Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 29 February 1912, Page 39

Irish News

ANTRIM Eminent Ulster Historian With deep and sincere regret we announce the death of Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick, the eminent Ulster historian, at the age of sixty-seven (says the Belfast Irish Weekly). It is no exaggeration to say that by the death of Thomas Fitzpatrick, LL.D., this country has lost one-of its ablest sons, most thorough patriots, and most erudite historians. Dr. Fitzpatrick was an Ulsterman born, his native place being Gargory, in the parish of Lower Drumgooland, Co. Down. The date of his birth was October 28, 1844. His earlier years were devoted to the cause of education; and amongst the appointments held by him was a Professorship in St. Malachy’s College, Belfast, between the years 1880 and 1885. In the year 1884 he secured the degree of LL.D. Since then he labored extensively in that domain of Irish history which he made peculiarly his own. ’ CORK—Death of a Distinguished Priest

The news of the death, wholly unexpected, of the Very Rev. Canon O’Mahony, P.P., Kilmurry, Co. Cork, which occurred on January 4, at his residence there, came as a great shock to the people of the City and County of Cork, and his demise was much regretted elsewhere throughout the province of Munster, where he was well known and very highly respected. He officiated as usual on New Year’s Day, when he was apparently in his usual robust health, but the end came suddenly a few days later. The late Canon O’Mahony was a churchman of considerable eminence, his papers on various subjects read before Maynooth Union from time to time furnishing proof of his scholarly powers, and amongst his brethren in the Church he was looked upon as an authority on theological, educational, historical, and archaeological matters. Always a keen politician, he was ever a loyal supporter of the Irish Parliamentary Party, He was also a great advocate of the Gaelic League, and his services on the Cork Co. Council Technical Education Committee called forth the thanks of the organisation all over the country. His mastery of the Irish language was one of his many accomplishments. Resolutions of regret concerning his death have been passed by numerous public bodies in the south. DERRYWhite Gloves for the Judge ‘lt is very creditable to a city with a population of 40,000, and I hope it may long continue,’ Judge Overend remarked at the Derry Quarter Sessions, when presented with white gloves by Mr. Bible, High Sheriff, as a symbol of the absence of crime in the district. DUBLlN—Trading on the Ignorance of his Audience Mr. J. H. M. Campbell, M.P., a leading Irish Unionist, in a recent speech at Coleraine, told his Orange audience that, in' spite of what Archbishop Walsh had written on the matter, the recent Papal Motu Propria was applicable to Ireland. The Archbishop, in a letter to the Freeman , says he finds it hard to believe that Mr. Campbell placed himself in such a ludicrous position, which ‘ would be nothing else than trading on the ignorance of his Coleraine audience to represent himself- to them as qualified to instruct them upon points of Canon Law- law as to which he is . • . obviously incapable of imparting information to anyone.’ ■■■■*' V. FERMANAGHThe Reverse of the Picture ■ v Rev. Bernard Maguire, formerly president of the Irish College, Salamanca, delivered an instructive lecture recently in Enniskillen, in the course of which he said: Wherever Catholics had had an opportunity of boycotting their Protestant neighbors with impunity, so far from doing so, they had been generous towards them, and numbers , of Protestants who i had been in a position to observe the facts repudiated the charge of intolerance against Catholics. In the north-east corner of Ulster it was just the reverse in regard to Catholics. There was not a single Catholic employee under the Ballymoney Rural Council,,Antrim District

Council, Antrim Town Commissioners, Portrush Town Commissioners, Cookstown Urban Council, Aughnacloy Town Commissioners, Coleraine District Council, or Bangor Urban Council. Out of £II,OOO disbursed by the Belfast Harbor Board in salaries, Catholics receive the munificent sum of £2OO. A Generous Tribute At a meeting of the Fermanagh Co. Council, the Earl of Erne referred to the late Mr. J. Jordan, exM.P., whom he had known since 1869 as a generous opponent a hard hitter but very fair/ a man who never used his position to take an undue advantage, and in private life one of the most genial men his Lordship had ever met. Viscount Corry spoke as to . Mr. Jordan s great abilities and his great devotion to public duty.’ LIMERICK—A Bright and Cheerful City ®- In acknowledging the presentation of a pair of white gloves at Limerick Quarter Sessions for the city, Judge Law Smith said that coming down from the dreary north he always looked forward to Limerick for something'bright and cheerful, and on this occasion he found the High Sheriff there to present him with white gloves. LEITRIM—An Example of Tolerance Dr. Rutland, of Mohill, who is in politics a Unionist, was elected by the Mohill Board of Guardians as medical officer for the Rowan district, against Dr Florence O’Reilly, of Bailieboro’, Co. Cavan. A large crowd of Nationalists in the board-room and outside it cheered loudly when the result was made known. LOUTH—Drogheda Peaceful and Orderly . Judge Green, at Drogheda, was presented with white gloves. The Judge said the people of the town and district had reason to feel proud of living Jm, a locality which was an example to other places because of its peaceful and orderly condition. MAYO—Consecration of a Bishop ■ The town of Ballina was brilliantly decorated on Sunday, January 7, in honor of the consecration of the Most Rev. Dr. Naught on as Bishop of the diocese of Killala. The town was thronged with people, who came from all the surrounding districts, and from Dublin, many special trains being run for the occasion. The ceremony took place in the Cathedral, the consecrating prelate being his Grace Archbishop Healy, there being also present the Most Rev. Dr. Morrisroe and the Most Rev. Dr. Gilmartin. The sermon on the occasion was preached by the Right Rev. Mgr. Mannix, President of Maynooth College. His Lordship afterwards gave a reception in St. Muredach’s College, where a number of addresses were presented, including addresses from the priests of the diocese, the staff, and students of St. Muredach’s College, the Mayo County Council, Ballina District Council, the National teachers of the diocese Ballina Urban Council, and many other public bodies throughout the diocese, and one came from his Lordship’s Maynooth class-fellows. • Dr. Naughton said he was informed that several gentlemen of other creeds desired to be associated with the presentation of the addresses, and that their names appeared on the lists as generous subscribers. ‘ I value much,’ he said the spirit which inspired them to pay me this compliment, and I trust that the happy and cordial relations between Catholics and other religious communities in the town may long continue.’ A banquet was subsequently held. The Selection of Bishops in tJp 8 Most . Rev. Dr. Healy, speaking at the banquet in Ballina winch followed the consecration of the Most Rev Dr. Naughton as Bishop of Killala, said it was a’ great pleasure to him, as well as an act of duty, to come' there to take a leading part with his venerable . colleagues in the consecration of the new Bishop. There was not in the Church he said, any system of selecting a Bishop better than the system they had in Ireland Every parish priest represented, himself and his parish and had a voice in selecting the candidates for the honor ' and the names of the candidates so selected had to so before all the Bishops of the province, who had no-

interest in the matter except in the spiritual aspect, and reported accordingly to the Holy See. The result was that they had in Ireland as fine a body of Bishops as was to be found anywhere; Continuing, Dr. Healy said on his own behalf and that of his colleagues, that when they came to Ballina to consecrate Dr. Naughton they did a good day’s work, for his Grace believed they consecrated a prelate whose personal virtues, zeal, and learning and energy would uphold the ancient honor of the See of St. Muredach, which was also that of St. Patrick. GENERAL The Co-operative Movement At a Conference of Co-operative Societies of Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim, and Longford, a resolution was passed, on the motion of Rev. T. A. Finlay, S.J., protesting against the majority of the Council of Agriculture in refusing to recommend the Development Commissioners to grant a subsidy to ,the 1.A.0.5., as has been done in the cases of similar societies in England and Scotland. Father Kinlay, in criticising the action of the Department, which, he said, to all intents and purposes was Mr. T. W. Russell, pointed out how the Co-operative movement had spread from Ireland to other countries, and the benefits it conferred on Irish farmers. Playing at Treason In a scathing article on ‘Playing at Treason ’ the Manchester Guardian says Sir Edward Carson is under the delusion that a public man can first spend half a lifetime in preaching to other people the absolute duty of submitting to a kind of Government they hate, then turn round and scout the idea of submitting to a Government that he himself hatesand yet keep his character as a public man. The Question of Agricultural Credit ■The following have been appointed by the VicePresident of the Department of Agriculture to inquire into and report on the question of agricultural credit in Ireland, viz., Mr. George Murnaghan, J.P., chairman (formerly M.P. for Mid-Tyrone and chairman of the Irish Poor Law Commission) Mr. R.. K. Knox, LL.D. (late chairman of the Northern Banking Co.); Mr. C. F. Bastable, M.A., LL.D., Professor of Political Economy and Regius Professor of Laws, Dublin University Right Hon. W. F. Bailey, C. 8., one of the Estates Commissioners; Rev. T. A. Finlay, M.A., Vice-President' of the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society, and Professor of Economics in the National University of Ireland; Sir Robert Anderson, J.P., (of the firm of Messrs. Anderson and Macauley, Belfast); Mr. W. MacMorrogh Kavanagh, D.L. (formerly M.P. for Carlow); Mr. T. P. Gill, Secretary of the Department. Mr. IT. G. Smith, M.A., LL.D., has been appointed secretary to the committee.