Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 7 April 1910, Page 547

Irish News

CORK—Mr. O’Brien and his Followers * . - With - the co-operation of distinguished Unionists (says the Catholic Times), Mr. William O’Brien is about .to establish a new daily paper in Cork, and there are other symptoms which indicate that he entertains the hope of permanently keeping up a Parliamentary. Party, however small. If he expressly allied himself with Lord Dunraven as a Conservative Devolutionist, his campaign might be of service to his country. Some of the landlords who have held aloof from the National movement might draw nearer to it and range themselves under his banner. But Mr. O’Brien is not content to play such a role. He is determined to resist the national forces, and he is devoting himself very largely to the task of denouncing Mr. Redmond’s policy. Cork City may support him for a time, but his adherents both there and throughout Cork County will grow weary of such an unprofitable, destructive crusade. The new journal will not create a strong party. Mr. O’Brien will once more bow to the will of the people, and retire from the political arena. It will not tell in his favor that when, as Mr. Dillon remarked on Friday night in the Hibernian Hall, Dublin,, the situation required delicate treatment and the exercise of the utmost Parliamentary" skill, he has exerted himself to pile up difficulties in the path of the Nationalist Party. DONEGAL—Tree-planting Some time ago (remarks the Freeman’s Journal) the County Donegal Committee of Agriculture appointed a subcommittee to formulate a scheme of tree-planting, and proposed to grant £75 to that body in order that something in the nature of a practical beginning might be made. To this plan the Department of Agriculture objects, on the ground that under existing schemes provision of this character has already been made. The communication from the department is instructive, as showing the extent to which the afforestation movement has been adopted by County Committees of Agriculture. It is stated that in 27 counties almost 427,000 trees, other than fruit trees, were distributed /by the committees during one planting season, and reports received from time to time by the department showed that this arrangement was appreciated and availed of to a large extent. Further, in the scheme of prizes for small farms the judge was instructed to take into consideration when making his awards the judicious planting of shelter belts on the holdings of competitors. DUBLIN— Students at the University In the University Church, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, on February 11, a meeting was held with the object of forming a sodality for Catholic students attending University College. The Most Rev. Dr. Donnelly, Bishop of Canea, delivered an interesting address, which was listened to with deep attention by the professors and students present, -who numbered over 300. His Lordship said he deemed it a very distinguished honor to be associated with them that evening in the formation of that pious Sodality. Forty-six years ago he preached from that very pulpit one of the University sermons there in the presence of all the governing authorities, the academic body, and the students of what was then known as the Catholic University of Ireland, and it pleased him very much that after such a long interval he had been invited to come back to that same pulpit when the tangled skein of University prospects seemed at length to be straightened out and when they were .beginning to make a new departure time not to go back, but to go forward resolutely and hopefully. At the time he spoke of that church was a University Church in very name. It was founded, as they knew, by that great man, the first Rector of the Catholic University of Ireland,Dr. Newman. Dr. Newman said that it was a work that he had in his mind earlier than any other work, because amongst other reasons it expressed the symbolism .of the indissoluble union of philosophy with religion, and because, as he declared in another place, the erection of a University in which no provision was made for Theological Chairs was an intellectual absurdity. The Bishop asked the students to enrol themselves as members of the sodality, and ■ he 'assured them that they would have no reason to regret the step for their prospects in this life or in the next. ,: The Royal Society of Antiquaries At the annual meeting of the Royal Society of Anti- * quaries of Ireland, the Most Rev. Dr. Donnelly, Bishop of Canea, and Count Plunkett, ■whose term of office as vicepresidents had ended, were elected members of Council. The new vice-presidents of the Society include Sir Henry Bellingham, D.L., The O’Neill (a Peer of Portugal), arid the Right Rev; Mgr. Fahy. Royal Irish Academy - At a recent meeting of the Royal.lrish Academy, Mr. Mario Esposito, the Irish-born son of a distinguished Nea-. politan musician, read a paper on * Hiberno-Latin Manurcripts in the Libraries of Switzerland.’ Searching in a few Swiss libraries, the young scholar has found some forty

mediaeval manuscripts of Irish origin. In referring the paper to the Council for publication, Count Plunkett drew attention to the importance of such researches in foreign libraries and monasteries, where much of the evidence ; of Ireland’s mission throughout Europe is treasured, or hidden. Makers of History : : ■ Addressing a jury in a Dublin case in which one of the parties was a Jew, Mr, Justice Kenny expressed his opinion that _ Jew or Gentile or Atheist would always receve a fair verdict from a Dublin jury. No one dare stand up in that court and say a single word against the Jews. The leader of the defendant’s case (Mr. Healy) went out of his way to compliment the Jews upon their present - conduct and their past history. In all times the Jews had been makers of history, leaders in every profession, in statesmanship, in every walk of life; and any attempt to condemn a Jew on account of his religion and his nationality showed a degraded and narrow mind, and no manof common sense would listen- to it for a moment. ■ * The Irish Leader and the Government On all hands (writes a Dublin correspondent) Mr. Redmond’s speech at the banquet given , to him on -February 10 in the Gresham Hotel, Dublin, is discussed,, and it has been received with a general feeling of satisfaction. Even Mr. O’Brien. and his friends refrain from criticising it in a hostile spirit. The following are the salient passages: ‘ There was but one great issue for us, and that great. issue is Home Rule for Ireland. The Veto of the House of Lords was for us in Ireland Home Rule. . And the pledge which decided us to support heart and soul the ,Liberal Party in the last General Election was the pledge which the Prime Minister gave, that neither he nor his colleagues would ever assume or retain office again in England unless they were given assurances that they would be; able r to curb and limit the Veto of r the House of Lords. I have always regarded Mr. Asquith as a man of his word. His word sometimes has not gone as far as I would wish it to go; but I have never had the. slightest reason to believe that he would not stand by his word as it was given. f/T say it is inconceivable that in this matter he should now waver in his purpose or palter with his pledges. To do so would, in my humble judgment—and I speak with great diffidencewould be to wreck the Liberal Party,', to drive them for. the next twenty years into the wilderness.: - I ' will not insult him by suggesting that he has any such intention. I see it has been suggested by the IVestminster Gazette , and some so-called Liberal organs in England, that the proper policy for the Government would be first to reintroduce and pass the Budget, and then deal with the question of the Veto at some more convenient time in the future is to say, it is seriously suggested that the House of Commons, having Avon a victory at the polls against the Lords, should send the . Budget back to the Lords with the request that under , the existing system of the Constitution they would be kind enough by favor to pass the Budget into law. I venture to say that to do so would be to give the whole case against the Lords away./ To do so would be to allow this great Constitutional crisis that has arisen greatest for 200 years peter out. To do so would mean to slack down the fires of enthusiasm amongst the democrats of England. To do so would be to disgust every real democrat in Great Britain. I say plainly that if Mr. Asquith is not in a position to say that he has such guarantees as are necessary to enable him to pass the Veto Bill through the House of Lords this year, and if, in spite of that, he intends, to use his own phrase, to retain" office in spite, of that, and ..proposes to pass the Budget into law, and then to adjournl do hot care for how long or how short adjourn the consideration of the question of the Veto of the House of Lords, that is a policy that Ireland cannot, and will riot, uphold. - A scene of _ the greatest enthusiasm here occurred, everyone present rising to his feet and vociferously cheering the pronouncement.' KERRY—Unfair Treatment The inequality in the Government’s treatment of -/ British and Irish schools was the theme of an address deli - vered recently in Killarney by the Right Rev. Dr. Marigan, Bishop of Kerry. Taking the estimates’for the current year, the Bishop pointed out that the Treasury contributes ; £791,250 for secondary education, in England £166,500 for. the same object in Scotland; and £26,400. for that pur-. pose in Wales; or a total of £984,150; but that no pro-: vision whatsoever is made from this source for secondary education in Ireland. It cannot be disputed (says the Catholic Times) that the Irish people have a just claim to an equivalent of the grants made to the other countries of the ; .United Kingdom, and we feel sure that if the claim is brought properly before the /public and pressed upon the attention of our legislators, it will be recognised. .; Dr. Marigan’s suggestion that the head ; masters of the Irish Intermediate schools should “discuss the subject from -time to time, make a joint application with the Commissioners of the Board of Intermediate Education to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and also 'approach the Irish Party, is • an excellent one. Under this unequal treatment the Irish secondary schools must suffer severely. As the Bishop-; says, the system is indefensible, and no serious opposition

could be fairly offered to proposals for remedying the grievance. : v ; , QALWAY —A Bishop’s Views on ‘ Public Questions After his consecration in Loughrea Cathedral on Sunday, February 13, the Right Rev, Dr. Gilmartin, Bishop of Clonfert, received addresses from various public bodies. Replying to that from the Galway County Council, he Lordship said he believed that Home Rule was the only remedy for the grievances referred to in it, and that the one means of attaining - that goal was the aggressive presence in the House of Commons of a united and pledge-bound party, who might rely on the country to supply them with the sinews of war and to rid them of undisciplined and inefficient colleagues The provision for Galway College in the Irish Universities Act was so glaringly inadequate, and in such striking contrast with even the very moderate endowments of the sister colleges of the new University, that he regarded the redress of that serious grievance as a matter of a short time. Replying to an address from the South Galway Executive of the United Irish League, Dr. Gilmartin said he never had any sympathy with the policy of attacking or belittling the Irish Party. They represented a great; principle they were their own; they had large gains to their credit; they were willing to receive advice from' those who had a right .to give it. In' reply to an address from the priests and people of Clonfert, his Lordship said he had no desire to leave the quiet cloisters of Maynooth, but now that it had pleased God to choose a weak instrument for a great mission he humbly placed himself in their hands. In reply to an address .from the National teachers, he said he should like to be considered their friend because they were- engaged in noble and meritorious work. Replying to an address from the local branch of the Gaelic League, Dr. Gilmartin said that as long as the , friends of the Faith and supporters of the language movement mutually Assisted each other there was no fear for the welfare of either, and the closer the two works were connected, the better it would be for the Faith and the more prosperous for the language. Replying to an address from the Temperance Mission of Clonfert, his Lordship said he was glad to hear that a healthy public opinion against the abuses of stimulants had extinguished the notion that ! decency could not subsist without drink. Addresses were also presented from the priests and people of the archdiocese of Tuam and the priests and people of Castlebar, his Lordship’s native parish. In the evening a banquet was given in the Town Hall by the newly-conse-crated Bishop, who had on his right Cardinal Logue and on his left the Archbishop of Tuam. The New Bishop of Clonfert In Loughrea Cathedral, on February 13, the Most Rev. Dr. Gilmartin was consecrated Bishop of Clonfert, in presence of a congregation that filled the sacred edifice to overflowing. Dr. Gilmartin’s popularity with the clergy was amply evident from the great number of priests, many of them from distant parts of Ireland, that attended his consecration. His popularity with the people whose future destinies he has been appointed to guide was clearly shown by the general rejoicing throughout the ancient diocese of Clonfert. Loughrea itself, the historic old cathedral town, was decorated with flags and banners indicative of the people’s rejoicing. The streets were filled with a joyous crowd during the day, while at night they were brilliantly illuminated. The consecration was carried out with all the impressive ceremonial which the Church prescribes for events of such importance. His Eminence Cardinal Logue presided at the function. The Most Rev. Dr. Healy, Archbishop of Tuam, was the consecrating prelate. The assistant Bishops were Right Rev. Dr. Browne, Bishop of Cloyne; Right Rev. Dr. O’Dea, Bishop of Galway; Right Rev. Dr. Fogarty, Bishop of Killaloe; Right Rev. Dr. McKenna,, Bishop of Clogher. WlCKLOW—Parliamentary Representation Mr. E. O’Kelly has been elected unopposed for Wicklow West, the seat rendered vacant by the death of Mr. J. O’Connor.