Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 25 July 1912, Page 39

Irish News

GENERAL.

The Rev. Father Lewis Ryan, 0.P., Prior of St. Mary's, Cork, has been elected Provincial of the Irish Dominican Province. -~

The death has taken place of the Mother Abbess of the Poor Clare Convent, Drumshambo, Co. Leitrim, at the age of seventy-two. Deceased, who was known in the world as Miss Marion Grattan, was an aunt of Sir Thomas Grattan"'Esmonde, M.P.

White gloves were presented at Dundalk Quarter Sessions, Mr. Russell, Sub-Sheriff, stating that in Co. Louth this was the rule rather than tlie exception. His Honor Judge Green referred to former such presentations, and said he rejoiced that the county was in such an admirable state.

The Cork Board of Guardians have decided to take two trucks, of seven tons each, of Irish coal per week. There were two tenders from Ireland, the lowest being anthracite coal from Athy, delivered at 26s a ton. Of the other tenders the lowest was Wigan coal at 18s 3d. The.proprietor of the Irish mine regretted he could not quote lower owing to the high transit rates. The lowest of the other tenders was also as the workhouse requires 28 tons per week. Mrs. Mary Bryan, of Frankfort Lodge, Dun drum, County Dublin, celebrated her 109th birthday on June 1. When congratulated on her hearty appearance (he old 5 lady replied, ' I can't complain, considering. One hundred and nine is a great age.' ' Oh, yes, I can eat all right,' she said, in reply to a question. ' I have an egg,and a cup of tea every morning for breakfast, and I am fond of a couple of potatoes and a bit of meat for dinner.'

Another example of toleration was given at a recent meeting of the Castlebar District Council, which is composed entirely of Catholics, and which met for the purpose of appointing an architect and engineer for the two schemes of .laborers' cottages about to be erected in the Union. A. brisk canvass was made by the candidates. Yet Mr. Samuel J. Ryan, Castlebar (a Protestant) was elected by 16 votes to 10 given for his Catholic opponent, Mr. Thomas O'Boyle, C.E., a wellknown local engineer.

VULGAR BIGOTRY CONDEMNED.

Dealing on Sunday night, June 2, at Dolphin's Barn (Dublin) Methodist Church with the question, ' Why we are Protestants,' Rev. A. C. Williams said there was no more worthless Protestanism than that which expressed itself in ignorant intolerance and vulgar bigotry. For his part, he had never been ashamed of the Ireland that gave him birth, and any word said against her or her people strangely stirred his heart. He believed they had in Ireland, with all their faults, the grandest peasantry in the world. He thanked God that he was able to bear testimony to the kindness and consideration of his "Roman Catholic countrymen and to their attitude towards him, not only in Dublin, but in the South and West, when he went there to preach in fairs and markets.

CORK PRIEST'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.

The golden jubilee of Rev. E. Murphy, Killeagh, County Cork, was celebrated on June 1 in an enthusiastic manner by his parishioners, to whom he has loner endeared himself. The Workingmen's Band played from their rooms through the village to Father Murphy's residence, carrying lighted tar-barrels, and followed by a large crowd. The dwelling-houses were illuminated. / Father Murphy received a great ovation on appearing at his doorstep. He thanked the parishioners heartily for their goodwill. Jubilarian though he was, he hoped, please God, to live long enough to see realised the aspirations of the generations' of Irish patriots who had passed away in his lifetime.

LEGAL APPOINTMENTS.

The Right Hon. Charles A. O'Connor, K.C., his Majesty's Attorney-General for Ireland, has been appointed Master of the Rolls in room of the Right Hon. Richard E. Meredith, who has resigned through illhealth. He will be the second Catholic to hold the. position since 1801, the other being Sir Michael O'Loughlin, Bart. The new Master of the Rolls is an equity lawyer of the highest rank. It is stated that Mr. O'Connor's place will be taken by. the. SolicitorGeneral, Mr. Sergeant Ignatius O'Brien, who is a native of,Cork, and was called to the Bar in 1881. He is a member of the Munster Circuit, and has long held a foremost position in his profession, having been ' leader' in most of the big causes at trial in the Four Courts and on circuit for many years past. fc; *T 'lf

THE BISHOP OF KILLALA.

Three of the handsome illuminated addresses presented to his Lordship the Right Rev. Dr. Naughton, Bishop of Killala, on the occasion of his consecration, have been recently displayed in Ballina, after their completion by the artists, and have attracted a -considerable amount of interest and admiration. One is from the people of Ballina; another from the Protestants of the parish of Ballina, among the signatories being the Rector, the Rev. J. H. M. Nash, -8. A., and the third is from the priests of the diocese. The latter address was accompanied by a cheque for £SOO. Among the other presentations made to jus Lordship on .the occasion was a handsome side-car. It was the gift of Rev. A. McHale, Enniscrone, the Rev. M. Gallagher, Kilfian, and the Rev. B. M. Quin, Adm., Ballina, all of whom had labored in the same parishes with the new Bishop when he was on the mission. .

A DISTINGUISHED CATHOLIC EDUCATIONIST. Rev. Brother Thomas, for over twenty years Superior of the De la Salle Training College, Waterford,, has left for America, where he has been appointed Assistant-general of his Order. . While in Waterford Brother Thomas worked earnestly and successfully in the cause of Catholic education, to which he has devoted his life. He erected the magnificent .Training, College which has turned out so many splendid teachers. Brother Thomas is a son of the late Sir Robert Kane, President of the Queen's College, Cork, author of a standard work on the industrial resources of Ireland, and a brother of Admiral Kane, of Calliope fame, who saved his ship in the hurricane at Samoa in 1899, when so many vessels of other nations were wrecked in the pitiless storm and their crews drowned. America's gain in this case, as in so many others, is Ireland's loss, but there is the great consolation of knowing that he.will be engaged in the same noble cause as heretofore and that his lot will be cast to some extent at least among his fellow-countrymen.- . ')' ..

THE HOME RULE FUND.

The Home Rule Fund has gone up by about £IOOO inside a fortnight (says the Glasgow Observer). All over the country meetings are being held and*collections organised, and the reports of these meetings must give cold comfort to Ireland's enemies. The unity, loyalty, and enthusiasm of the people were never more marked. Already the total subscribed to the fund is nearly £II,OOO. This is an argument for Home Rule and the Irish Party which there is no explaining away. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing in connection with the fund is the announcement that Belfast, 'the citadel of the Union,' has subscribed close on £IOOO to it, and Belfast's list is not yet complete. These facts are most encouraging. But let there be no slackening of the good work, and no misgiving as to the necessity for making the fund as large as possible. The extent of the Tory resources and the scale and v nature of their operations are such as to render it absolutely necessary that the Jrish Party should be amply provided with the means to checkmate the Tory game at every point, and to carry on the fight without flagging or intermission; until Home Rule has been won.

PRESBYTERIANS AND THE VICEROY.

At an installation dinner in connection with St. James's Presbyterian Church, Ballymoney, Rev. J. B. Armour, 8.A., speaking in reply to the toast of The Lord Lieutenant and prosperity to Ireland,' said he believed the Earl of Aberdeen was one of the kindest of men and a most loyal Presbyterian. Under his regime, as Dr. Mcllveen had said, Presbyterians had got more fair play in regard to the government of the country than ever before. He certainly said that Presbyterians had got more places in the Government of Ireland during his reign than ever they had during the previous 150 years. At present a good many people thought he, should be driven out of the country, and he was sorry to say that even a few Presbyterians wanted back the ' old gang,' but he sincerely trusted that God Almighty would not answer their prayers in that respect. He was a good deal older than most of them, and he remembered the time when a man could not call his soul his own, when he dare not exercise the vote, and when he dare not say he had a shilling at stake in the land he tilled. After he was ordained there he remembered seeing the bailiff driving the farmers off that part of the country and ordering them to vote for the landlord's nominee. If they had a right now to vote as they pleased and to call their souls their own, whom had they to thank for it ? (Voices: ' The Nationalists ' and ' Gladstone.') Yes, they had to thank Gladstone. With regard to the future, they might make up their minds that changes were coming, and it did not matter whether it came from the Liberals or the Tories, a change was coming. He wanted to tell them that when the change did come they would not suffer either in regard to their religion or their property. Therefore, they, might possess their souls in patience. As they were all interested in the prospects of their country, he trusted they would not take the wrong way of showing it.

IRISH INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION.

In moving the adoption of the report at the annual meeting of the Irish Industrial Development Association, Mr. Hugh Wallace, who presided, said that the outstanding feature of the year was the large expenditure the council had gone through with regard to the trade mark in America About two years ago a person in America applied for a trade mark which was practically a fac-simile of the trade mark of the association, and they had spent something like £4OO in order to hinder the person referred to from getting for his own a trade mark which really belonged to the association. They had to thank Mr. Redmond and others for the interest they had taken in the matter, and they had also to acknowledge the kindly way in which President Taft met their advances. During the past year the ramifications of their association had been very great. The possibilities of their work were now greater than ever, and they were going forward with more confidence than before. Col. Sir Nugent Everard was elected president of the association, in the room of the late Captain Cuffe. Sir Nugent, in returning thanks, said that the work of the association had been of the _ greatest benefit to country, and, failing protection, he could not see any better way by which they could secure that anything they did produce of the highest quality should not be pirated by other countries. Mr. John P. Boland, M.P., was elected vice-president of the association.