Mr Donovan's Lecture.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3495, 8 March 1880, Page 2

Mr Donovan's Lecture.

Mr E. Donovan delivered a lecture at the Templar Hall on Saturday evening on " Ireland, her Miseries and Misfortunes," There was a very poor attendance, but the discourse was attentively listened to, and gave real pleasure to the audience.

Mr Donovan prefaced his remarks by saying he did not -intend to touch on theological subjects, but should he do so, he hoped no offence would be taken. He traced the troubles of the people of Ireland to the acquisition by the monasteries of large tracts of land at the time of the introduction of Christianity. Great discord-was also occasioned by the continued resistance by the Irish clergy of Peter's Pence and other taxes imposed by the Popes. The lecturer gave a brief history of the iuternecine wars which agitated the country at the time of the Reformation. The great barons were' fighting against each other, arid misery and desolation spread through the land. At this period it was asserted by historians if Protestants had taken over Ireland she would have goue against Rome. The Irish never forget the conquest, and this sore would yet take many years to heal. Through the tyranical treatment of- Queen Elizabeth, no less than three revolutions took place, costing half a million lives. Her successor, James, greatly disappointed the Irish by becoming a Protestant. The Protestant colony Elizabeth established in Ulster became almo.t exterminated in a few years, the Irish people treating all the English .people as intruders. In this a great mistake had been made, as it was in the power of the English to make Ireland a great and prosperous nation. Reference was made to the despotic sway of the Irish chieftains aud a great many of Ireland's miseries of the present day traced their.oppression. The advent of the Church of England in the time of Charles the first was a sorry day for Ireland, as she brought intolerance with her~and,led to a war of extermination ; and the double dealings of tbe king led to ! the terrible massacre of 1641,"and subsequently to the massacre of Drogheda by Cromwell. During t^e reign, of the I Protector, Ireland attained considerable importance, but on his death her troubles again commenced. During the reign of Charles 11. the English and Irish Parliaments got at loggerheads over the land question. Trouble continued till the end of the last century when trade in Ireland became very flourishing, her manufactures arousing the jealo.isy of the English, they combined her, and commerce declined. He considered Orangism no good, and every bit as bad .as Ribbonism. He considered that in interfering with temporal matters, the Church did wrong. Thousands of pounds were lost to the country from the readiness . of the people to subscribe for the erection of religious edifices. He believed the circumstances he referred to to be the causes of the present trouble' of Ireland. !■; A vote of thanks was accorded to tbe lecturer on the motion of Mr Wood, and the audience dispersed highly pleased with the lecture.