IRISH NEWS

New Zealand Tablet, 24 November 1921, Page 35

IRISH NEWS

Weekly Review of Events in Ireland (September 4 to September 10) .-■ > The following is a brief review : of the events in Ireland from Sunday, 4th September, to Saturday midnight, September 10, 1921: —• y - % : -.'■'" ' The period tinder review was marked by political events, many of them of considerable importance including the . publication of further correspondence relating to the Peace Negotiations and also statements by prominent members of the Dail Cabinet. Statements by Mr. Michael Collins and President de . ••■■ % : ■: ; :-y ' ' ! v'":>? Valera ■' ;v'"'V .'.'• /'. In a speech on the occasion. of his first public visit to his constituents in Co. Armagh, on Sunday, September 4, Mr. Michael Collins, Minister of Finance, exposed the fallacies used by England to divide Ireland and showed that historically, and economically Ulster was an integral part of the Nation. • / . ''!"-' -Interviewed by Press representatives at Armagh before the' meeting Mr. Collins stated 'that the acceptance by Britain of the principle of government by consent of the governed would mean a "speedy peace" between the two countries., ...£. ■■■• \*' s . '*'«..' t\ President de Valera interviewed at the Dublin Mansion House, oh September 6, said that a peace obtained by threats of force was no peace and that no Irishman would feel bound by it. It was to the mutual interest of Britain and Ireland that a real natural union of the two countries should be founded. This union could, have been established long ago were it not for the machinations of British politicians who interposed • artificial barriers to further their own ends. ';■'; ■ '1 . :•;•■. . "":■ The Reply to Mr. Lloyd George's Letter of August 26 The reply of President de Valera and the Dail Cabinet : . to the British Premier's letter of August 20, which was : delivered to the latter at Gairloch, Inverness, on September 1, was published" in the Press of September 5. The President stated that the British proposals of July 20 bad been irrevocably rejected by Dail Eireann and added that the statement that these proposals conformed to the prin>ciple of government by consent of the governed was false. The proposals would have the effect of dividing Ireland into '"i "two artificial states, each destructive of the other's in- ■■'.. fluence in any common Council, and both subject to. the I military, naval and economic control of the British Govern- ; ment." V;;. . .President de Valera declared that for the future all threats of force, covert or open, would have to be abandoned if*'the negotiations -were to continue: Force had for 750 failed to solve the Irish question. It would not solve j&'it now. ' The J plenipotentiaries would have to meet untrarnV.melled by any conditions save the facts themselves." Differ|.ences must be reconciled by principle and not by appeals to *y force. '"".''■'■■, .•>- :■■ :....•' • ■-•' '.-'.-■,>-«• ,

The British Cabinet Suggests a Conference '^ ] . On Wednesday, September 7, the British Cabinet, met at Inverness to consider. this letter. General Macready and ' General Tudor were i : also present. ■■., The decision of the Cabinet was embodied in a note which was handed to Commandant Barton at 4 p.m. on the same day and was published in the Press of September 9. In it the British Premier claimed that the principle of government by con.sent of the governed was the foundation of the British Constitution, but that Britain could not accept an interpretation v of 'i that principle which would ;: ; commit her to any demands Ireland might present] eVen to- the setting up of a Republic. Mr. Lloyd George, however, invited repi; resentatives v of Dail Eireann to a Conference at Inverness on September 20 "to .ascertain how the association *of l Ireland • with the community of nations known as the ; British Empire ■ can best be reconciled; with Irish National aspirations. ' • •-,....

More Threats of Force . r^'.^iOh;:" September 8, Mr. Lloyd George, replying to a telegram sent by the British Trades' Union Congress at Cardiff, urging; him to call the Irish representatives : to a Conference without delay, revived his threats of force and said that bloodshed was better than the disruption of the British Empire, which disruption would, he pretends, result from a recognition of Ireland's independence. :; Meeting of Dail Eireann Called The Cabinet of Dail Eireann held a meeting on September 9. Afterwards it ■ was announced that a private session of the -Dail: had been summoned for Wednesday, 14th inst., at the Mansion House; Dublin, at 11 a.m. Protests against Partition On Thursday, September 8, the Cabinet of Dail Eireann received at the Dublin Mansion House* a Deputation from representative bodies in South and East Down. The Deputation pointed out that in A : that part' of -,'•• the county the Nationalists were in a majority and had been elected to control every z public body in -the-area with one minor. exception. South and East Down were homogeneous with the Co. of Louth which they touched. This county had been placed in "Southern Ireland." The people of South and East Down would never submit to the Parliament set up in the Six Counties, under the British Partition Act and pledged themselves "to use all means to effectively resist the attempt of the British Government to coerce them into a separate administration from the rest of Ireland." It will be remembered that a similar protest against Partition ; was made on August 30, by deputations representing the Co. of Tyrone and Fermanagh. ""' ' : v Breaches of the Truce .; n „^ On Sunday night, September 4, a large number of Republicans returning from Mr. Collins' meeting at Armagh were attacked when leaving Belfast railway station by an Orange mob with whom were Special Constabulary. Three members of the I.R.A. dispersed the , attackers by firing revolver shots in the air. .... Some isolated attacks on Catholics took place on Friday and Saturday, 2nd and 3rd, the most brutal being that of an assault by a "B" Special Constable on a girl factory worker. The girl, who was 011 her' way to work at Gallagher's tobacco factory, ~was struck on the head with a paving stone, the Special Constable threatening to "blow . her Fenian brains out." v

The Escapes from Rath Internment Camp Early on the morning of September 9, 80 Irish prisoners interned at the Rath Camp, Curragh, Co. Kildare, escaped by tunnelling under Hhe barricades surrounding the camp. While their:comrades escalping the other prisoners organised a concert* to hold the attention of the guard. ' ' •-•'• •"• - - '■'■."■ . . v_'„ .' ;. ;'■ Commenting on these escapes at an Aeridheacht •at St. End£,'s, Rathfarnham; Dublin, on Sunday, September 11, Mr. Michael Collins said that these escapes had, for the first time, : ' been ; : .conducted 5 : without co-operation from the outside. It would have been a breach of the -Truce if there had been any outside co-operation. Speaking on behalf of the fund for the dependents of Irish prisoners and internees, Mr. Collins said that at the present moment there/were 3200 men interned 1500 serving sentences and 1000 more who had. been neither tried nor sentenced. There were three women doing life sentences, two were serving 'sentences'.-iofr ten years, one five years, and-one four years. Altogether there was a total of 40 women; one of - them a girl of 17, serving. sentences. - < *.- / ; -, -. v ■ Mr. Collins gave illustrations of the flagrant^ill-treat? ment of prisoners in many of the Irish gaols and intern* nieht camps, and:referred to': cases in which women pr is? oners were kept in police and military barracks for weeks f .witliouiifemalo., attendant/. ~. ~,-t , < "-,i .-. ' ".*'.

• ' Napier a <, (From our own correspondent.) „ ,4 r:,: : '' 7 ~ 1- _ ' f' ; : -vv November 9. \ ' r7' : Oil Sunday the 30ih nit. leaflets were distributed at St. Patrick’s Church, ' inviting the parishioners to send in the names , of deceased - relatives ■ whom they wished to bo remembered in the Masses during the month of Novemher. A list from the names given has been placed in the. church, stating the days on which Masses for the repose of the -souls of the departed are . to be celebrated. This gives relatives an opportunity to attend the Masses in ‘ which their beloved dead are to be remembered. On Sunday the 6th inst., fifty, children made their first Holy Communion at a special Mass celebrated by Rev. Father Goggan. An instruction suited to the occasion was given by Rev. Father Clancy. After the Mass the children assembled at St. Patrick’s Hall for Communion breakfast, provided by the Altar Society. On the following Wednesday the first Communicants of St. Patrick’s School presented Father Clancy with a little souvenir in gratitude to him for preparing them for their first Communion. . . ; >, The devotion of the Forty Hours’ Adoration commenced on Sunday the 6th inst. High Mass was celebrated by Rev. Dr. Casey; Rev. Fathers Goggan and Campbell assisting as deacon and sub-deacon respectively. The Altar was tastefully decorated, and its beautiful appearance reflected credit on the ladies of the Altar Society. At the close of the Mass a procession in honor of the Blessed Sacrament, participated in by the various confraternities, in regalia, and members of the congregation took place outside the church. In the evening an instructive sermon on the Blessed Sacrament was preached by Rev. Father Goggan. On Monday evening, Father Goggan again preached on the same subject, and imparted the Papal blessing to the congregation. The Quarant ’Ore was brought to a close on Tuesday morning. — W Martinborough To raise funds for the rebuilding of the Catholic Church destroyed by fire some two and a half years ago, the members of the Catholic community of Martinborough, held a sale of work on the 10th inst., in connection with the drawing of the art union. Brisk business was done by the busy Five of enthusiastic workers, who in their many activities strove to add to the funds already in hand, and a very satisfactory financial result has been attained, about £2BB being raised, £ll2 from the sale of work, and £176 from proceeds of art union. Mr. J. A. Boake (secretary) and his co-workers are to be complimented on the splendid result of their efforts. During the evening a promenade concert was contributed to by Mrs. C. O. Evans Miss Wallace, Mr. T. F. Mulcahy, and Mr. James Dykes. Tim Municipal Band played selections during the evening Completed-returns show the total receipts are slightly over • i-oUv?. * - > ■ . . • ; r, — —<XX> - Hokitika Rev. Fathers O’Leary and Vincent, Marist Missioned, ,; have just concluded a mission in the parish of St. Mary’s, > Hokitika (writes a correspondent). Prior to,commencing £ in ..-Hokitika Father Vincent - conducted a week’s mission" ■ ■ each at Kokatahi, Kanieri, and Arahura. In each of theseoutlying districts the exercises were very well attended , and regarded by the people as a happy event in their lives, =>, those being the first missions given in these country dist tricts. The mission began in Hokitika on Sunday, the 30th . pit., and continued for 15 days. During, that time both father 0 Leary and Father Vincent gave many sermons ■ that will long be remembered here. They worked hard, and their , labors were rewarded when, about 300 approached •• the - Holy Table each morning. Oh the final Sunday the number increased to just on 400—a great i achievement in J so small a town. The mission Concluded with I a powerful i ; sermon on “The Catholic Church and Her Claims,” the renewal of the baptismal vows and the imparting of the Papal , Messing. There was a general feeling of sorrow when Father O’Leary said good-bye on behalf of Father Vincent ; and . himself. These . two : devoted priests will i long be kept . '-V--V> ; ■ •. ■ .• - -V J ?. -i ,r • S- i *, r . V " . ■ —■■■■

in affectionate remembrance for they worked hard in our behalf. Too much cannot be said of the fine work of the Sisters of Mercy in , bringing about the great success of the mission. Through - their . efforts and the great work of Rev. Dr. -Kennedy, our parish priest, no less than 96 per cent, of our people have made the mission. The parish is deeply grateful to Rev. Dr. Kennedy for securing for us this fine mission, and we feel sure that the seating accommodation of St. Mary’s will be fully taxed in the future.