Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 23 January 1913, Page 39

Irish News

GENERAL. In September next the Dublin Freeman's Journal will celebrate the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of its foundation. In the Senate of the Queen's University, Belfast, on November 28, a motion protesting in the interests of the University against the Campbell amendment excluding the University from the control of the Irish Parliament under the Home Rule Bill was defeated on a purely party vote of fifteen to nine. At a students' meeting there were 172 votes for a similar resolution, but it was defeated by a majority of 97. In the action brought by the Rev. P. McElkenny, Ballygawley, for damages tor alleged slander, which came before Mr. Justice Wright and a common jury, Mr. Henry, K.C., for the plaintiff, announced that the defendant had agreed to apologise and had admitted that there was no foundation for the charges, and had also agreed to pay the costs. The plaintiff had agreed to accept the apology, as his sole desire was to clear his reputation, and he was at no time desirous of making anything out of the action.

MINING IN CAVAN. It is stated that steps have been taken to open a coal mine at Gubaneery, near Blacklion, County Cavan. Mr. Woods, an English coal expert, has made an exhaustive analytical examination of the place and has decided to float a company with a capital of £IOO,OOO for the purpose of opening up mines. It is also said that the promoter has taken a lease of two thousand acres of land for mining purposes. In the same neighborhood there are great quantities of iron and fire clay, and the company intend to establish blast furnaces and smelting works. LINKS WITH DANIEL O'CONNELL. At Castletown, Berehaven, County Cork, there died recently at the age of eighty-five, Mr. Michael McCarthy, a man of striking individuality, who had for years taken a leading part in every charitable and patriotic movement in West Cork. His death removed a link with the far past, as may be gleaned from the fact that when a youth he had the honor of shaking hands with Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator, an incident which he regarded as the proudest of his life. The same paper which contained the news of the death of this fine old Irishman, had an item also on the death at Mullingar of Mrs. Catherine Houlihan, who had once superintended the cooking of dinner for the famous Daniel O'Connell and his friend Tom Steele, when these well-known Irishmen were in Mullingar, on their way to the great meeting at Tara, Count)'- Meath. THE BISHOP OF ROSS AND HOME RULE. A despatch received in Rome telling of the magnificent demonstration made in Liverpool by 40,000 Irishmen in favor of the Home Rule Bill has been read with much interest (says a Rome correspondent), particularly as on the same day the Irish colony of this city gathered at the Irish College to hear an exposition of the measure from an economic and electoral standpoint by the Right Rev. Dr. Kelly, Bishop of Ross, who has been making his visit ad limina. In introducing the lecturer, the chairman of the meeting, the Right Rev. Dr. Fogarty, Bishop of Killaloe, referred to Dr. Kelly as one of the expert financiers of Great Britain and Ireland, whose knowledge of finance is frequently invoked by the English Government with credit to the Irish Hierarchy. There is room here for only a few of the more striking ideas developed by the Bishop of Ross, after detailing facts and figures of a technical kind on the Bill. ' Will Home Rule,' asked his Lordship, ' prove detrimental to the Catholic faith in Ireland V To this question an emphatic negative was given by Dr. Kelly. Far from injuring the Catholic religion, Home Rule would only root it more deeply in the Irish soil. There was no danger of French or

Italian anti-clerical ideas creeping into Erin. Forty years ago Irishmen looked upon Italy and France with, admiration to-day there was in Ireland a dislike and contempt for the anti-clericals of those countries, who had subjected the Church to ill-treatment. Nor was there any danger of unsound French literature coming into Ireland. Nowadays the only menace in this line was the immoral literature that flowed over from England. Bishop Kelly’s advocacy of the retention of the Lord Lieutenant in Dublin is based on social reasons. He would like to see the grand old capital given back that air of social distinction which it had, by reason of the residence of Irish noblemen on the banks of the Liffey in the days prior to the Union. Then money flowed up and down the country. To-day much of it which ought to remain in Ireland went to England and Scotland. Dr. Kelly’s remarks in reference to the much-harped-upon poverty of Ireland were listened .to with keen interest. In Ireland, he said, there was no such thing as poverty as it was understood in other countries, especially in England and Scotland, where there are degrees of sordid misery never experienced in the sister isle.

THE ARCHDIOCESE OF TUAM. To mark the occasion of his elevation to the episcopate, and as a token of their loyalty and good wishes, the people of Castlebar, Co. Mayo, will shortly present the Most Rev. Dr. Higgins with an appropriate souvenir in the form of an illuminated address. The latter is a most attractive specimen of Irish art, being a richly carved oak Celtic triptych of graceful and beautiful design. The address proper is contained in the centre panel within the doors, the ornamentation and the lettering being in rich and harmonious colors. On one of the panels is a full length portrait of Dr. Higgins, while on the outer sides are introduced the arms of Tuam and those of the prelate's family. The whole is embellished with historic designs and the carving and cabinet work are also excellently done.

THE GREENEST LAND. The Bishop of Leeds, who has spent his first holiday in Ireland, is enthusiastic, if I may use the expression, and feels like a son of it (writes the London correspondent of the Southern Cross). In an interview with a contemporary's reporter, he said that Ireland deserved to be called the Green Isle. He had never seen such beautiful green. It was the greenest green his eyes had ever looked upon. He should call Ireland a cosy country. What he saw of it was splendidly wooded; ample hedges fenced in the fields, and the homesteads were neat and attractive. He was particularly struck with the nice, tidy laborers' cottages that are dotted all over the country. The churches were very good; it was pleasant to see the handsome spires of a Cathedral church rise up amidst the trees in every town and village, and best of all they were free from debt. These appreciative saying of the Right Rev. Prelate will make those who have not as yet seen the Greenest Land yearn to do it, and those who have done it desire to see it again.

THE UNIVERSITIES. These "Universities occupy a peculiar and unique positionfor the simple reason that Irish affairs, politically considered, are all peculiar and. unique (says the Irish News). The Irish Party in Parliament have left their future position in their own hands. Trinity—as at present advisedwants to come back to Ireland. It will be welcomedif Dr. Traill does not prevail and if he does, no honest man in Ireland will waste 'a sigh upon Trinity College. Belfast University has apparently arrived at a definite decision. We are sorry for it; but there is no reason what ever for grieving on Ireland's behalf. Our country has a National University; and an Irish Parliament and Administration will naturally and inevitably concentrate its resources for higher educational purposes on the development of this National institutewhen Trinity College and Q.U.B. stand outside Ireland. Trinity and Q.U.B. will have deliberately divorced themselves from the buoyant and rejuvenated nation. No one will interfere with them:

no one interferes with ruins crumbling into decay. The Irish Party made Q.U.B. ; the men who fought against its creation have decreed its doom. The country stands serenely oblivious of the petty storms in College Green, Dublin, and University Road, Belfast. They can decide for themselves. They are welcome to Ireland and if they choose to separate themselves from the country in which they are situated, and to declare themselves countryless institutions, Ireland will travel along the road of social, economic, educational, and national progress with no more heed for their existence than if they were neighbors and rivals of the University for the late Madhi’s adherents established under the auspices of Lord Kitchener at Khartoum.

DEPLORABLE EFFECTS OF STRIKES. Addressing a congregation of nearly 500 members of the men's sodality, the Rev. Father Flavin delivered a most important pronouncement in St. Michael's, Kingstown, in the course of which he dealt with the deplorable effects of strikes on the families of working men, and the sympathetic attitude which the Catholic Hierarchy adopted towards properly established and sanely conducted trade union organisations. He incidentally referred to a strike that existed at present in Kingstown, and he specifically wished it to be understood that he did not desire to say one word which might in any way prejudice the men's case, but he was anxious to say a word to the men who were not out on strike. He should like to tell them that before Christmas they would be called out on strike, so as to make what was called a ' respectable show.' He wanted to speak to the men who were not out on strike, who were content with their lot, and who thought that they had fair hours and reasonable wages. His advice to these men was not to leave their employment. He referred to the Irish Transport Workers' Union as a jumble sort of union, and not constituted as other trade unions. He declared that it was not right before God for unmarried men, who could submit to the inconvenience and poverty which always goes with strikes, to take such action as would lead to the punishment of their married colleagues, and hunger and death to their wives and children. It was a terrible thing to punish families who hitherto had 22s per week on which to live and who now had only eight or ten shillings on which to feed many mouths. In his opinion this meant starvation of the families, while if they got a glimpse behind the scenes they would find that their leaders were living in luxury. He held that before the extreme measure of a strike was resorted to the friends of both parties should be called in with a view to arbitration, and to investigate the claims of the men and the position taken up by their employers. But that policy would not suit the leaders. There should be a strike, and if there was no strike it would be said the leaders were not doing their duty. The leaders did not care whether the men starved or not. He told them that it was a cowardly thing to call a strike, which inflicted starvation on families. He advised the congregation not to countenance the strike at Christmas. Twenty-two golden years ago in Kingstown two men were dismissed from employment, and the others went out on strike in sympathy with them. Not one of these men was ever taken back. He personally investigated the cases of the two men, and found they were properly dismissed. In conclusion, he warned the workers of Kingstown not to be carried away by the clap-trap of men who would lead them to disaster and starvation, so far as their families were concerned.