Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 1 March 1917, Page 39

Irish News

GENERAL. The golden jubilee of the church of the Missionary Fathers, Enniscorthy, was celebrated on Christinas morning, when first Mass was celebrated at half-past five by Rev. John Rossiter, Superior. In a brief address, Father Rossiter outlined the history of the church, which replaced the one that stood on the site of the first Christian church in Enniscorthy. Canon Peter O'Leary has finished his translation of the Old Testament, thus completing the first Catholic translation into Irish of the whole Bible. The task of seeing the work through the press, owing to Canon O'Leary's advanced age (he is in his 78th year) is to be undertaken by Rev. Father Gerald O'Nolan. Canon O'Leary is an uncle of the Rev. Father O'Leary, the popular parish priest of Coorparoo, Brisbane, and cousin of the late Mgr. O'Leary, of Lawrence. Canon O'Leary is a notable Gaelic scholar and father of the Gaelic revival. GOOD WORK FOR THE POOR IN DUBLIN. A gathering which was able not only to dwell on the thought of excellent work done on behalf of the poor, but also to look forward to a distinct improvement in the provision for sheltering and housing the poor, was the annual meeting of the St. Vincent de Paul Night Shelter, which was held on the evening of Sunday, November 27, at the Mansion House, Dublin. There was a large attendance of representative citizens. His Grace Archbishop Walsh, who did not find himself equal to attending, sent a generous contribution of £2OO. The committee's report told of admission being given to the shelter in over sixteen thousand cases, and of twenty-five thousand two hundred and fortyseven meals being supplied. Mr. P. J. Brady, M.P., touched on the housing question, and the Lord Mayor, who was also one of the speakers, imparted the cheering news that the Corporation is engaged in carrying out a large scheme for the benefit of the working classes. It has obtained a loan for the purpose from America, and has already provided many houses in which families are living comfortably. Nothing could be better than this evidence of practical sympathy with the poor. The financial statement for the Night Shelter showed a deficit of £262, and there is a building debt of £1321. FOOD SUPPLIES IN IRELAND. The Irish Party, says the Cork Examiner, has done a signal service to the country in obtaining from a special committee a valuable report on the food supplies in Ireland. From this document it would seem as if the restriction on the export of potatoes, recently enforced by the Department, is insufficient to attain the object in view, and the committee urge the publication of a list of weekly shipments. In order to increase the production of potatoes for the country, the committee recommend the grant of free seed for increased area to all farmers undertaking to double the amount of land under potatoes, to all labourers undertaking to till the whole of their plots, and plant at least half with potatoes, and to all those undertaking the cultivation of untenanted land. Various other expedients are suggested for the increase of food. The whole question is of such urgent and genuine importance that untenanted land, if taken at all, must, it is suggested, be taken under the powers conferred under the Defence of the Realm Act so as to avoid any delay in obtaining special legislation. But the report contains even a more remarkable recommendation than that. The committee recommend that, subject to the fullest safeguards, there should be inaugurated a system of compulsory tillage, with a moderate starting minimum which would necessarily vary with differing circumstances. The land to be included in this scheme would include, in addition to untenanted.land, grazing

and demesne land which would be ' commandeered' by the Government and thrown open for conacre tillage. In connection with the food question, it is satisfactory to learn that the Government has practically decided to have a branch of the Food Controller's Department in Dublin, where matters of immediate concern to Ireland can be dealt with. THE IRISH PROBLEM. The Manchester Guardian has published a series of articles on the Irish question by ' An Ulster Imperialist.' The writer brings out very clearly the fact that the change which recently took place in Irish opinion was due to the unhappy and bungling policy pursued in Ireland by the Government. As to the solution of the Irish problem, he is confident that it is practicable if the Government take the right course. It is, he urges, within the Government's rights to say that they wish to concentrate their energies upon winning the war and to demand of Irishmen that they should help them by taking over the management of their- own local affairs and settling for themselves such points of difficulty as may arise. ' Take from us,' he says, ' all idea of making political scores against each other by insisting that the proceedings shall be private until agreement is reached; and give us, once and for all, the fullest authority to thrash out a plan which we shall all agree to make workable to the best of our powers.' It is not suggested how the hostility of Lord Lansdowne, Lord Salisbury, and other reactionary peers should be dealt with. That is the principal difficulty. Irishmen, Unionist and Nationalist, may meet and agree, but so long as the Government bows to the will of these peers any plans for a r system of Home Rule which would satisfy the Irish people are useless. A SELF-CONTRADICTORY CRITIC. The special correspondent of the Church Times in Dublin, labors hard to get readers of that paper to believe that the Catholic Church in Ireland is undergoing modifications. But he only succeeds in betraying a certain confusion of thought. For instance, he represents the bishops and clergy as men who exercise a restrictive influence on education wherever they have the power to do so. He does not say (remarks the Catholic Times) that they have no influence at the National University. The Catholic students who frequent it respect and esteem them. Yet the institution has, he states, ' leaped beyond the narrow seminarist ideals of those who demanded its establishment.' If the correspondent only remains a little while longer in the Irish capital and endeavors to make investigations he will find that he has been nursing illusions—that whilst the Irish Bishops and clergy teach the faith of St. Patrick in its fulness, they have no idea of fettering the intellectual independence of Catholic students or of modifying their religious attitude. To them belongs the credit of keeping closely in touch with the people despite the political and social changes that have come to pass in the course of centuries. The correspondent might more profitably devote himself to the work of endeavoring to compose the differences in his own Church. HISTORIC CLARE. Clare has played a grand part in the destiny of Ireland. No other country is so rich in Celtic lore and tradition. Perhaps for this reason she has been called ' historic ' Clare. Her bardic schools in North Thomond or Corcomroe flourished for centuries under the O'Dalys. To one of her sons, the renowned Eugene O'Curry, M.R.1.A., a grateful Ireland has raised a grand monument, which does justice to this far-famed .Celtologist. Clare has, however, another name, 'Tire Banner County,' which appeals more powerfully to the military pride of the Scotic race. When this proud distinction was conferred on her is difficult to say, probably during the Dalcassian period, when Brian Boru and his warrior Dal-Gais went forth

to battle with the Danes. Lady Ferguson, in her recent work, entitled The Irish Before the Conquest, does ample justice to the race of Cormac Cus, who freed Ireland from the hated Danish yoke and raised her up once more to national greatness. In more recent times Clare sent another great Irishman to bind up the wounds of Erin when she lay prostrate after those hated Penal days. She gave her Daniel O'Connell to open up a new era of religious freedom for Ireland and the world. THE POTATO CHOP. Mr. T. W. Russell, M.P., Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture, in a recent interview with a representative of the Freeman's Journal, made an important statement in regard to the potato crop, and gave some interesting details concerning the food supplies generally in Ireland. Mr. Russell takes a more favorable view of the situation than other Irish authorities. He expects the crop to yield an average of about 4 tons of tubers, large and small, to the acre. This is considerably below the yields of recent years ; but on the other hand these have been much above the yields of the 90's, 80's, 70's, and 60's of the last century. Mr. Russell says: —'I ask the people to keep their heads in regard to the potato crop. Every is not lost that is in the sea, and the potato crop may astonish some people yet. However, all talk of "Black '47" and John Mitchel's methods of dealing with hunger where it exists is out of place. The farmers are the great mass of the Irish people ; they are not starving, nor within sight of starvation. There are tens of thousands of people in the towns earning wages such as they never earned before. It is ilia old question of the very poor being always with us ; the old question of drink and bad housing conditions more than want of food. I refuse.—and I say this quite frankly to my friends in and out of Parliament, who talk to us about the poverty of Dublin and of the large towns in Ireland—l say frankly, you will never get rid of that until you deal with the drink question in these centres, and that is a thing that nobody in power in or out of Parliament seems at all inclined to do.' IRELAND'S NEW FIELD OF LABOR TN CHINA. The Irish Bishops, at their annual meeting at May2100th, last October (states an exchange), warmly advocated the fostering of vocations for ' the Foreign Missions. Since then many students and priests have declared their anxiety to come to the Far East. Their letters to us show that almost in all cases they are unable to meet the expenses of the journey. They are bravely trying to do so, and with some help from abroad they will be able to fulfil the fondly cherished hopes. At present there is no greater charity on this earth than to help to send priests to those poor, good people who are dying in millions as pagans because they have no chance of knowing the God Who died for them. It should only be a privilege for those at home to help these generous hearted priests to come to this promising and urgent mission field. To defray the expenses of one priest to China roughly costs about £6O. If one, or two, or three, or even a group of benefactors, or a Catholic Society, could pay this expense for a priest what a good thing it would be. They would have the satisfaction, too, of knowing that a priest in China is in a better position to do good work and gain souls than he can do in the whole mission field of the East or Africa. The work in China is really too big for any one country, but when several join in mutual help things are much easier. We have seen that sects of all kinds in China have united against us. Is it not then only right that we should get the earnest cooperation of Catholics of all lands in this strenuous battle for souls. In saying this we express the hope of Irish-priests and people that Australia will be with us in this glorious work, thus taking her rightful place amongst English-speaking countries in the conversion of China's millions.