IRISH NEWS

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 28, 19 July 1923, Page 43

IRISH NEWS

* * FARMERS EMIGRATING. The various batches of emigrants leaving Ulster have one rather ominous circumstance in common —the large number of farmers who formed part of their number. Ulster farmers all over the Six Counties, despairing of the outlook at home, are leaving in large numbers for Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and others are preparing to follow. Financial depression, unremunerative farming, and no prospect of improvement are the motives influencing their departure. The financial condition is worse than in the early 'eighties, which was another period.of emigration by the farming community. Another depressing fact is the number of failures taking place amongst farmers. In the present official list there are 156 cases of compounding with creditors in all parts of Ireland, and of this number 60 were of the farming class. There never has been such a proportionnearly 40 per cent.for the last 30 years, and it is not consoling to find that of the 60 failures in the farming community the Six Counties contributed 24. * WWW* THE U.I.L. DISSOLVED. . Some daily papers reporting the official dissolution of the United Irish Ltague referred to it as an organisation "which has been in existence for fifty years." This, of course, is quite inaccurate (says the Edinburgh Catholic Herald), i There has been a series of Irish Leagues. First there was the Land League—founded»about 1880—which in turn became or was succeeded by the Irish National League, which in turn gave way to the Irish National Federation, which in turn was succeeded by the United Irish League. It began rather as a sectional organisation, started in Mayo but eventually it was recognised as the official organisation supporting the Irish Parliamentary Party. To claim that the United Irish League had an existence of fifty years would be to claim continuity on its part with the Irish Home Rule Association which was started in 1873. It is true that both organisations had for their main purpose the attainment of Irish autonomy, but in inceptionorganisation, officials, and, above all, in sp|rit, they were distinct and apart. For years past the United Irish League has been defunct, although only now has \t\ demise been officially registered. v THE MORAL OF DUNGLOE. Derry City is the point at which all the anomalies and absurdities of Partition are focussed (says a Home paper). Its population is predominantly in favor of the Free State, but its Corporation is wholly Partitionist. Its commercial prosperity is based on a practical monopoly of the trade if North-West Donegal—a monopoly which the railway system was designed to perpetuate. Its merchants admit their dependence on trade with the Freee State, but they iave lent themselves, willingly or unwillingly, to the Par- , titionist policy of the Belfast Parliament. Their trade vith Donegal has been hurt by the Customs frontier, necessitated by the "opting out" decision of their Belfast tasknasters. This would seem to be a sufficiently high price to jay for the privilege of Belfast's overlordship. but the news ;hat North-West Donegal has made arrangements for direct (hipping between the port of Dungloe and various crosschannel ports must surely have given the Derry merchants ! ufiously to think. The development of Dungloe as a dis;ributing centre for North-West Donegal would mean the ;nd of Derry's century-old' monopoly of that valuable comnercial field. Already Derry merchants have met the new nenace by establishing branches in Free State territory. in doing so they tacitly condemn Partition and acknowledge Derry's economic dependence on Donegal. Dungloe is the :oncrete proof of the fact that Donegal is not inherently lependent on Derry. V ;, MAY DEVOTIONS IN IRELAND. . .The close of. the holy month of May brings a retrospect >f -splendid devotions carried out in Ireland in honor of he Blessed Virgin J Mary. From one end of the count™ ■

to the other pious Catholics this year observed the ■ month-.''£ with appropriatt devotion, and in many places there were",special events in fitting observance of the time. - \ ' *v#? To look back upon the religious exercises of the month is to' garner a wealth of devotional reminiscences that "■ promise great things^for the country in the future. Sterling, manifestations of Catholic piety are too many in Ireland to be listed, and this May was like the long series of others that have found. Irish Catholics showing their splendid devotion to Our Lady. , '.-■ May processions, of course, were a conspicuous feature of the month's exercises. "Their splendor and their inspiration have been abundantly felt far and wide, and the picturesqueness that unfailingly attaches to them externally is a fitting accompaniment. \ '✓•*<".. > '\■-',;■■ conspicuous. May processions are a notable feature of Catholic life there. Enormous numbers of people attend these exercises, and this May furnished special interest in some ways. ' 1 - The Most Rev. Dr. Dontemvill, Archbishop of Ptolemais ■■ and Superior General of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate,' who has been on a visit to Ireland, presided at the ceremonies in connection with the May procession at Inchicore. ' The presence of Archbishop Dontenwill added to the interest of the occasion, and the people waited in thousands to receive His Grace's blessing. , : ' i At. the Passionist Church at Mount Argus this year ' the May procession was unusually large and impressive.: A special sermon was preached by Rev. Father Basil, C.P' Some twenty Confraternities from various churches all over the city -of Dublin were present for the occasion. ULSTER CATHOLICS STAND FIRM: NO SURRENDER ' ON SCHOOLS QUESTION. Conferences of the clergy of Armagh diocese were held ' in the course of this week at Drogheda, Dundalk, Dungannon, and Armagh (says a Home paper for May 26). \ On consideration of the Education Bill in course of enactment by the Northern Parliament, the following statement was adopted by the Managers resident in the Six, Counties and supported by all the other priests who were present. "The second class of schools described in the Education Bill fur the Six Counties as complying with the requirements of the Ministry are termed ' Voluntary schools.' In • the Bill, as introduced, these schools, which are the only " ones possible for Catholics, were subjected to grave disabilities. Now, instead of remedying the proposed injustice, the Minister opens up the prospect of withdrawing salaries as well as grants from these schools, and therefore of extinguishing the Catholic schools ' which comply with the requirements of the Ministry in regard to public elementary education.' •-'"' "This/ fell aggressiveness is in strange contrast with . the attitude in England and, more still, in,Scotland towards the schools of a small Catholic minority/i The Minister's Powers. " '.'•''• "■ "Certainly the Minister has the power at the«. moment i of closing the 700 Catholic schools in the North-East and sending the teachers in them adrift, or even of doing worse v? by the teachers and the schools. But no thread such as > that reported in the papers will help him to get .Catholic children into .. provided . schools or Catholic schools transferred to the local education authority. Threats of this kind only stiffen the resolve of Catholic parents to face •> the most cruel oppression rather than sully conscience and *ss sacrifice the sacred interests of their children." ... --~ The statement is signed, on behalf of the managers '.£*' and priests of the diocese, by- '•. "X ■'• ■ i .". '. "....'.; L ;-C '■*: Right Rev: Mgr. Dean Quinn, P.P., V.G., DungannanY ; : Very Rev. Charles Canon McDonald, P.P., V.F., Cook'stown; 'U '=' Very Rev. Joseph Weldon Canon Brady, P.P.; Keady—/J Very Rev. Peter Canon Sheerin, P.P., V.F., Crossmaglen; : >t Very Rev. Felix Canon McNally, P.P., Upper Eillevy' Wi Newry. '■ • . . '..- "v. — ,_..-;» >.' s . •.'■■'... _ • j," f ,...-:. ■', -'■■■■ss Appended are. the words of Lord Londonderry which 7 -C evoked, this statement: jv .-'■ , <.- ?'- ■•'.">■-"■' . -. , rj*' ~f r< "There was no obligation on the Ministry to pay.salaries , v f of teachers in voluntary schools. He was not 'sure that ' they were in' a position to abolish the voluntary schools, * but they could make it very difficult r lor such schools to exist by,- withholding: salaries and arnn+.s " -."'-":■ \,-.... '.'>>■".'■'