A SHORT CATECHISM OF THE SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR

New Zealand Tablet, 25 November 1920, Page 18

A SHORT CATECHISM OF THE SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR

[Written by an Ulster Protestant Minister and dedicated to the cause of Irish Patriotism.]

Question. Name the longest war in history? Answer. The Seven Hundred and Fifty years of war between England and Ireland.

Q. When did this war begin?A. In A.D. 1169. Q. Who were the kings reigning in England and in Ireland at that time? —A. Henry 11. was king of England, and Roderick O’Connor was king of Ireland. Q. Who, and what caused this war?A. England, by interfering in Ireland’s internal affairs. Q. How would you characterise this war on the part of England and on the part of Ireland ? —A. On England’s part a war iff aggression : on Ireland’s part, a war of defence. . 2. ON USE OF RELIGION IN THE WAR. 0. Did Henry 11. give any reason for this act of aggression of his?— Yes. Henry said he wanted to reform the Irish people religiously. Q. 'Then Henry brought in religion as an aid: Hid Henry reform the Irish people religiously?— Henry tried to take away from the Irish people all their lands, allotting these among his court favorites and military chiefs. Q. , Did Henry 11. produce any authority in the way of credentials investing him with the rights of a reformer ? A. Henry displayed a document before the clergy in synod assembled at Cashel, purporting to be a Papal Dull entitling him to such action. This document has been regarded by learned men as false, fictitious and non-papal. At any rate, the Irish claim that neither Henry nor the Pope had any basic right to do as Henry actually did in Ireland.

Q. Have any other English rulers, statesmen, or politicians used religion as a cloak for their interfering in Irish internal affairs? A. Yes, manv of them.

Q. Name some of these?—A. Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth, James 1., Queen Anne, Oliver Cromwell, William 111., and we might add., Edward Carson, Autocrat, and Lloyd George, Weathercock.

Q. Did tin** Irish suffer on account of their religion? —A. Yes, the English banned the Irish religion: they robbed and burned down the Irish churches, they hunted the Irish priests for love, giving a bounty of ten dollars for a priest’s head. The priests when caught by order of the English authority were beheaded, disembowelled and quartered and the parts were exhibited in public places. The Irish people were constrained to attend English Church services, and fined 12 shillings if they absented themselves for one Sunday. The Irish people* were deprived of the right of education, the rights of property, and of citizenship if they did not accept the English religion. Moreover, the Irish people were constrained to accept the English religion in the English language, the .Irish language being banned in its rise to them] Tim English seek to ban the Irish language. Q. What religion did the English wish the Irish people to accept?—A. In the time of Henry IT. the English gave the Irish the Anglo-Roman religion: in the time of Henry A 111. and subsequently they imposed upon tin 1 Irish the Auglo-Protestant religion. Q. Are there many Protestants in Ireland? A. About one million or one-fourth of the whole is Protestant ■in religion. There might have been many more, but for the English religions teachers insisting upon giving their religion to the Irish people in the English language? which the Irish either hated or did not understand. Then too certain Anglo-Irish teachers of the Belfost-Coote ’ type have been deemed unpatriotic, more disposed to make the Irish English in character than to make them Christians, by which they succeed unwillingly in driving many openminded Protestants into the fold of the Catholic Church Q- Is England a Protestant nation?—A. England can hardly he called a Protestant nation. In politic? and commercial affairs England lias no religion other than allegiance to the God of Success. England allied herself with I*ranee, Italy, and Belgium, against Protestant Germany in Die late wan The English Government maintains an Envoy at the Vatican in Rome, which France and Itilv do nut do; thus England acknowledges the temporal power 0 f Dm Pope. It is amusing how the Carsonites wink at this. But it is all in the game. England is a nation of traders. She s commercial first, last and always. Were it not for the British working, men, England would be a soulless nation.

Q. Is this Anglo-Irish war a war of religion then?— A. By no nipans.. But England uses religion as a camouage or purposes of aiding her in exploiting Ireland.

3. ARE PROTESTANTS AND CATHOLICS IN THE WAR ? t 1 i Eo Protestants leave the whole fight against England to the Catholics, and take no part in the defence ot their country against this imperious and unscrupulous °- e * , e Catholics being more numerous, and upon the whole more opposed to England have suffered most and have borne the brunt of the battles. But many brave and noble-minded Protestants have stood and do now stand m itli the Catholics in defence of their • country ; these believe more or less in Sinn Fein—which is an Irish phrase o* 1 e -Reliance. In the past as well as now many Protestants have proved themselves worthy patriots, and have seivecl as , military commanders, organisers, campaign writers, spokesmen and statesmen in the defence of their country. s « lno oi these?—A. Lord Edward HitzO laM’ Mole lone, Napper Tandy, William Smith Buen, Robert Emmet, Thomas Davis, John Mitchcl, Henry Grattan, John Stewart Parnell, "John MacNoill Q. Name some other Irish leaders who have taken pail m the great war and distinguished themselves, though not irotestantsv-A. The O’Neills, Hugh, Shane and RoeJ at rick Sarsfield, Daniel O’Connell, Michael Davitt, ArGuir Griffith, Roger Casement, James Connolly, Thomas Ashe I horn as MacDonagh, Patrick Pearse, ’l’. I). Sullivan, I. Sheehy Skcffmgton, Laurence Gin..ell, Thomas Kellv Mayiir and the present acting-Mayor O’Neill of Dublin’ May or .1 bos. MaeCurtam of Cork, just recently murdered, -Mayor O Dougherty of Derry, President Eamon do Valera and Mayor T. MacSwooncy. Q. Name some leaders on the English side?—A. General Strongbow, the Earl of Essex, paramour of Queen Hess, G. C a row, a ruthless Minister of the same Queen, Diner Cromwell, scourge of Satan, William of Oraime of pious memory, William Pitt, English Imperialist, Viscount r rend., famous in retreat, Edward Carson, autoci at, and -Lloyd George, ”\\ catlu'rcock.

I. ENGLAND S .METHODS IN THIS AVAR. Q. Mention some of England’s methods of war for Hie conquest of Ireland, other than religious?—A. In general. Spoliation of tin' land, deportation of the Irish Iron, certain zones, plantation of these zones I.v AmdoSaxons, confiscation of large areas for this purpose’* such" as the notorious six counties in Lister; and’ in particular the use of fire sword, artificially produced famines, and more recently the up-to-date use of tanks, machine guns and bombing planes, ami defamation of Irish character. Q. How has England treated prisoners of war and political prisoners.— A. In times past she beheaded, disemboweled and quartered them: then exhibited the parts of the body in public places. More recently she bairns shouts or imprisons them indefinitely, without trial or even charge m manv cases.

Q. How has England treated the Irish women and children during the war?-A. She has often boon known to shoot them down indiscriminately, and without pity. lie lias quartered her soldiers upon them, to eat them out ,~l home and place, and invade the chastity „f the Irish woiiTen. She has driven women and children from their cabin homes, and has thus forced them to live upon wild fruits and wild vegetables and on asses’ flesh • and the mothers dying of hunger have become food for’their own children the little ones having been known to feed upon the nosh of their own mother! Q. Why have the civilised nations permitted Eimaml to engage m such a long and atrocious war upon lieland. ~ Jhe nations have not know the Irish side of the war, nor the suffering of the Irish people Reason obvious. 1 1

Q- Does England give any public reason for this long horrid war upon Ireland?—A. Wes. England ' tells the votld the Irish cannot govern themselves! England makes the nations believe that her work is wholly philan-

Q. Does England deal so with oilier nations ami peoples over which she gams power? Yes. Somewhat after the same maimer she treats India, Egypt colotues of peoples, of various nationalities in South Africa bile Mesopotamia and contiguous peoples lately put under her shall doubtless soon feel the pressure of her heel. Elmland says of these also: they cannot govern themselves! Q. Does England class the Irish with the natives of these countrieslndia, Egypt and other states of Africa 0 —A. Acs, England says, like these, the Irish cannot govern themselves; a rioted English statesman, Lord Salisbury, designated the Irish Hottentots! And England’s apology to- the civilised world for her atrocious duel in Ireland is. J lie Irish cannot govern themselves. mi t• . “ liat reply do the Irish give to England?—A. he Irish say, we want no favors .from a barbarous nationloose us and let us go; get out of our country* Q. And what reply does England give in turn O — A What we have we’ll hold.

• 5. ON THE OUTLOOK. Q. Has Ireland a war-slogan? A. Yes. ■ Q. Give it to me? —A. No Surrender! '■ Q. What is the man-power of Ireland —A. Ireland’s population is 4,500,000 in Ireland, and 30,000,000 outside of Ireland. The dispersion, found mostly in the following countries: ' The United States, Central and South America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, parts of Asia and continental Europe. And no matter where the sous-of Erin are cast, their hearts beat true to Ireland. ►Q- What is the population of the British Empire outside of Ireland? 400,000,000. Q. Does Ireland hope to win this long and bloody war against the British Empire, and regain her nationhood? A. Ireland never surrendered her nationhood. She has been often crushed, but never conquered. Today the soul of Ireland is unconquered and unconquerable. England rule in Ireland has been atrocious, a failure and a farce.

Ireland s defence, has been tragic but glorious. The war for Ireland is now won. Victory belongs to Erin. England must withdraw her army of occupation. And the sooner the better.

On the side of England have been hypocrisy, misrepresentation, atrocious and Satanic might. On the side of Ireland have been valor, heroism, truth and God-given light everything in fact, deemed noble and sacred among nations of uprightness and honor. Ireland wins! Truth crushed to earth, shall rise again ; the eternal years of God are hers; but Error, wounded, writhes in pain; and dies among his worshippers.” Q. "Watchman, what of the night A. The morning cometh, the shadows flee, night is gone! “The woman that sat upon the sea-beast” (her navy); that marked and commanded the merchandise of the world; “The Mistress of the Seas ’ arrayed in purple and scarlet; that sat upon many waters (people); and disported and played with kings and princesses too, she now goes to doom !