The present being considered a proper time to carry the work into effect, a meeting of the committee was held in the Catholic National Club last month to deal with the matter. The meeting decided to proceed at once with the erection of the memorial, and a sub-committee was appointed to consult with a local sculptor as to a suitable memorial cross. WESTMEATH.— An Evicted Tenant— Mrs. Walsh, of Killogues, about four miles from Athlone, was recently committed to Tullamore Gaol for taking forcible possession of her farm, from which she had been evicted. After the death of her husband evictions proceedings were taken, but she was allowed to remain in possession as a caretaker for some time. She was finally ejected, and she has twice retaken forcible possession. Recently the farm was bought by a member of the Poor Law Board for £303, and Mrs. Walsh was offered £30 for her interest. She refused, however, to take that sum. The trials she has met with have affected her mentally. Two of her little children were removed, prior to her arrest, to the workhouse. Mrs. Walsh is very respectably connected. GENERAL. Success of an Irish Composer.— One of the latest comic opera successes is ' The King's Sweetheart.' It is written by a native of Dublin City, James Mackey Glover. He is a grandson of Professor Glover, who is still living. His mother, Mrs. Mackey, the eminent harpist, did mnch in Ireland for the encouragement of the national instrument. Mr. Glover is the director of music at the National Theatre, Drury Lane. London, and combined with the late Sir Augustus Harris the duties of occasional orchestra leader at the Royal Opera, Coven t Garden. Mr. Glover's operas, musical plays and songs are already well known in the United Kingdom. The Military and the Civil Power.— The Press Association states that the following amended regulation with reference to requisitions for troops in airi of the civil power was issued in an Army Order on Friday night. In the case of boroughs and cities the requisition will be made by the mayor or chief magistrate, and not by any other magistrate, except on an emergency, but in Ireland the requisition may be made by divisional commissioners, resident magistrates, the chief and assistant commissioners of the Dublin metropolitan Police, and officers of the Royal Irish Constabulary. Where, however, a resident magistrate makes a requisition it is to be sent to the officer commanding the troops through the office of the city, town, county, or district inspector of police. The Irish Distress Fund.— At a recent meeting of the general committee of the Distress Fund held at Dublin, a statement of accounts submitted to the meeting showed that £9494 9s 5d had been lodged in the bank to the credit of the fund, that of this, £9315 7s 5d had been already expended, leaving a balance of £179 2s available for distribution as!the meeting. Out of this balance the following grants were made : — Kinvarra, £10 ; Kilfian, £25 ; Roundstone, £25 ; Maam, £20 ; Castletown-Berehaven, £20 ; Adrigole, £25. Owing to the great falling off in subscriptions, and to engagements entered into with several distressed districts, the committee had to refuse deserving applications. Speaking of the distress generally, Archbishop M'Evilly writes as follows : — ' There is one, and only one, means of preventing the everlasting recurrence of those sad famines. It is this — as any attempt of establishing manufacturing would be run down by English capitalists, who would undersell us, would surely fail, there is one manufacture which would succeed — that is the cultivation of the land. Let the lands now producing but little in the hands of the grabbers be parcelled out among the people, by peaceful and legitimate means through wholesome legislation — anything like violent means would be sure to be crushed, as it should ; let the Government purchase the lands of the needy crew of landlords who have ruined our country— and I would not grudge, in the interest of society, that a fine liberal price would be given to even undeserving landlords ; let the Government even demand a fair rent or tax for the lands given over to the people, who would willingly pay it. Then in every district peace and plenty would prevail, and each man planted with his industrious family at the head of 30 or 40 acres would become a yeoman, and thus the heavy expense of maintaining a military police would be spared the country.

A Memorial to Edmund Burke.— Lord Roseberry unveiled a memorial to Edmund Burke at Beaconsfield on July 9th, the 101 st anniversary of the great man's death. Burke lived for a considerable portion of his life at ' Gregories.' Beaconsfield, and his remains, with those of his wife and son. lie interred in the church at that place Some time ago the Rev. G. A. Cook, Rector of Beaoonsfield, called' attention through the Press to the fact that the memorial to the deceased statesman in the church was of a private nature ; and he then expressed the opinion that a more public memorial might with advantage be placed in the church. Subscriptions were forthcoming, with the result that arrangements were made for the ceremony above indicated. The memorial consists of a medallion portrait of the deceased statesman (copied from an engraving after Sir Joshua Reynolds in the possession of the Rector of Beaconsfield), executed in English alabaster, with a suitable inscription. The Irish Mail Service— There is a possibility of an acceie rated Irish day mail service between London and Dublin being shortly instituted. Mr. Patrick O' Brien recently asked the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he has any objection to numing the date upon which the acceleration of the Irish day mail service between London and Dublin will come into operation, and give the exact times of departure and arrival. Mr. Hanbury replied : There are one or two small details yet to be settled, but no doubt the service will come into operation on lstAugust. The mail train will leave Euston an hour and a-quarter later than at present and will reach Dublin only half an hour later. The Dublin train will leave three-quarters of an hour later, and wili arrive in London at the same time as now.