Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 7 October 1909, Page 1587

Irish News

CLARE— Visit of the Bishop of Galway

The Most Rev. Dr. ODea paid a visit on Sunday, August 15, to Ennistymon, Cqunty Clare, which is -within a few _, miles of his native place. .His Lordship was received'with unbounded enthusiasm by an enormous gathering of people. A procession fully two miles long accompanied him from "the railway station to the church, where the religious ceremonies took place. He then visited the Convent of Mercy, where he was presented with addresses by the priests and people of the parish, the Christian Brothers, the girls of the Convent schools, and the Board of Guardians. In reply, Dr. ODea delivered an interesting address, in the course of which he dwelt forcibly on the evils of intemperance and expressed delight to learn that it was disappearing. He rejoiced, in the passing of the scourge from those he loved, but it had not wholly passed. There was vital work to be done for temperance still. He was glad to have the opportunity of protesting against the treatment of University College, Galway. Before the Act of last year, Galway, Cork, and Belfast were equal in State endowment, each receiving about £11,400 yearly. Henceforth Belfast will receive £28,000, Cork £20,000, and Galway £12,000 annually. He claimed that the disparity was a most grievous and far-reaching injustice to the West of Ireland.

DERRY— The Usual Methods

The two-hundredth anniversary of the JRelief of Derry was celebrated in the usual manner in the Maiden City. The windows of several houses occupied by Catholics were smashed. There were 250 policemen on duty in the streets during the celebration.

DONEGAL— Valuable Chalices

Two very valuable chalices have been presented to Donegal parish by Mrs. Sieyes, Bundoran, sister of the late Right Rev. Monsignor McFadden, P.P., V.G., Dean of Raphoe. One is known as the ' Abbey Chalice,' and was used by the monks of the ancient Abbey of Donegal. In the penal times they took it with them to the mountains, where they sought refuge from their persecutors. The other, which is of exquisite design, was used daily for many years by the late Dean.

DUBLIN— The Promotion of Temperance

Of the various agencies working for the promotion of temperance, each and all of which deserve great credit, there" is evidently none more efficacious (writes a Dublin correspondent) than the crusade carried on by the Capuchin Fathers. To these zealous and energetic clergymen the Irish Bishops entrusted in a special manner the great cause of temperance some years ago, and the result shows tin 1 wisdom of their Lordships' decision. Morning, noon, and night, in season and out of season, the Capuchin Fathers of Church street, Dublin, are fighting the demon of intemperance, and doing so "with marvellous success, as even official statistics prove. The time is not far distant, if temperance progresses at its present sure and steady pace, when the drunkard will he as extinct in Ireland as the dodo or the elk.

A New Daily Paper

The first issue of the Sinn Fein Daily was to appear in Dublin about the middle of August. It will be an evening paper, with three editions, and the promoters deem a capital of £8000 .sufficient for the enterprise.

The Archbishop of New Orleans

His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Blenk, S.M., Archbishop of NeAv Orleans, was on a visit to Dublin in the early part of August. He was the guest of the Marist Fathers in Leeson street. The distinguished prelate, who is American by birth and German by extraction, is an old pupil of the Marist Fathers' College in Leeson street, where his early studies were pursued with all the promise of success which his subsequent r,career has realised. On leaving his preparatory school he read a distinguished course in the University College, Stephen's Green, where he graduated with honors in mathematics under the late Dr. Casey, and in classics under Professors Stewart and Orms'oy. For some years he was one of the teaching staff of the Marist College in Leeson street, and afterwards engaged in tlie missionary work of his Order in Louisiana, where his zeal and energy in promoting the - interests of religion and education made his personality one of the .most influential* and widely Known in the public and ecclesiastical life of that State. From thence he was called to the Bishopric of Porto Rico in 1899, and on the death of the late Archbishop Chapelle he was promoted to the See of New- Orleans. His Grace, who has recently been on a visit to the Holy See (says the Freeman's Journal), lias taken part in the festivities at Orleans in honor of Joan of Arc, and the proceedings of" the Eucharistic Congress in .Cologne. Since his arrival in Ireland- Dr. Blenk has been visiting many of his old confreres and school companions, and while in Dublin he has made a round of a mamber of important

institutions in the city, including the Drumcondra Training College, with which he was most favorably impressed, and the University College. His Grace expresses himself much gratified with the marked improvements which he has observed in Ireland since he was last there,, particularly - the vigorous reawakening in the educational- and industrial life of the country. ;

KERRY— Sad Drowning Accident

On the afternoon of August- 13, on the coast of the Great Blasket Island, west" of Kerry, Miss Nicolls, M.A., only daughter of Mr. Archibald Nicolls,- LL.D., secretary of the Irish Loan Fund, Dublin, was drowned while endeavoring to save the life of Miss Kate Crohan, a native of the island. A brother of the latter was also drowned while making a gallant attempt to aid his sister, who fortunately was rescued after one of the narrowest escapes imaginable. Miss Nicolls, although only 25 years of age, had distinguished herself greatly as a scholar. She had a record of accomplishment altogether exceptional. Her first steps in education were taken under the charge of the nuns at Loreto Convent, Charleville road, Rathmines. While under instruction there she passed, in the junior and middle grades of the Inter mediate examinations with, some distinction. She then went to Loreto College, Stephen's Green, and on passing in the senior grade of the Intermediate she' was awarded the exhibition in modern languages and first class prizes in Irish, French, and German. . Her University successes surpassed even the promise of those early distinctions. She matriculated in the Royal University, winning first class honors- in Irish and Latin. and an exhibition. At the next stage she won first class honors in Irish, German, Logic, and Latin, and a first class exhibition of £36, as well as the Stewart Scholarship. On graduating in Arts, she obtained first place and first, class honors in modern literature and a first class exhibition. She obtained her M.A. degree last year, and won first place and first class honors and a £300 scholarship. Such is the bare record of her distinctions, which speak clearly of her scholarly attainments". They tell little, however, of her intense enthusiasm for the study of the Irish language, both in its spoken and its old literary aspects. She was well instructed in both at Loreto College, and while afterwards she delved further into Celtic lore, at Paris, under M. D.'Arbois de Jubainville, and also in Berlin (where she went deeply into German literature), she studied the living language in the remote parts of the country where it is still the usual speech of the peasants and fisherfolK. It was for the latter object that she visited Great Blasket' Island. Miss Nicolls was most enthuiastic in promoting the objects of the Gaelic League. She acted as one of their organisers, and also as secretary of the Dublin Feis, and in this work, as in other directions, she seems to have shown a remarkable gift of influencing those around her and communicating some of her own qualities of application and enthusiasm. Her noble act of self-sacrifice was in keeping with her life.

KILKENNY— The New Member

Commenting on the election of Mr. Matthew Keating as member of Parliament for South Kilkenny, the London Pall Mall Gazette, says: Mr. Keating is a ready speaker of much vigor and self-possession, though his forte would seem to be rather in the direction of debate than of set speeches. He is the possessor of a fine light baritone voice, and used to be in great requisition for Irish charity concerts and entertainments. A varied commercial career here in London has provided him with the experience that should be of service in connection with Irish industries, and, like so many of his countrymen, ho has a natural turn with the pen. He is a brother of the novelist, Mr. Joseph Keating, Mho has made the colliery disaster and the mining region of Wales a field of his own, and whose first novel was ranked in a Times review as equal in some respects to Kipling. Both of them would probably admit that a Welsh environment from their birth has given a stimulus to their Celtic gifts, but in the case of the new M.P. there is no doubt as to where his national sympathies lie.

MAYO— Charitable Bequest

The late Mr. Martin Carey, of Newport, County Mayo, left £10,000 for the erection of a church in that town, the money and interest to he expended within five years.

MONAGHAN Archbishop Farley

The Most Rev. Dr. Farley, after spending a pleasant few days as the guest of his Eminence Cardinal -Logue, paid a visit to Monaghan, where he has many relatives and friends. At the Bishop's Palace he met several, old acqiiaintances. It is some fifteen years since he visited Monaghan last, the occasion then being the solemn dedication of St. Macartau's Cathedral. On leaving Monaghan Dr. Farley jn'oceeded to Castle Bellingham, County Louth, where he was the guest of Sir Henry and Lady Bellingham.

WICKLOW— A Carnegie Library *

A tender at £1867 for the erection of a Carnegie Library in Bray has been accepted by the Urban Council. The building is to be of granite, and should, therefore, be as substantial as the many others in Ireland erected at the -expense of the Scottish-American millionaire.

GENERAL

The Parliamentary Fund

The subscriptions received for the year up to August 6 for the United Irish Parliamentary and National tfimd amounted to £3494 17s 7d. On Arigust 8 last year the figures were £4930 7s -6d; and on August 3, 1907, £'5454 2s lid.

The Irish Land Bill

The Irish Land Purchase Bill was read a second time in the House of Lords last week without a division. Several of the members of the Upper House expressed themselves as opposed to certain features of the measure, but did not carry their opposition so far as to support the rejection of it as proposed by Lord Dunraven.

Good Payers

The annual report of the Local Government Board for Ireland for the year ended on March 31 states that the collection of the poor-rate by the County and District Councils during the year was satisfactorily carried out, practically 99 per cent, of the rates for the year being lodged by March 31, 1909. In the case of. .twelve counties, the entire amounts included in the collectors' warrants were lodged by March 31 ; in eleven counties very small sums remained outstanding, and in the remaining counties the amounts uncollected were not considerable. In most cases the failure to close within the prescribed time was due to vacancies in the office of collector for portion of the collection period.

A Record Run

On August 17, Mr. Charles Murphy, a well-known member of the Irish Motor Union, established a new record for an end-to-end ruif through Ireland. Starting at "6 a.m. from Rock Island Coastguard Station, in the extreme south, ho reached Ballyvoy, near Fair Head, the extreme northerly point, at 7 p.m., thus beating his previous record by two and a half hours. The route taken was through Cork, via Bog of Allen, Armagh, and Antrim.

A Question of Morality

Certain Protestants who circulate false statements about Catholics are not- to be deterred from their vile work by the exposure of their misrepresentations (remarks the Catholic Times). Despite convincing arguments and proofs showing how they libel Catholics, they persist in their unjust attacks. Their conduct makes it necessary that we should not allow to pass without notice opportunities of enabling honorable Protestants to see what is the true state of affairs. Reliable information on the question of morality in Ireland is given in the annual report of the Registrar-General on the marriages, births, and deaths registered in the country during the year 1908. What does this document teach ? That the Irish, both Catholic and Protestant, are a moral people, but that the Irish Catholic is more moral than the Irish Protestant. Of the 102,039 children whose births were registered in Ireland dxiring the year 3908, 99,449, or 97.5 per cent., were legitimate, and 2590, or 2.5 per cent., were illegitimate, the latter being 0.1 below the average for the preceding ten years. These results, in the opinion of the RegistrarGeneral, bear favorable comparison with the returns for most other countries. In Ulster, 3.4 per cent, of the children were illegitimate ; in Leinster the percentage was 2.6; in Munster, 2.1; and in Connaught, 0.7. It will be observed that in Ulster, where Protestantism prevails, illegitimacy is highest. In ..all -the Catholic provinces the rate is considerably lower. It is lowest of all in Connaught, where the intermixture of Protestants is smallest.

Awards for Life-saving

The Committee of the Royal Humane Society made recently a large number of awards for brave action in saving, or attempting to save, life from drowning, the following cases being from Ireland : Testimonial to James Kenny, St. Ignatius avenue, Dublin, for his plucky attempt to save a man named Danniel, who was drowned in the Royal Canal on July 11. Bronze medal and certificate to Captain P. M. Connellan, Ist Battalion Hampshire Regiment, for his gallantry in saving a soldier of the same battalion, who was swept away while, bathing at Magilligan Point, County Londonderry, on July 1. Testimonial to James J. Bennett, aged 11, son of Acting-Sergeant Bennett, R.1.C., Philipstown, King's County, for his courageous rescue of a younger lad from 9ft of water in the Grand Canal there on July 2. Testimonial to William Anderson, master of_ the steamer Carlingford Lough, for his gallantry on July 5 in saving a seaman from 12ft of water in the harbor at Courtmacsherry, County Cork. Testimonial to Michael J. Murphy, son of Mr. Murphy, Grand Hotel, Tramore, Waterford, for his rescue of Annie Ryanj who had gone out into deep water and got into difficulty on July 15.