Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 10 December 1914, Page 45

Irish News

GENERAL.

Mr. Bernard McKenna, vice-chairman, presided over a special meeting of the Monaghan County Council, held recently in Ballybay. Scholarships in the National University, valued at £SO each, and tenable for three years, were awarded to Messrs. Owen McGuinnitty and Edward Lennon, of St. Macartan’s Seminary, Monaghan, and to Miss Lizzie Connolly, of St. Louis’ Convent, Carrickmacross. Bursaries valued at £25 per year were "awarded to Mr. Charles Daly, of Monaghan Seminary, and to Miss McK. Smyth, of the Convent of St. Louis’, Carrickmacross.

Three Irish Parliamentary seats are now vacant —- Derry City, East Galway, and the Tullamore Division of King’s County. Mr. Hogg (Derry) and Mr. John Roche (East Galway) died before the King’s signature was given to the Home Rule Act. Mr. Haviland Burke lived to learn that the great task to which more than twenty years of his life had been devoted was at last successfully accomplished.

On October 6 the election of members of Convocation of the National University took place at the offices, 49 Merrion square, Dublin. The following was the result:—Rev. Thomas A. Finlay, S.J.; Professor Patrick Merriman, Dr. Douglas Hyde, Professor MacWeeney, Dr. Sigerson, Professor McClelland, Miss O’Farrelly, and Dr. J. C. McWalter. “REVISION OF THE ROLLS. The revision sessions in Belfast and throughout Ulster are proceeding harmoniously so far; and, for the Nationalists satisfactory, says the Belfast Irish Weekly. In most places it is yet too soon to strike a balance of loss and gain; but congratulations may be tendered at once to the sterling Home Rulers of the Dungannon district of East Tyrone and to the Nationalist solicitors and officials there upon their notable success. The Nationalist strength in the Dungannon district has been increased by 24 votes — net gain which is, let us hope, the prelude to similar victories in other parts of one of the most precious and faithful' Parliamentary divisions in Ireland. East Tyrone has been Nationalist since it was constituted a separate ‘entity” in 1885. It has been contested —and energetically contested —by the Unionists on all the occasions which presented them-, selves; but to the sturdy inviolable territory which includes the historic seat of the great O’Neill’s, Shakespeare’s oft-quoted reference to England may be more truly applied than were the words of the immortal bard in their original context —‘ She never yet bent at the proud feet of a conqueror.’ The vigilance, earnestness, and patriotic spirit which prevailed at Dungannon will be manifested in every centre of East Tyrone. IRISH MEMBER KILLED AT THE FRONT. A cable message states that Captain Charles O’Neill, M. 8., Irish Nationalist member for South Armagh sine© 1909, was killed whilst fighting near Ypres. He was 65 years of age, and was for some time assistant professor of botany at St. Mungo’s College. He was a son of the late Mr. Hugh O’Neill, and was educated at Glasgow University, where he graduated as Bachelor of Medicine and Master of Surgery. He was a member of the Coatbridge (Lanarkshire) Town Council and School Board, and of the Airdrie and Coatbridge Water Trust. Captain O’Neill was elected three times for South Armagh in one year, and was the only surviving Nationalist in Parliament who was associated with Mr. Isaac Butt, at the inception of the Home Rule campaign, having been on,e of two delegates representing Irishmen in Scotland at the ' inauguration of the movement. He was a J.P. for Lanarkshire,. where he had resided since 1864. In 1910 he polled 2890 votes, as against 1003 received by Mr. S. H. Moynagh, an Independent Nationalist,

DRIVEN OUT OF - BELGIUM. Father McDonald, a Benedictine priest of the Abbey of St. Andre, near Bruges, who is staying with his relatives in County Louth since the outbreak of the war, has received intimation that the community of the great Benedictine Abbey of Mared Sous, near Dinant, have fled from that place in consequence of the indignities offered them by the Germans. Amongst the treasures of Mared Sous was a library of 70,000 volumes, which scholars from all over the country came to consult. The Abbot, Father Marmion, is an Irishman, and brother of Dr. Marmion, of Dungannon. The Community of St. Andre had already left the place and taken refuge in the Island of Caldy, near Tenby. The Abbot of Caldy and all his community (formerly Anglican) came over to the Catholic Church some time ago, and made his novintiate for the Catholic priesthood in St. Andre, to whose community he has now given a warm welcome. .i - i

TO FORM IRISH REGIMENTS. At a meeting of the Standing Committee of the U.1.L., held' in the House of Commons a few weeks ago, Mr. T. P. O'Connor presiding, a resolution was adopted calling attention to the fact that large bodies of Irishmen in Great Britain who had lately joined the Army had enrolled themselves in regiments not definitely associated with the Irish name. In the opinion of the Standing Committee, the gallant services of such Irishmen would be rendered more effective if recruits of Irish nationality could be embodied in a distinctively Irish regiment. In some places this was already being done, and the Standing Committee therefore suggests that similar action should be taken generally in all centres in Great Britain where an Irish regiment can be formed. Mr. O’Connor himself, and some of hv3 colleagues, are ready to go to any town where it is considered possible to form an Irish regiment and take part in its organisation. Such regiment will be afterwards embodied in the Irish Brigade which Mr. Redmond is endeavoring to establish, DECREASE IN IRISH CRIME. A remarkable decrease of crime in Ireland is recorded during the year 1913. According to a Blue Book just issued both indictable and non-indictable offences fell considerably below the level of recent years. The number of indictable offences known to the police during 1913 was 9241, while for the three previous years the numbers were, respectively, 9931, 9831, and 9870. The extent of the decrease is made obvious when stated in terms of proportion to the actual population. While the number of indictable offences in 1913 equalled an average of 2.11 per 1000 persons, the average for 1912 was 2.25, and in 1911 and 1910, respectively, 2.24 and 2.27. Even more marked was the fall in the numbers of non-indictable offences. After increasing from 185,345 in 1911 to 195,246 in. 1912, the number fell to 178,140 in 1913, a decrease of 17,106. A particularly gratifying feature of. this ’ decrease was the continued drop in the number of convictions for drunkenness. Compared with 1912 the decrease was 4104, but the figures for 1913 were 13,995 below the average for the previous ten years.