Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 21 September 1911, Page 1867

Irish News

CARLOWThe Presentation Convent The Rev. Mother and Sisters of the Presentation Convent have been quite recently the recipients of a gift from the ladies of Carlow of a very beautiful and valuable chalice, which was intended by the kind donors to mark their personal feelings of affection for these ladies, and of appreciation of their hundred years of fruitful and untiring work. This presentation was strictly local, and was organised as a fitting supplement to the great religious and festive celebration of the centenary of the foundation of the Convent, which took place on February 1. CLARE —Death of a Well Known Business Man The Clare Record reports the passing away of Mr. John O’Dea, Kildysart, whose unexpected death on July 1 came as a great shock to the people of the district where he was popularly known as an ideal business man and rate collector for the past thirty years. In ’ the latter capacity he was never known to do a harsh act in the discharge of his duty. The remains were taken from the residence of . the deceased to the parish church, Kildysart, where a Requiem High Mass was celebrated for the repose of his" soul. The Rev. D. O’Dea (brother), Ennis, was celebrant; Rev. J. O’Cleary (cousin), Scariff, deacon; Rev. P. O’Cleary (cousin), Maynooth, subdeacon; Rev. M. J. Hehir, Kildysart, master of ceremonies. In the choir was a large number of . priests from different parts of the county. The funeral took place at the family burial ground at Kilcriest. The large attendance of mourners and the signs of sorrow everywhere visible bore testimony to the esteem in which the deceased was held. All the clergy who assisted at the Requiem Mass attended the funeral, and took part in the burial service at the graveside. The principal mourners were Rev. D. O’Dea, and Messrs P. and J. O’Dea (brothers). The Rev. Father O’Dea, Omakau, Otago, is a cousin of the deceased. At a meeting of the Kildysart Feis committee feeling reference was made to the late Mr. O’Dea. The deceased (said Mr. James O’Neill), was always ready and willing to give a helping hand to any cause which had for its aim the interests of the country. Ever since the Gaelic League had been established in Kildysart he had given it every encouragement, and by his death it had lost one of its best supporters. Not only was he a supporter of the movement, but he was a scholar and a fluent speaker of the Irish language. The speaker then moved a vote of sympathy with the relatives of the deceased. This was seconded by Mr. Griffin (chairman), and agreed to, after which the meeting adjourned as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased. CORK Day of Rejoicing The Right Rev. Dr. Mangan, Bishop of Kerry, on Sunday, July 30, solemnly dedicated the beautiful new Church of the Sacred Heart, at Castletown, Berehaven, County Cork. The ceremony was attended by people from distant parts of the promontory, the head of Bantry Bay, on which the town is situated, and by practically everyone residing in the parish. The day was one of great rejoicing in Beara, which, as the student of history knows, played an important part in the last great struggle for Irish freedom. On the shores close by are the ruins of Dunboy Castle, the home of O Sullivan, chieftain of Beara. Beneath them sleep the brave MacGeoghan and his trusty followers, whose stand against the enormously superior forces forms one of the most interesting chapters of Irish history. The people of Berehaven are proud of the prowess of their forefathers, and are certainly not unworthy of them. The new church is erected on the site occupied by the old edifice, which for so many generations was the place of worship frequented by the inhabitants of Beara, whom no bribe could corrupt." After the dedication ceremony High Mass was celebrated, his Lordship the Right Rev. Dr. Mangan presiding. Very Rev. Canon Hayes, P.P., Ballylongford, who preached the dedi-

cation sermon, said zeal for the beauty of God’s house certainly burned in the hearts of the people of that ancient and historic diocese,, The church dedicated that morning, perfect in form, workmanship, and design, bore ample testimony to the abounding faith of the people of the parish. He heartily congratulated Canon McDonnell and his flock on this result of their' piety and self-sacrifice. DUBLIN-Gaelic Festival > The Oireachtas, the great annual literary, social, and industrial festival of the Gaelic League, was opened on July 29, when the public were admitted to the Art ?! nd Industries Exhibition in the Rotunda Gardens. In the industrial section there was a grand display of Irish manufactures from Dublin and various parts of the country, including some working exhibits representing peasant industries amongst Irish-speaking people in the West and South, The art . collection brought together a splendid assembly of pictures, lent for. the exhibition, and representing the best works of Irish artists. There was also an interesting collection of Irish sculpture work. The festival was continued during the first week in August. Death of a Priest The Augustinian Order has suffered a heavy loss by the death of Rev. Denis Mahony, 0.5. A., one of its TS ered members. Deceased, who was a native of Dublin, was attached to various houses of his Order and everywhere he ministered his great missionary zeal bore fruit. His death, which took place after a lone illness in a Dublin private hospital, was widely regretted by his brethren in religion and the laity. ' , : GALWAY—An Ancient Right , A very interesting case came, up ,in the Courts recently before Mr. Justice Barton, when John McConaig, a farmer on the island of Rathlin, sought an injunction against John McCormick and John McCurdy neighboring farmers, restraining them from removing seaweed from the shore adjacent to his land. , The, defendants argued that the seaweed was removed from the shore for the purposes of manuring their land and manufacturing kelp, and their predecessors had be'en m the habit of doing the same by virtue of a Crown grant. In taking the seaweed they were only exercising a right which had been in existence from time immemorial. Mr. Justice Barton gave judgment for. the defendants, and said the case was an echo of. the old-world Irish customs. , Like the Hebrides and the bhetlands, Rathlin had shared in the boom in the kelp Sg fcl9:h nr i?ntur y many iSlandS round the coasts KERRY—County Council and Motor Coaches _ A resolution adopted by the Kerry County Council threatens action. against the companies responsible for he running of heavy motor coaches over the tourist routes. The mover of the resolution stated that the coaches were ruining the tourist traffic in the Kiliarney district. The statement contrasts strongly with the argument of the promoters of the motor services that by the employment of the horseless vehicle the tourist traffic must be greatly developed. That the roads have suffered greatly by the introduction of the heavy coaches IJ.., 3 ™- and it is curious to read V that, whilst last ypar the companies contributed ,£l5O towards the upkeep of the highways, they have made no contribution this year. The Council have now unanimously decided that, if possible, they will prohibit the traffic unless the coach-owners contribute to the cost of repairing the roads. . Death of a Well Known Listowel Man rn’, our l lome exchanges announce the death of Mr. Thomas O Connell, J.P., Listowel, one of the most popular widely-respected, and esteemed men in Kerry he father of the Listowel Board of Guardians, its oldest member, a sterling Nationalist, Mr. O’Connell was chairman of the famous Parnell meeting at Listowel when the late Mr. Parnell uttered the memorable passage beginning, If I were dead and gone to- ; morrow. 5 LU

KILKENNY—Death of a Canon A fine type of the Irish priest in the person of the Very Rev., James Canon Raftree, . P.P., Mullinvat, County Kilkenny, has passed away to his eternal reward. His death, which took place on July 29 at his residence,, has occasioned widespread regret, not only in his own parish and the entire diocese of Ossory, but also in the city of Waterford, where his splendid traits of character won for him the affection and esteem of numerous citizens. In the temporal and spiritual welfare of his parishioners he at all times evinced a deep and active interest. The deceased had been, in failing health for a considerable time. A native of Ballyhale, where many of his relatives reside, he was educated for the priesthood in the Irish College at Paris. MAYO—The Croagh Patrick Pilgrimage . The pilgrimage on the last Sunday in July to the summit of Croagh Patrick, the Western mountain rendered for ever holy by the footsteps, the prayers, and fasting of Ireland’s National Apostle, was truly an impressive sight. It is calculated that the number of people who made the toilsome ascent, rendered doubly difficult by a terrible rain-storm which swept the sides of the mountain on the previous evening, exceeded fifteen thousand. Long before daylight the pilgrims, who came from all parts of Ireland, many from Great Britain, and not a few from foreign lands, started from Westport for Murrisk, from which the journey upwards commences. By seven o’clock thousands had already reached the summit. From that hour until mid-day Masses: were celebrated at frequent intervals, and at each there was a large number of communicants. Two sermons were delivered— one in Irish and the other in English. Very Rev. Canon Curran, Abbey, preached in Irish, and the Rev. John Gwynn, S.J., Dublin, in English. The ceremonies concluded with the singing, by a special choir of children from the convent and Christian Brothers’ Schools, of the ‘Hymn to St. Patrick,’ after which the descent began, the pious pilgrims in their religious enthusiasm forgetting the difficulties they had encountered in the ascent. WEXFORD —A Garden City In Wexford the garden city movement continues to make progress (says the Freeman’s Journal) . At the last meeting of the Gorey District Council the purchase from Sir George Errington of ; land on which to erect sixty cottages was considered. This had been dealt with before at a meeting of the Council, and it was decided to offer Sir George Errington the sum of £2OOO for the two fields known as Darcy’s and Redmond’s fields, situated adjacent to the Gorey Town Hall. The proposal was now ratified, and the clerk was directed to write to Sir George Errington informing him of the Council’s decision in the matter, and a separate scheme was also formulated for the erection of these cottages. Several smaller schemes were likewise formulated, including the purchase of cottages and land from Captain Bryan in the Ford division—that is, six cottages at £6O each and six acres of land at £35 per acre, situated in Tinteskin. Also the purchase of cottages and land from Mr. Michael Doyle in Ballingarry, from Mr. David Beddy, in Glandoran, and from Mr. Patrick Finn, in Boley Upper. GENERAL Father Vaughan on Home Rule Rev. Father Bernard Vaughan, S.J., being asked by some ardent politicians what he thought of Home Rule, replied : ‘ I will ' not answer you that question either as a priest or as a politician ; but this much as an Englishman I say fearlessly and deliberately, that if England wants to clasp the hand of friendship with Canada, the States, Australia, and her other Dependencies, she must make it clear to them that she has no quarrel at home with Ireland. So long as there is any want of peace and contentment on the Irish floor of the big house called the British Empire there will inevitably be irritation with England among Ireland’s supporters and sympathisers all over the world. That, at least, is my experience.