IRELAND'S PAST AND FUTURE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 8, 4 October 1907, Page 2

IRELAND'S PAST AND FUTURE.

! "The night of English'tyranny and darkness is passing, and the bright and glorious day that Ireland longs and prays for is coming. The cause that I am "here'to'espouse is one'that patriots have Med and died for— a drcn.ni and a desire Hint I hope shiill be fulfilled in theso, our days—a free and governed Ireland." '

With these' Stirring words thcßev. Father O'Liivertv opened his lecture in. the Druid's Hall on 'Wednesday, night. The Hon. J. liarr presided over a goon attendance, which included the Mayor of. Wellington, the lion., T. W. Hislop. Apologies for unavoidable absence were received from the Speaker of the Houso,. and Mr. Laurensou, JLII.It "Ireland's past, and a free and selfgoverning Ireland of the future, ,, was the subject'of the lecture, but the Kev. i'atlier spoke.more in a historical than a prosaic, or prophetic vein, lie carried his audience back through the echoing "corridors of time," and conjured up poetic pictures of the storied days of old romance. ITc spoke of Irelaud as it was before the' Norman invasion, working gradually down to th« time of the Union, which he declared was obtained by"fraud, treachery,and bribery." The.lecturer referred to the manner in which the country had been denuded, of its people, owing, ho asserted, to want, oppression, and perse-' cutiou. At the time of tho Union them were niue million people in Ireland— now there wore not four and a half millions. The recent measures which had been passed by the English Government—the Local Government Bill, Land Bill, and the Bill for reinstating evicted tenants—though not much good, were better than nothing.' In order to . see Ireland a free, self-governing nation once again, the Irish people must bo united as one man—not only those in Ireland," but'those scattered all over the face of the earth. Without such unity they would never get anything from any 'English Government, whether Tory or'Libernl. ■ ' V . The lecturer having concluded amidst ■applause, Mr. 1 , . J. O'Kogari spoke .briefly. , Kef erring to the progress made by New Zealand, which was symbolised by the Dominion celebrations, he argiied that such advancement had been made because this country was independent of Downing Street.

Votes of thanks wore passed to the lecturer, and to the chairman for presiding. During tin , ' evening enjoyable musical items were contributed by Hiss Hawthorne, Mr.- D. Toohill, and Mr. Sullivan.