Irish News.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVII, Issue 45, 9 November 1899, Page 9

Irish News.

ANTRIM-— A Generous Response— nis Lordship the Bishop of Down and Conor preached in the Church of St. Mary, Cushendall, on Sunday, September 10, in aid of the liquidation of a parochial debt of £4000. Ulster Citholics are astonishingly generous on sU'-h occasions, and th ir sacrifices not seldom surpass those of th- ir m'>re happily situated br>-thiea of the South. Man> Catho ics travelled from Belfast t<> Cushendidl <o he p the ch.ir.'y and the result of the appeal * - as a fuu<i of £2520 to the liquidation of the debt. It is on occasions like this that tho uncompromising self-sacrificing spirit of Ulster Catholicism shows itself. ARMAGH— St Patrick's Cathedral.— in connection with the appeal of Cardinal Logue for funds to complete the decoration of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, it is worthy of note that from the time of the laying of the foundation stone to the dedication 33 years had elapsed. During only 20 of these, however, was the building actively pushed forward. The total cost must have exceeded £100,000. CLARE.— A Constable turns Doctor-— Some time ago there was a great deal of talk about a Welsh policeman, who resigned from the forcein order to follow literature. A somewhat similar thing- has taken place in Ireland, but in this case the policeman intends to practise medicine. Constable John T. Bradley, who has been stationed in Donegal Pass Barracks, Belfast, for a number of years, has severed his connection with the R.1.C., and left to reside in his native village, Kilkee, County Clare, where he intends practising as a medical doctor. He passed his final examination in medicine a few months ago, and amongst the honours he gained in the city in connection with his studies, which he pursued in addition to his police duties, were the following : — Gold medallist in practioal midwifery, Maternity Hospital, session 1898-9 ; first prizeman, which carries gold medal, in the medical and surgical diseases of children, Queen street Hospital, Belfast ; first prizeman in medicine, Queen's College, Belfast ; prizeman in midwifery, diseases of women and children, Queen's College, Be-ssions 1897-8. Previous to his departure from Belfast Dr. Bradley was presented with a case of valuable surgical instruments by his R.I.C. comrades in Donegal Pass as a token of the respect and esteem in which he was held by them. CORK— Death of a Prominent '67 Man.— A prominent member of the Fenian organisation and later-day Nationalist has passed away in Cork in the person of Mr. Dominick O'Mahoney. Though he continued to take an active interest in National affairs until within recent years, it is in connection with the movement for Irish liberty in the sixties that he was best known in National circles. He was head-centre for the city of Cork in the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and on March 10, 1867, he was arrested on a charge of high treason. He was arraigned for trial on this charge in the following May, and although acquitted he was detained in prison for 12 months. While he was associated with the Fenian brotherhood he was considered one of the most upright aud uncompromising Nationalists. An Ancient Ceremony.— The ceremony of ' throwing the dart ' is an ancient custom performed by the Mayor of Cork every third year. Accompanied by the members of the Corporation and leading citizens, he proceeds by steamer to the mouth of Cork Harbour, and casts into the sea a dart, in order to assert his authority as Admiral of the Port. The Mayor's guests are then entertained at dinner. On Monday, August 21, the ceremony was observed with due solemnity. Mr. Eugene Crean, M.P., presided. DOWN.— A New Church at Kilcoo-— The Most Rev. Dr. Henry, Bishop of Down and Conor, on Sunday, September 17, laid the foundation-stone of the new church of St. Malachy, Kilcoo, in the presence of a large congregation. The work of building has been in progress for the last eight months and is well advanced, thanks to the unflagging energy of the Rev. Patrick Magee, the pastor of the parish. After the last Mass his Lordship performed the ceremony of laying and blessing the foundation-Btone, after which he delivered an address. He said : It gives me much pleasure to be once more present among the good and faithful Catholics of this ancient parish of Kilcoo. It was my privilege to be invited some years ago by your zealous and kind-hearted pastor to make an appeal in the old church, now no more, for funds to assist in paying off a heavy debt incurred in the erection of your beautiful parochial house and splendid schools. On that occasion his numerous friends rallied around your good parish priest and you, and enabled him to almost wipe out the debt then due. Since that time Father Magee has had in contemplation the building of a new church in some way worthy of the worship of God and his good people. He saw that the old structure, built in 1802, before Emancipation times, was becoming unsafe and more unseemly every year. Although the building of a new church is no easy matter for a priest, Father Magee determined to put into execution his long cherished idea, relying for funds on the Providence of God and the well-known generosity of his own flock and their charitable neighbours, and he has my fullest sanction and sympathy in his arduous undertaking. DUBLlN.— Dedication of a Charch at Howth.— The new Church of the Assumption, Howth, was to be dedicated to the service of God on October 15. The old church wa< erected by free labour in the early years of the century now drawing to a close. At that time a number of navvies were engaged in the construction of the East Pier at Howth, and they, animated by the religious spirit so characteristic of the Irish workingman, employed the intervals of leisure allowed to them from their ordinary employment in supplying the want created by the destruction of the former church by

fire in 17D8. They pave their services fr- e, and to this d iy. in a prominent part of the sacred edifice which arose from th- ir labours, may be 'seen two lorries emblematic} of the ••llinfj of it** h' ildem. Since that time Howth h-s made remarkable snid' s 1 in the path of progress The fishing hamlet has been tr noforine into a flourishing --ea-'-idp report. It has a permanent por ul 1 ti>ot •>f about ihree thousand, and tins number during thy summ< r nioiith- is *upp emented by ii couple of thousand o' city folk, wio come t-t derive vigour from its bricing at uo^phere The desirability of providing; a Cath"lic church more suited to the al'er d c "tditions than that erect ed a oent'irv ago ha* 1 >nsr been fe't. About five \eir« airo the e> erjf< tic ard z-alou- pastor <»f Hu h. '))<> Ye y l.'<>\. Ci > Flannirfi", K el" hirrwrlf to the task Tne -Hi' ua-> gen -o'i-I Id • i at the disposal of Cmon Flanagui u-s a f r<\ iritt by Lout How h. who also supplied th* limestone with wiii h the. walls -i rhe <Mifice aie built Departure 6f Missionaries for the United States —Four well-known missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate from Inchicore, Dublin, have gono to the United States to give missions during the untumn, winter, and spring in conjunction with the Oblate Fathers of Lowell. The leader is the Rev P. It Brady, O.M T., who is no stranger in America, nor, indeed, in any part of the world. His mifsionary journeys have covered Ireland, England, Australia, India, and Central America. KERRY.— The Lakes of Killarney still in the Market. — The various reports regarding the sale of the Muckross estate, including the famed Lakes of Killarney, which were cabled to this Colony were, it seems, without foundation. A Dublin correspondent writing about the middle of September says : — 'The fate of Killarney and its Jakes is still hanging in the balance. One day goes forth a report that the lakes and the Muckross estate have been acquired by a purchaser whose intention it is to close both land and waters against the public ; on another, we hear that some public-spirited capitalist has offered to purchase them and hand them over to the public for ever. Among the names of these latter that of Sir Thomas Lipton is the latest mentioned. Both on practical as well as sentimental grounds we think that the future of these far-famed lakes is one of. vital importance. Should they become the property of a selfish private owner, quite ninety per cent, of the residents in Killarney will be deprived of their chief, almost their only, means of existence. It would be almost as disastrous if the project of cutting up the estate into small homeparks was carried into effect. To our mind, the best solution of the problem is that the estate should become the property of the nation. The Kerry County Council might be induced to purchase the property, and the purrha«e-money required might be advanced by the Government. In any event, it behoves the National Trust of Historic Interest Society to be on the alert, for it would be nothing less than disastrous if Killarney and its lakes were closed to the public' The Influx Of Visitors to Killarney.— A Killarney correspondent writes : ' The influx of visitors to Killarney during the month of August has been unprecedented, and there is every indication of its continuing for some time. On one Saturday afternoon during Augu&t over 600 tourists arrived by the evening train from Dublin ' KING'S COUNTY. -Catholics and the Magistracy.In two petty sessions districts in the King's Couniy, there are thirteen Protestant magistrates and only one Catholic, the proportion of Catholic residents being at the rate of three to one. The Lord Lieutenant has been requested at the earliest possible moment to appoint a number of Catholic magistrates in proportion to the Catholic population. LIMERICK-— Death of a Priest— Most sincere regret is felt throughout the entire County of Limerick at the death of the Rev. J. B. Meehan, P.P., at Adamstown, Croagh, at the patriarchal age of ninety-three years and in the seventieth of his sacred ministry. MONAGHAN.— An Extraordinary Achievement.— A correspondent of a Cavan piper says: — 'I cannot pass over the intermediate examination without making mention of a really extraordinary achievement on the part of a girl who has been almost entirely blind for the past six months, which has come to my ears. The exhibited by this young lady, who is a boarder in St. Louis's Convent, Monaghan, at not being in a position to compete, so touched the nuns that they read daily to her, from the adopted books, in a darkened room to which an eye specialist had consigned her, with the result that her memory stood her in such good stead that she now figures in the list as an exhibitioner. I congratulate the plucky little lady and her capable instructors.' SLIGO.— A Ninety-eight Memorial— On the first Sunday in September the unveiling of the memorial to the men of '98, erected by the Nationalists of Sligo town and county, took place. The ceremony was made the occasion of a great Nationalist demonstration, representative of the whole County of Sligo, which, for numbers and enthusiasm, was significant of the patriotism of the men of Sligo, and of the hold the movement to honour the men of '98, as well as the organisation of the United Irish League, has taken in this town and county. The memorial is erected in the centre of the town at the Market Cross, and takes the form of a figure of Erin carved in Sicilian marble, holding a half-mast flag in the left hand, and standing on broken chains. The pedestal is of chiselled limestone, and on the four sides are tablets for inscription. On that side of the statue facing Grattan street is inscribed, ' In loving memory of the heroism and devotion of the patriots of 1798, who fought and died for civil and religious liberty in Ireland. Erected by the Nationalists of Sligo, 1898.' The memorial, which is 16 feet high, has a very fine effect, and the work reflects much credit on the sculptors. The ceremony cf unveiling was performed by the Mayor of Sligo.

TIPPERARY.— GoIden Jubilee of a Priest —A notable event in Tipperary was the golden jubilee of Canon Cahill, P.P., V.G., which was celebrated on September 19. High Mass was sung in the Church of St. Michael, the Most Rev. Dr. Croke, Archbishop of Cashel, presiding. Addresses were subsequently presented to Canon Cahill, one from the priests of the archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and the other from the laity of Tipperary. The address from the priests was accompanied by a handsome gold chalice. In the afternoon Canon Cahill was entertained at a banquet in the Town Hall, Dean Kinane presiding.

GENERAL.

Accident to the Right Hon- Horace Plunkett— The Bight Hon. Horace Plunkett, who has taken a very active part in the starting of Irish industries and co-operative societies, had the bad lack to break his leg some time ago. Just when he was getting on nicely he was unfortunate enough to refraoture the limb, and at time of the last mail leaving Home he was making satisfactory progress towards recovery. Ireland as a Holiday Resort. — I have been speaking to some of the members of the Lords and Commons who have lately visited Gonnemara and the West of Ireland (writes Mr. T. P. O'Connor), and they are loud in their praises of that delightful oountry. Some of them who have travelled all over the world confidently assert that for beautiful wild mountain scenery there is nothing on the face of the earth to compare with Connemara. If only Scott would arise to write up the beauties of this bracing fairyland, the tourists from England would flock there as they do to Switzerland and the Highlands. Great efforts are being made by the Irish railways and the magnificent hotels inCashel, Ballinahinch, Recess, »nd Achill,and what with the free fishing in Lough Corrib, a lake fifty miles long, the success of this tourist district is pretty well assured. The Prosperous Condition of the Oountry —Most gratifying reports (writes the Dublin correspondent of the New Era, under date September 15) continue to be received of the progress of harvesting operations over the wide districts of Ireland. With the exception of the Queen's and Kilkenny Counties the great County of Cork was the first in the field in the gathering of cereals among southern districts, and in almost all parts of that county the results are everything that could be desired. One of the special representatives of the New Era who has just beeu visiting the districts of Limerick, Tralee, Killarney, Waterville, and the Island of Yalentia speaks in high terms of the improved condition of the country. In no other year have so many strangers visited Ireland. When the time comes for summing up the reports of the Tourist and Transit Agencies from all parts of the country for the season it will be found that the enterprising efforts of all concerned to satisfy visitors have been most successful. The advertising, organising, and cheapening of travel and the improved hotel accommodation have been conducing steadily to the attainment of all the desired results. The splendid farming prospects together with the influx of money — strangers spending freely in the country — must serve to place 1899 in a very remarkable position on the variable annual records of Irish prosperity. Hopeful Statistics — The Registrar-General's bank and railway figures for the June half of the current year are the most satisfactory since 1895. They exhibit not only the usual normal and automatic increase of deposits, which only a positive check to existing trade and industry interrupts, but also a change in those lesß healthful symptoms recorded in recent years. Thus the increase in deposits, £867,000, thou<h not to be compared with the big increases in the corresponding period of 1890, 1895, and 1896, is better than in any year since 1 888 save these. Then the addition of £646,000 to the Savings Bank depots is also bigger than in any recorded year except 1895 and 1896. Furthermore, the note circulation, which had dropped from £(5,515,000 in June, 1889, to £5,740,000 in Jane, 1898, shows the satisfactory rise of £251,000, and is higher than in any June half-year of the previous three. Government Stock, which, notwithstanding the investments of the banks, is a constantly dwindling asset in Ireland, also shows the substantial rise of £1,518,000. This, however, is not due to any addition to the national wealth. It is simply owing to the extensive land siles of the previous year, the Guaranteed Land Stock held amounting to £6,000,000 as compared with £4,022,000 in June, 1898. But for these sales there would have been the usual drop. The railway statistics confirm the conclusion suggested by the bank balances. The receipts were £42,885 better than in the first half o' 1898, and must have represented a record gro&s figure. The country is, we are glad to say, emerging from the disasters of the autumns of 189(3 and 1897.