Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8, 27 February 1908, Page 27

Irish News

ANTRIM— Death of a Passionist At ithe comparatively early age of - fiftjMjwo, the Rev. John Baptist Byrne, C.P., passed away :6n: 6n New Year's Day at Holy Cross, Ardoyne, Belfast.- Deceased was born at Blaokrock/ County Dublin, where he received Mis early' education. Heathen entered the Pas- - sionist Novitiate at Broadway, Worcestershire; where ' in due course he was professed and ordained. St Mungo's, Glasgow, was the scene' of his early 'labors in the sacred ministry, and there, no doubt,- he is still \. rememfoered. In Mount Argus he worked zealously for fifteen years, when he was transferred to Belfast, where he died. CLARE— A Judge's Will The late Mr. Myles' .Kehoe, K-.C*- County Court Judge of Clare, left estate- - : , valued:.;, at " £5949 4s 9d. ' After maiding pro^iisio^tor;;' hiV.*famiXy- : -and dealing in his will with other- private "affairs, "the testator set apart portion of his assets to be realised and a sum invested- wherewdth to constitute a foundation to be called the ' Daniel Kehoe Memorial Foundation.' ' The trustees appointed in this matter " are -Rev. Henry Fegan, S.J. ; Mr. John E., Redmond, M:P: ; and Mr. J. J. Clancy, M.P.,. and. the annual income is to be ap--plied towards enabling students of Clongpwes Wood Col- " lege to proceed to take out their degrees in a college' or university other than Trinity. .-College,- Dublin. .It is further provided that under certain conditions the trustees may be entitled to transfer the securities held" by them on trust to university or college for Catholics which' may be accepted' by the body 6i- the" * Catholic clergy for the education of the co-reli-gionists of the testator. In addition to this fouhda-. tion there is a- direction as.* to the payment to ' Rev. • Father Fegan of an annual sum of" £10 for five years' for a 'Daniel Kehoe Memorial Prize.' Having named certain sums, to be paid to Rev. Father Fegan, Re.v. Robert Kane, S.J., and Rev. James Brady, of St.- Andrew's, for the. celebration of Masses, the testator- made ' a number of personal bequests, some" of which are tohis colleagues in the legal profession, including Mr. Valentine Kilbride, £10-0 ; Mr. J. J. Clancy, X C. £50 • and Mr. Ignatius O'Brien, K.C., £50." - * DERRY— Church Progress The 'Most Rev. Dr. McHugh, Bishop of Derry, on Monday, January 6, solemnly laid the foundation stoneof a new building to take the place of Long Tower church, which stands on the site of Dubh Eaglais of Columbkille and Ilampul Mor of a later date. At the close of a sermon on the Epiphany his Lordship said" - the entire cost of the - structure externally would be provided by a Derry t citizen, Mr. Bernard Hannigan, J.P., but the internal decorations' would be done by the parishioners. DUBLIN— The Temperance Pledge Some nine hundred , little girls were- entertained to " tea in. the Father Mathew Hall, "Church street,- Dublin," on the night of. .January 2 by the Capuchin Fathers. The boys of the district -were similarly entertained on the following evening. .At the close of the proceedings on each occasion Father Aloysius • administered the pledge. ._ • • The Castle Jewels The members of the Commission appointed by the Government to inquire into the circumstances of the'disappearance of the jewels from Dublin Castle last year, consisted of County Court Judge Shaw, Mr. Starkie, Resident Magistrate, Clare, and Mr. Jones, a London Police Magistrate. We were inforired by cable that the Commission was unable to throw any light on the robbery.- ._, - KIUCENNY— Check to local Enterprise A serious fire occurred early in January in the important group of industries started a>t Talbot's Inch, about one mile from Kilkenny, by Capih. the Hon. Otway Quffe, Mayor of 'Kilkenny, in conjunction with the Dowager Countess of Desart. The large shed specially built -and -fitted up with the most up-to-date machinery for the" purpose of drying the tobacco leaf grown by Capt. Cuffe, was burned to the ground, and with it ■ the, greater part of the year's crop, the portion saved consisting- -of a small quantity- which had just been packed preparatory to being despatched to -the manufacturers. The leaf is dried by hot air generated by a large engine, which is supposed in some way to be connected with- the origin of the fire ; but exactly how has not so far been discovered. Adjacent are the extensive

buildings of the Kilkenny Woodworkers, where close on a .hiundred bands are employed, and where -machinery of the latest pattern 'is daily running in conin'ection with the manufacture of all kinds of furniture. The efforts of the employees, the Kilkenny Fire 1 Brigade, rand hundreds of. willing -volunteers from the city, were successful in~ confining the fire to the building originally -at-" . tacked. A valuable quantity *of mahogany and other wood, which was being .seasoned in tihe tobacco shed, had also been -burned. . - • LIMERICK— Tribute to a Priest • .In opening the Limerick Quarter Sessions on January 3 his Honor -.Judge Adams paid a warm tribute to the memory of the late Father Casey, P.P., Abbeyfeale. .'I jwisih" (said his Hoiuor) 'to concur im that deep and universal feeling expressed throughout the country on the death, of my very dear and kind friend, Father Casey, of • Abbeyfeale. I do not mean to< say th a t I concurred in everything that Blather Casey said- and' did during the stress of the land agitation ; but taking" his character „as a whole, he- was a good man, a - ?good Irishman, and -a ,good priest.; Personally, I feel the loss 'most bitterly. Father Casey was my. dear . and kind friend. I constantly sat atM s-table,- where 'he was 1 hospitable, to all, 'and ,an ascetic .only to himself, for, like his Bishop and other good priests, Ihe belie,ved ,that the hand which held up the banner of^Eemperance in an Irish- parish was all the. more, /efficfent-if:4t 7 -was the., hand of -a, total"- abstainer, f^tjeyw.as^hrqiighc^t not alone in his '"own .parish, but in large-digjjriot^ofoaii-other bounty, the -arbiter in many: .disputes, '--and^l-over and over again had occasion to have his" decxsioni'-cojce before -me, and I .was astonished at the " shrewdVeste, justicej" and ability which characterised them. -^He;,was a priest of a fine . old Irish type, profoundly tf eligioys; but, at the same time, gay, mo-derate, tolerant,' fyrA ligM-hjeartad. -He, was " kindly Irish of the Irishrneither Saxon nor Italian.." ' - , " _ r \f •/'" ;~- Defective' Education ''",'-' . -.■=-•';:'-'' Who was Gerald Griffin ? is -a qiuestion frequently ask<ed by Judge Adams of witnesses .and litigants who appear before . him in Limerick-/ with- the result/'Vtnat too often it is shown that; the gentle poet aaoViipyelist ds- not. so well in his ■ Native county as , he\ sbxJuid be. At the Winter Quarter Sessions' a 'resident 1 - "of Gerald Griffin street candidly admitted v to the judge that he knew very little about the , dis'tinguisttued Irishman after whom the street was named, whereupon his Honor said that to his mind" the education- of Limerick people was defective-. They knew • a great 'deal more about Cape Matapan and other matters, but very -little about Gerald Griffin, who had written* a' novel that was entitled to stand in the temple of genius " with the very best works of Sir Walter Scott. It is sad to have to admit that this is only too triue, not - withstanding the advances made in recent years - by Irish Irelanders. White Gloves for the Judge His Honor Judge Adairs, at the opening of the Limerick Quarter Sessions on January»Js, was presented with white gloves symbolic of" the "freedom of. the county from crime. In/.-thanking the Sub-Sheriff for the gift he said that for fourteen years he had been County Court Judge, and during . that time arid, long before it the County Limerick. had been in a condition of great peacefiulness, order, and tranquility. LONGFbRX>ii-The Late Member The Hon. Edward Blake, who represented ~ South Longford in Parliament for_ # so .many years, was born in Canada'; but no truer oi-jnore disinterested Irishman ever devoted himself to '.the furtherance of this country's cause during the past century ,(says the 'Irish Weekly '). Lea\lng a great position— the highest in the Colony — a splendidly successful career, all the avenues to fame and wealth, and all the ties that endear thedr (homes to men, behind him, : Mr.fjßlake gave wearisome days and - 'nights, the resources;, of his fine intellect, the 'influence of his reputation,' * and a large share of his fortune to Ireland's.. ser^ce'.^j.He faced bitter situations with patience; he-vbQie%^i3&&:unmerited reviling very often ; &nd through some of -Ireland's dreariest years he remained hapeful,;'f r f,aithful, and indomitable. At the last only the imperative claims of a health, shattered through ceaseless toil, compelled him to leave" tile scene of his labors. . Great, ~ indeed, must be the iriagic of the cause that," attracted and held the deep devotion of a man like Mr. Blake under such circumstances. This veteran of the, fight .-has. just written to Mo\ John Redmond a brave^ and- pathetic letter ' in reply to a resolution passed towards the end of the last- session by the men whom he terms 'my dear friends and. colleagues of the Irish Parliamentary Party.' Mr. Blake writes :—

1 1 cannot say that my progress has' been rapid. It lias been delayed by- repeated failures in general health, which, though not otherwise alarming, have produced injurious effects upon the reparatflve process with regard to my malady, and lam still a cripple as to my leg, and powerless as to my arm. But my advisers' are of opinion that progress is being made, and I still, though with diminished confidence, hope that it 'may be' possible for me to revisit my old friends next year. But whether I see your faces once again or no, they can never pass from my memory, and I will always, while I can feel at all, retain "the most affectionate sentiments towards everyone of my colleagues.' MAYO — Appointed Canons Very Rev. E. H. Conin£ton, D.D., P.P., Collooney, and Very Rey. . James Daly, D.D., President of the Diocesan College at Ballaghadereen, have been appointed Canons of the "diocese of Aehonry. Dr. Conington is one of the most learned and cultured priests in Ireland. His colleague is a well-known educationist and terrperance advocate. ROSCOMMON— Tenants Purchase their Farms The tenants on the Lara estate of Sir N.. R. O'Conor, British Ambassador at Constantinople, have signed an agreement to purchase their holdings. SLIGO— A Cherished Memory Most Rev. Dr. Clancy, speaking at Sligo in connection with Mr. De^tn's lecture, on John Boyle O'Reilly, said one of the most cherished memories of his life was his meeting with Mr. Devlin in the House of Common®. He had read Mr. Devlin's speeches and Ms brilliant retorts from the Irish benches, and during his Lordship's \£sit to the House of Commons he had experienced from Mr. Devlin a kindness he could never forget, and he trusted that the acquaintance then formed would last for many years. . TIPPERARY— A Light Calendar Addressing the Grand Jury at Nenagh Quarter Sessions, County Court Judge Moore said there were only three cases to go before them, all of which were of a comparatively" simple character. One of the Foremost of Living Irishmen General Sir William Butler delivered a lecture to the Tipperary Literary Society on January 7. His subject was the treatment of Napoleon during^ his captivity at St. Helena, Canon Arthur Ryan, V.*G., occupied the . chair. Canon Ryan, In introducing the General', described Mm as ' a Tipperary man born and bred ' and as ' one of the foremost of living Irishmen.' As an Irishman, they had in- Sir William a type that they delighted to honor, a soldier to the core of his soldier--ly heart, brave in his profession of arms as in his I "'' profession of the faith that was in him, brave in ever 1 being with the weak and against the strong, raising a fearless voice to denounce perfidy and" corruption, no matter how highly seated, and, Kke his own hero, Gor-* don, indifferent to the praise or blame of the world. They welcomed him back to Tipperary. ' Not in the Great Lone Lai>d, not in Egypt, or the Soudan, nor yet in South Africa had he made his home. No ; he had come back to his own dear land under the shadow af the Galtees, and he had made his home amongst" the homes of Tipperary. He welcomed Sir William Butler as a iran of letters, a fearless Irishman, and the pride of Tipperary. A Bacon Factory The new bacon factory at Roscrea was formally opened on January <S. The ceremony was at/bended by many representative public men from the town and district. Sixty pigs were killed on the opening day, and the different processes were watched with great interest "by the visitors. The factory is well equipped, and besides being a credit to the contractors, stands as a monument to the enterprise of the local people. Father Cunningham, of Roscrea, is principally responsible for the inauguration of this industry, and on his shouldersfell a great ~ deal of the work of organisation.. The _ capital of the company is £11,000, and Father Cunning- " ham hopes that in a short time they would be in a position to put through from 1500 to 2000 pigs per week.