Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, Volume 11, Issue 10, 11 March 1909, Page 387

Irish News

ANTRIM— A Change for the Better

We (Catholic : Times) are sure that in the minds of many readers of the papers in Ireland a report of a meeting held some few days ago in Belfast must have, produced no little astonishment. It was a" drawing=room meeting which was convened at the City Hall under the auspices of thp Irish Industrial Development Association. The DoAvagerMarohioness of Dufferin and Ava presided, quite a number of high-born ladies were present, and the following resolution was proposed by Lady Londonderry : ' That it is our duty to encourage Irish industries and assist in solving the problems of unemployment and emigration by purchasing the products and manufactures of our country.' Our country! Lady Londonderry speaking of Ireland as her country t Why, the good time is coining when Lord- Londonderry and Irishmen of his class will begin to feel that they have something to live for besides abusing their country and their countrymen. This meeting in Belfast is indicative of a profound change in the sister country. Hitherto the Irish tenant-farmer and the Irish peasant who felt, as common men do feel, that they had a country which claimed their hearts' allegiance, never dreamt that members of the landed aristocracy such as Lady Londonderry 'would avow with pride that Ireland was their country. If noble lords and ladies loved the green isle they successfully concealed their affection. - Lord Londonderry may speak harshly of popular movements for reform in Ireland, but they have certainly had their effects on his good lady, though she may not be aware of the fact. CORK— The Patents Law The action taken by so many public bodies in Ireland ■'o bring before foreign manufacturers affected by the new Patents Law the advantages of districts in Ireland as sites for factories has already borne fruit. A German firm has decided to establish^ piano factory at Youghal. Another German firm engaged in the manufacture of electric specialities is, it is reported, in negotiation with Buncrana landowners for the purchase of the site for an extensive factory. DERRY— A House with a History A notable building, Ballyscullion House, situated about a. mile from Bellaghy, County Derry, is to be sold. Long ago it was known as ,' Bishop's Folly,' or the Palace, and owed its erection to the munificent ideas of the Earl of Bristol, who was made Bishop of Derry in 1755. The structure was designed after the best Italian style., and much of the material employed was from the quarries in the county. It had special departments for collections cf art treasures, and took sixteen years in building. It extended about 359 feet. The central part was an oval, 94 feet by 84 feet, of which the exterior wall was ornamented with Corinthian pilasters, and two long corridors from either side extended to picture galleries each 32 feet by 25 feet. The building was not completed when the Bishop died, and subsequently the elegant structure was much dismantled. DUBLIN— The National University At a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Irish" Catholic Hierarchy it was unanimously resolved to issue for publication the following statement: — As this is the fii-sb meeting of the Standing Committee of the Irish Bishops since the Charters of the National University and of its Constituent Colleges have been issued, we avail ourselves of the occasion to express the profound interest we feel in the very important work that the Statutory Commission, the Senate, and the governing bodies of the colleges have taken in hand. We entertain no doubt whatever that; no matter how slender the resources of Irish Catholics may be, means will be forthcoming to enable the students of the colleges to have from the outset tlie advantage of the "highest education in the truths of religion, and the necessary facilities for the practice of Divine worship. ' A college destitute of such spiritual provision as this would be. utterly out of keeping with the sacrifices of Ireland for' the Faith, and quite devoid of any claim on the confidence ~ of the Episcopate. It shall therefore be our endeavour to secure the means of providing for religion as worthily* as may be and in. such manner as will be altogether ac-i ceptable under the Universities Act of 1908. QALWAY— A Bog Slide - On Sunday night, January 17, an immense quantity of bog slipped at Kilmore, near Ballygar, County Galway, overwhelming several houses, the occupants of which narrowly escaped with their lives. The bog came from Mount Mary, which is covered with several thousands of acres of heatE, and it is supposed the heavy rain following a

severe snowfall caused the bog to shift along the bottom" of the -mountain, where there' are little hamlets occupied by smalUfarmers. The occupants of the houses, on receiving the alarm, had to spring' from their beds and rush undressed from their houses. The cattle in the outhouses had in several cases to be abandoned. There was barely time to , carry off the It is feared that one old woman jiamed McDonnell has lost her life, as her" "cottage is submerged. .Over a hundred horses and carts were en- . deavoring on the Monday to remove the bog and" slush from the hotises, -but the bog moved again on. Tuesday at the rate of- about five miles an hour. Farmers whose holdings w.ere in the course of this second movement became greatly alarmed, and immediately set about clearing out their stock and furniture. Laden carts filled the roadways in "the scramble to reach a place of safety. Over 100 acres of land which on Monday was under grass was on Monday covered by twelve feet of bog. The loss to the unfortunate - farmers is. very great. Not- only are their houses, and in some cases their stock, gone, but the land will never again' be of any use to them, as the mass of bog is constantly piling up on it. KlLKENNY— Practical Toleration At- a recent 'meeting of the Kilkenny Corporation a cordial vote of thanks was accorded unanimously to Captain the Hon. Otway Cuffe, retiring Mayor of the city. In reply *he said no words of his could adequately express his appreciation of the courtesy and consideration extended to him by every member of the Corporation. It had been made a reproach against Irishmen that no one who in religion or politics differed from the majority was likely to receive honor from the people. He was no politician, and he was the only non-Catholic in the Corporation, yet they gave - him the highest honor in their gift, a proof, he thought, that in Ireland the people could, and did rise above political considerations. The main point with the people was: did the man they meant to honor care about his country, and he believed it was because he had shown that he did care for Ireland that he had been so 'honored and trusted. KING'S COUNTY— The Late Lord Rosse The late Earl of Rosse left personal estate of a total' value of £80,178. Testator left £1000 t6 the Science School Fund of Trinity College,. Dublin, the famous Rosse telescope and all his scientific instruments, apparatus, and. papers to his sons in the order-' of seniority, successively ,-' whom failing, to the Royal Society," London ; and he left £2000 upon trust for the upkeep of the said Rosse telescope. LEITRIM— A Papal Honor Monsignor Prior, who has been' appointed by Pope Piua X. as judge of the Tribunal of the Rota, is a native of the diocese of Kilmore, Ireland, his birthplace being in Coragh, Lower- Drumreilly, County Leitrim. LlMEßlCK— Technical Scholarships The donation of £500 given by Lord Dunraven for the foundation of technical scholarships in Limerick has been • supplemented by a similar amount from the Department of Agriculture. ,_ making £1000, and a .scheme of administra- .. tion has been prepared by the - Department by . which scholarships valued at £50 each, tenable for three years,' will be. available , TYRONE— A Centenarian Hale and hearty and in full possession of "all her faculties is Mrs. Hannah McKenna, who lives at Ballygawley, County Tyrone, and who recently celebrated her one hundredth- birthday. She is smart and active and able to thread a needle without the aid of glasses. She has always been of a healthy disposition, and attributes her longevity to her mode of living— plenty of sunshine and an .abundance of plain, healthy food. WATERFORD— Mount Melleray ' The death of the Right Rev. John Carthage Delany, ' - late Abbot of .Mount Melleray, took place on January 15. He occupied the onerous position for about fifteen years, but was obliged- to resign recently owing to ill-health, and was succeeded .by Right Rev. Maurus Whelan, the present Abbot. The deceased was well known for his simplicity of , -character, humility, and piety, and he won' for himself the esteem and love of his brethren in religion. GENERAL Irish Names in Jamaica In the current issue of the St. -Vincent de Paul Quarterly, New York, is an interesting account by Rev. Patrick F. X. Mulry, S.J., of a missionary's life in Jamaica. It seems even in that cub-tropical island, and among the colored population, Irish names are" not uncom-

mon. Father Mulry says that names like McCloud, McCarty, McCleary, Duncan, Walsh, Fagan, Meore, Brian, Kelly, and Gillespie show what happens to the sons of Erin when transplanted in a tropic soil. ' This morning after Mass,' he writes., 'I was particularly struck by the jovial appearance of a stout mulatto who had been caried up the hill by the stoutest of mules and who had made himself the centre of a laughing group of his fellows. His name, I found on inquiry, was Sullivan. And it was Mrs. Murray who brought to ler pastor, as her gift,. the most delicious of pineapples, called a cheese pine.' Help for the Sufferers by the Earthquake Ireland (wriies a Dublin correspondent) is determined to do her part in connection with the ,world-wide effort which is being made to assist those rendered destitute by the recent earthquake. His Eminence "Cardinal Logue has made an earnest appeal for them in the North. His Grace the Archbishop pf Dublin has addressed a letter to the clergy, secular and regular, of his diocese, directing that a collection be made for the same purpose. Dr. Walsh says it would be unwortliy of the traditional generosity of the Irish people if they failed to claim for themselves a place amongst the hundreds of thousands of those who, rick or poor as they themselves may be, are now hastening forward the world over, to give practical expression to their sympathy with the sorrow-stricken victims of the disastrous earthquake. Most Rev. Dr. O'Dwyer, Bishop of Limerick; Most Rev. Dr. Gaughran, Bishop of Meatli ; and Most Rev. Dr. McHugh, Bishop of Derry, have also directed tliat collections be made in their dioceses for "the relief of the victims who have survived. Many lay efforts, too, are being made with the same object in view, and are meeting with success, as instanced by the great attendance at the Antient Concert Rooms. The Irish Press Agency We {Catholic Times) cannot have too much of the enlightenment which the Irish Press Agency is diffusing amongst the British people. Mr. Stephen Givynn, M.P., in a letter to Mr. John Redmond, recounts some of the undertakings it has successfully carried through since -it was established a little over a year ago. The agency has assisted in the production of valuable works on the condition of Ireland, and has issued a number of useful leaflets dealing with charges against the Irish people. Through Irish and English Agencies over 100,000 copies ' of these leaflets have been distributed, and in exposing misrepresentation a good deal of correspondence has been carried on in the press. So far the amount of money expended has been comparatively small. As the work increases, the .need of additional expense will arise, and. we trust it will be generously met. Prejudice against the Irish on account of their creed and nationality is still very 'strong in some places, and is kept alive by bigoted religious and political organisations, which must be continually combated if truth and justice are to prevail. The' office of the Irish Press Agency ought to be made such a repository of facts and figures with regard to Irish affairs, whether historical or contemporary, that it may be possible for anyone on application to it to secure at once reliable information which can be employed effectively to refute slanders and libels upon tlie Irish character.