Irish News.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVII, Issue 51, 21 December 1899, Page 9

Irish News.

ANTRIM.— A Magnificent Peal of Bells.— a magnificent peal of 10 bells, weighing in allneail> seven tone, has been presented to St. Mary's Cliurch, Siar of the Sea, Whitehouc-e, by Mr. Philip Jordan, Jorchtnßtown. The whole peal will be hung o.s massive steel girders. The tenor bj!l, which is the largest, will be hung ao that it can be 6wuno-. On each of tbe 10 bel ln there is a suitable i'lMjripii-Ht, but the principal inscription is on the tenor b-11. The beautiful tower, which is already such a conspicuous object on the Antrim side of Belfast Lough, is fast riring to a finish.

Laying the Memorial-Stone of a Training College-— The cc e,mony of laying the menurial-ftone of St. Mary's new training college, Ksills road, Jieliast, w^s performed during the laM week in O^tobur by the M>.st Rev. Dr. Henry. The building ha 9so far pro,,'re^ped towards completion that hi-* Lordship was able to announce that the college would be opened in Bccond week of September next. Tne necessity tor puch an institution for the training of female National teachers (says the Irish Weekly) has long been apparent, and everything has been done to make the college an ide-il one so far as the comfort of the pupils is concerned. The National Board has* empowered his Lordbhip to admit to the college 80 Queen'-* scholar,* for one or two years according to eiroum stances. These will receive during their stay free board and educ ttion under the caiv of the Dominican Nuns. The pupils will b« assisted ioi their examinations by highly qualified lay professors, male and female Iv the course of a short addres-i hin Lordship referred to the necessity of a training college in the North of Ireland for female teachers, pointing out that three-fourths of of the female teachers in this diocese were untrained, and the probability that at no distant date the Commissioners of National Education would refuse to sanction the appointment of untrained teachers, at least as principals of schools. The rapidity with which the new college has be^en raised is a proof of the solicitude of his Lordship in everything that concerns the training of the young.

ARMAGH. — A Fine Example of Intolerance— The intolerant action of the Protestant majority of the governors of the Shiels Institute at Armagh (says the Irixh Weekly} mast not pass without comment. The Catholio gentlemen at the Board were three, and the Protestants nine A new governor was to be elected, and a Catholic and a Protestant were put in nomination, with the inevitable result — three votes for the Catholic ; nine for the Protestant. This is the second instance of a similar display of intolerance on the part of the Armagh governors of the institute during this year. It w highly crediiahle to them, and we trust it may be taken note of. If this system of persistent and rigid exclusion of Catholics from such boards in Ulster is to be persisted in, the time ha? come when the Catholic majoriries in public bodies throughout the resfc of Ireland should note the fact, and re-consider the generous and tolerant policy they have always pursued towards non-Catholics, a policy, by the way, for which the Protestant Press gives them very little credit.

OLARE--A Valuable Collection— An Ennis literary collector (Mr. James Hayes) is about to dispose of part of a very unique collection of portraits, franks, addresses, and secret political documents (whicti have remained unpublished), connected with the famous Clare election of 1828, when O'Connell defeated Veßey Fitzgerald. The fate of Catholic Emancipation turned upon the election.

CORK— Proposed New Church at Mogeely-— There being a great necessity for a new Catholic church at Mogeely, near Middleton, suitable to the requirements of the people of the united parishes of Mogeely, Clonmult, and Dungourney, a large and influential meeting of the people of those parishes was held at Mogeely recently for the purpose of raising the necessary funds A local generous donor has already granted a site for the proposed new edifice. The chair was taken by the Rev. M. Ahem, P.P., Castlemartyr. A working influential committee was appointed. A subscription list was opened and a aum of £700 was collected on the spot.

DOWN.— The County Infirmary and the Nuns.— At a recent meeting of the Committee of Management of the County Down Infirmary, a letter waa rt&i from the Rev. Joseph O'Kane, P.P., Kilclief, drawing attention to the fact that Sisters of Mercy, and nuns in general, are prohibited from visiting the sick and dying of their own religious denomination in that institution, and hoping the time has come Co repeal a law that ia insulting to the Catholics of the County Down, and to the good ladies of the community of nuns in Downpatrick in particular. The reform suggested by Father O'Kane was rejected on a division, Messrs. Henry Loughran, of Newry, and Matthew King, of Newcastle, Catholic representatives of the County Council on the committee, being the only members who supported ic.

DUBLlN.— Donation to the Dublin Museum— The herbarium of the late Lord de Tabley has been presented to the botanical department of tne Dublin Museum by his sister, the £lon. Lady L -ighton. The herbarium mainly consis's of British plants, and was of service to the late Lord de Tabley, who was The O'liyrne, in the preparation of his recently -published Flora of Cheshire. At a low estimate the collection contains 20 000 sheets of specimens. This gift is due to the recommendation of Sir William ThistletonDyer, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and formerly professor of botany iv the Royal College of Science, Dublin, who states that the herbarium will be useful to active working botanists in Dublin.

Death of a Well-known Priest.— The Rev. Father Lynch, well known in Dublin, died at his residence, Belgrave-square, during the last week in October. The deceased clergyman had a rather varied carer. Some 50 years ago Father Lynch became a mtmber of the Cisteruian Order at Moun f . Mellary ; subsequently he became an • 'hlate. He waa the first chaplain of- Glencree Reformatory, and it may be said that he was practically the founder of that renowned institution. Some years ago Father Lynch became chaplain to a noble C itholic family in England,' and at the death of its head he wus allowed a pension and returned to Dublin, where he tpent the remainder of his days.

GAL WAY.— Religious Reception.— The beautiful chapel attached to the Convent of Mercy, Loughrea, Coumy Longford, waa recently the pcene of the interesting ceremony of a religious reception. The young lady who was received waa Mies Mary Larkin, elde-t daughter of Mr. John Larkin, of Loughrea. There was Solemn H:gh Mass at which the M >8t Itev. T)r Healy, D.D., Lord Bidhop of Clontert, presided, and afterwards delivered a most eloquent address.

.ILKENNY.-St Kieran's College.-speaking at th 6 annual distribution of prizes to the successful pupils of St. Kieran'a College, Kilkenny, the Bishop of Ossory, after referring to the great wotk which has been carried on in this college daring the past 12 months, when for the first time St. Kieran's had been able to win exhibitions in the middle grade, said the fe-t proof of the efficiency of stn<Jy in the college during the past year waa to be found in the very large number of students in proportion to the numbers who went in for examination, who secured passes i>i the Intermediate course — 92 per cent. — a vory re^pectubie record for any college to show.

LIMERICK— Death of a Priest in South Afrioa — General regret was felt in the western part of the County Limerick when news was received of the death at Queens town, South Afrioa, of the Rev. Patrick Bourke, who was born at Rathkeale on March 17, 1873. Bishop McSberry, who preached the panegyric, said the deceased was idolised by the people of St. Augustine's, Port Elizabeth, where he serve! tor over a year. On one occasion whilst travelling by post cart he saved the lives of his fellow-passengers by rushing to the horses' heads on the brink of a precipice at the risk of his own life.

MAYO.— The Secretaryship of the County Council — Mr. D. O'Kelly, brother of Mr. Conor O'Kelly, chairman of the Mayo County Council, has been elected secretary to the Council at a salary of £500 a year, out of which he is to pay for.assistants.

MEATH .— A High Altar for the Eilmainham Wood Church. — A fine specimen of ecclesiastical art was recently produced by the firm of P. J. Neill and Co., Dublin, in the very handsome high altar, by the order of the Very Rev. P. Fitzsimons, P P., in the newly-built church at Kilmainham Wood, County Meath. according to plans prepared by Mr* W. H. By rue, architect. It is of Caen stone with shafts of selected onyx, and in executed ia good e'yle as to figure work and general ornamentation.

YTEXFoßD.— Proposed Presentation to a Priest.— The friends of the Very Rev. James F. Thompson, 0.5.A., in New Ross, County Wexford, have decided on presenting him with an address and presentation on the occasion of his departure to Grantstown from New Ross, where he had spent over 25 years.

GENERAL.

The Evicted Tenants' Restoration Fund— A committee, with his Eminence Cardinal Logue as chairman and Lord Plunket as vice-chairman, has been formed for the purpose of assisting the evicted tenants to get back on their holdings. The committee ia composed of Nationalists and Unionists, landlords and tenants, who make a temperate appeal on behalf of these poor people. ' Their cause (pays the Irish Weekly') has passed beyond the domain of politics. Ten years ago they were in the thick of a fight which was distinctly political. They were the wounded soldiers of a land war which has, to a large extent, thanks to reform, conceded to allay an agitation in which those honest, if misguided, men were pioneers The angry feelings then aroused have died away. This appeal ia i=sued principally to philanthropists. Their condition constitutes an evil, which is depicted in the manifesto issued with the sanction of his Eminence and L >rd flunket,aud ' the endeavour,' as the promoters of this Restoration Fund wisely and properly state, ' to restore them to their homes, where these are still available, or to provide for them elsewhere in cases where their former homesteads have passed definitely into other hands, cannot now be regarded otherwise than as an effort of philanthropy.' This is only a portion of the task which the committee has undertaken with great public spirit. ' The houses of the restored tenants have in many cases to be rebuilt, and in almost all oases assistance in the stocking and cropping of their farms ia essential in order to start them afresh on the path of industry. Without resources for these purposes the tenants when reinstated would have to face a struggle which for the majority of them must end in bankruptcy/ The committee have therefore resolved to appeal to the friends of peace and goodwill, irrespective of party distinction, ' for the means as well to restore holdings to, and where necessary rebuild homes for, the evicted tenants as to help them in cropping and fctockiug their farms at the start only.'

Mr- Davitt's Retirement— The Liverpool Courier, a ConHervative organ, says regarding Mr. Michael Davitt's retirement from Parliament : — We are bound to say that we regret Mr. Davitt's decision to retire. He is a man who can be ill spared from the House as an exponent of Irish policy and aspiration. He is a misguided politician, but honest and fearless, and also consistent in his opinions.

The Irish in America and the Parnell Statue— The New York Council of the Irish National Federation, in pursuance of a disagreeable but imperative duty, have submitted to our countrymen in America a statement on Mr. Redmond's mission, with a view to save the name and memory of Parnell from being any longer the Bhibboleth of factionists. They ask their countrymen — ' Shall we place the custody of a memorial to Parnell in the hands of one who never had his confidence in life, and who has dishonoured his memory in death by making his name the synonym for discord in Ireland, or shall we await the hour when a united people and a triumphant cause and custodians worthy of the trust shall warrant us in aiding the Irish people to build a monument to Parnell worthy of his services to Ireland V

The Irish Industrial Schools. -The report of the inspector of Reformatory and Industrial School for the past year (writes a Dublin correspondent) is now in the hands of the public. There has been during the past year much discussion about Doctor Fagan's now famous circular, the full effects of which can only be made manifest in time. It must inevitably add largely to the population of the Irish Reformatory Schools whilst it will lower the moral tone of the Industrial Schools. At present we have in Ireland only six Reformatory Schools whilst we have seventy-one Industrial Schools. During recent years the Reformatory Schools have become less a necessity owing to the fact that children who peem to be in the way of danger are committed to the Industrial Schools. At present only about 542 boys and 63 girls are inmates of Reformatory Schools. The Industrial Schools accommodate 3,873 boys and* 4,910 girls. Generally speaking the training given the children is satisfactory.

The Royal University Degree Day— The most striking feature of degree day at the Royal University buildings was the sweeping success of University College, Stephen's Green, the alumni of which were awarded one fellowship, three studentships, one scholarships, and one special prize. The Queen's Colleges of Belfast, Cork, and Gal way between them got just one fellowship, no studentship, no scholarship, or no special prize. In second-class honours alone — and this is the lowest class of distinction — did the three Queen's Colleges beat the University College. St. Mary's University College, Merrion Square, for the higher education of girls, did well also, having won six distinctions as compared with fire won by the Queen's Colleges of Cork and Galway combined. Black rock College tied with Queen's College, Cork, on which £15,000 a year of public money is spent. Year after year the Royal University examinations serve to show more plainly the scandalous manner in which Irish Catholics are treated in the matter of University education. In no other country on earth is the spectacle witnessed of the minority receiving University education at the expense of the State and the large majority of the people left wholly unprovided for in that respect.

The Disabilities of Irish Catholics-— Some people in England (says the Dublin correspondent of the Catholic Times') appear to know nothing about the disabilities under which Irish Catholics suffer in their own land. It would occupy too much ppa<;e to give a full list of Irish Catholic grievances. A few will suffice. The Jesuits, the Dominicans, and other religious Orders are illegal bodies and time after time are by law robbel of bequests left them. The Catholic youth of Ireland are deprived of University education, although Mr. Balfour deplores the injustice to which we are subjected. The Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland may be a Turk, Jew, or Atheist, but not a Catholic. When he leaves Ireland for even a short holiday, the judges who are sworn in to administer the affairs of the country during his absence must be non-Catholics. Nearly all the higher official positions are filled by Protestants who have been appointed by the State. A Royal Commission recently concluded that England robs Ireland annually of nearly £3,000,000. But why continue the list. No doubt some broad-miuded statesmen recently endeavoured to do something that would atone for past misdeeds, but they were in a minority, a foiled minority.

Unveiling of a Portrait of Lord Russell of Killowen. — At the third annual meeting of the Castleknook College Union held recently, the Most Rev. Dr. Donnelly unveiled a life-size portrait of Lord Rußsell of Killowen, which had been presented to the college by the members of the I'nion. Ihe portrait, which is from the brush of Mr. Charles Russell, a talented Dublin artist, is a remarkably striking- one, and a true likeness of the eminent Irishman and jurist, the memory of whose early and long connection with this old-established seat of education it is intended to perpetuate. An elt quent address on the subject of Lord Russell of Killowen was delivered by Mr, M. C. Macinerney, Q.C., in the course of which he alluded to what Lord Russell bad done, both by his speeches in Parliament and his contributions to the Press, for Catholic education and for the self-government of his native land. In the conclusion of his interesting address, the speaker said that in reviewing the lite of L<>rd Russell of Killowen they would see his ardent love of creed and country running through the warp and weft of his magnificent career liLe the woollen thread through the golden texture which the witch's daughter is ever weaving in the German fairy tale.