Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 35, 27 August 1903, Page 9

Irish News

CLARE. — Absence of Crime The Lord Chief Justice opened the County Clare Summer Assizes, and in his address to the Grand Jury congratulated the people of the county on the fact that, with one exception, and that not indicative of the state ot the county at large, there was a marked absence of crime. CORK. — An Appointment Mr. John R. Kerr, who has for some years been engineer of the line, has been appointed general manager of the Cork, Bandon, and South Coast Railway, in succession to Mr. E. J. O'Brien Croker. Loan of Pictures The King has lent to the Cork Exhibition, from his Majesty's private collection, two works that relate to the beginning of his mother's reign and his own. The first is the familiar picture by H. T. Wells, R.A., showing the unceremonious ' call ' made by the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury and the Marquis of Conynham (Lord Chamberlain) on the youthful Victoria, to announce to her that she had become a Queen. The second painting, by J. Seymour Lucas, R.A , represents King Edward VII receiving the Moorish Envoy on the 10th of June, 1901. Queenstown Cathedral Mr. Carnegie has written as follows to Rev. Philip Murphy, secretary to the Building Committee of Queenstown Cathedral : ' Your favor regarding organ for Queenstown Cathedral was brought here to Ardgay. You state that two thousand pounds sterling are required. If you succeed in raising one-half of this, it will give me pleasure to supply the other half.' Powder Mills Closed The powder mills at Kalhncollig, a pretty place on the banks of the Lee above Cork, have been closed after having been in operation for generations. About three hundred hands were employed, and the only men retained are those engaged on the large farm over which the powder houses were scattered. DUBLIN. — international Trades Unions In the early part of July Dublin was the scene of an international gathering consisting of the home and foreign delegates of the General Federation of Trades Unions. Germany, Italy, Austria, Denmark, France, Norway, Holland, Great Britain, and Ireland were represented, and the delegates included an Irish member of the British Parliament, a member oi the Italian Chamber of Deputies, and a member of the German Reichstag. Mr. J. P. Nannetti, M.P., as one of the members for the city, extended a cordial welcome to the delegates, and announced that, in connection with the Conference of the Federated Trades Unions of Great Britain and Ireland the Lord Mayor would repeat that welcome officially. The Cabra Institute A fire broke out in the early part of July at the Cabra Institute for the deaf and dumb, near Dublin. It was extinguished by the Brothers in charge, assisted by the city fire brigade, without having injured any of the inmates. The damage done is considerable. Death of a Priest The Rev. Philip O'Connell, S.J., died in the early part of July at University College, Dublin. Father O'Connell held successively the posts of Rector of St. Ignatius' College, Galway, and of the Sacred Heart College, Limerick. When the See of Kilmore became vacant on the death of the late Dr. Finnegan, Father O'Connell's name was prominent among those submitted to the Holy Father for the choice of a successor. Progress of Temperance Addressing a representative meeting of the Dublin branches of the Temperance Association in the large hall of the Convent of Charity, Dublin, Father Cullen, S.J., dwelt upon the extraordinary progress made by the Society within a few years. He said that it now counted 34,000 members in Ireland, and that this numerous membership was remarkable seeing that the Association was handicapped by very difficult but necessary qualifications for admission. These conditions are that each candidate must have been practising rigid total abstinence for two years previous to admission ; must take an absolute pledge of abstinence from all alcoholic drinks for life ; must always wear visibly the badge of the Association, and must be over sixteen years of age. In spite of these difficult conditions the membership was increasing rapidly, and on thoroughly safe lines. The College of Maynooth, with its three hundred and odd pioneer students, together with a large number of pioneer priests on the mission, had struck a reeling blow at ex-

cessive drinking which was felt all over the country. All Hallows College, Thurles College, and others, together with the convents in every part of Ireland, were pushing on the work not only indefatigably but enthusiastically, and with marvellous success. QALWAY.-A Venerable Poet

The fund inaugurated in aid of Colum Wallace is gradually swelling. Colum Wallace is 107 years old. He is in Oughterard Workhouse. He is the author of seveial poems, some of which have had a reputation all over Connaught. He is a native of Goremna Island. Even in lab advanced age lie has all his faculties unimpaired, and feels keenly his position. Arran Island

His Grace the Archbishop of Tuam laid the foundation stone of a new church in Arran Island, County Galway, on Sunday, July 26. Father Farragher, the esteemed pastor, is to be congratulated on bravely facing the heavy undertaking, and it is to be hoped that he will receive widespread support. His success in securing the services of Dr. Healy, who has done so much to elucidate the history of the island and of the ecclesiastical ruins with which it abounds, is a happy augury of the success which, no doubt, awaits the project. The Most Rev. Dr. Clancy dedicated another new church to the service of God on the previous Sunday in Ballinameen. He was assisted by the Most Rev. Dr. Lyster and a large number of priests. The dedication sermon was preached by the Very Rev. J. S. Conmee, S.J., a native of the parish. KERRY. — A Successful Function

The Killarney Feis was formally opened by the Rev. P. S. Dineen, M.A. The competitions were held in the grounds of Killarney House, which were lent for the Feis by the Earl of Kenmare, and the arrangements both for the competitors and public were most satisfactory. The attendance at the grounds during the competitions was enormous, and included his Lordship the Most Rev. Dr. Cofiey, Bishop of Kerry, and a large number of priests. MAYO.— The Irish Revival The Most Rev. Dr. Conmy, in opening the Ballina Feis, said that to anyone having an interest in the Irish revival movement the scene witnessed there that day was unquestionably one of hope and joy. He took their presence there as a profession of their belief that the good of religion, the good of morality, and the good of the country demanded that revival. He took it further as a pledge that all of them, each in his own way, was resolved to give whatever help he could in the future in order that the end that the Gaelic League had in view might be attained and that the grand old language of their forefathers, the language of the saints, scholars and heroes of the golden age of Ireland ; the language of her suflenngs and her sorrows, the language of her martyrs for religion and country, might be again brought to life. MEATH.— Free from Crime Judge Kemny, addressing the Grand Jury at the opening of the Assizes in Trim, said there was only one case to go before them, and it was not of an exceptionally serious character. County Meath was free from agrarian crime. QUEEN'S COUNTY.— Death of,a Nobleman John Robert William Vesey, fourth Viscount do Vesci of Abbeyleix, Queen's County, died at his residence, Abbeyleix House, aged 59. Death was due to paralysis, of which deceased had suffered repeated attacks He succeeded to the title in 1875, and was formerly Lieutenant - Colonel of the First Coldstream Guards and Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding the Hon. Artillery Company. SLIGO — A Drama in Gaelic At the distribution of prizes in the Ursuline Convent Sligo, the Bishop of Elphin said that one feature) of the entertainment which distinguished that year from all the years in the past history of the institution was the simple and homely little drama performed in the sweet mellifluous accents of the Gaelic tongue. He had listened to dialogues conducted on the stage in French Italian German, Spanish, and other languages, but it appeared to him that a more perfectly harmonious picture could not possibly be conceived than the picture presented to them when the drop scene displayed the placid waters of Lough Gill, with O'Rourke's Table on the distant horizon, and the harpists performing in the foreground, as the bards were wont to do in the poetic ages of the past, and the liquid accents of the Gael, spSken by the saints and sages of ancient Erin, reverberated along the mountain sides, and, as it seemed, re-echoed from the beetl ng crags of Rookwood and Shrifl. The whole formed a Perfect harmony and jnade one thank God that at length the day had dawned on

Erin when their native tongue was respected as it deserved to be and took tha place to which it was entitled in the educational institutions of the country. TYRONE.— Demise of a Priest The death is reported of the Very Rev. John Rock, pastor of Clonoe. Father Rock was struck down with paralysis almost two years ago. The evening before his death he received the last sacraments from the hands o! the Rev. Thomas M'Brien, C.C., one of his curates, and was perfectly resigned to the will of God. The death of Father Rock takes away one of the most Jearned ecclesiastics of the Irish Church. He received his education for the priesthood in the Irish College at Rome, and his name is still well remembered in the Eternal City. The news of his death was received with the deepest sorrow and regret by all who knew him, and especially by his own faithful people, who have lost in him a kind father and a loving friend. GENERAL Sporting: Rights A London correspondent writing with regard to the discussion on the Irish Land Bill when in Committee in the House of Commons, said that clause 12 was highly contentious, as it proposed to give the landlords, after they had sold their estates at a price which certainly could not be styled niggardly, power to retain the sporting rights of their estates. No more monstrous proposal could be put forward. The Irish tenant is expecting that he is, once and for all, to be freed from landlordism, and that the old feudal lordship is to be destroyed, and that he is to become the absolute and free owner of his soil. Fancy his position if, after purchase, the landlord and his friends could hunt and shoot at any time they pleased over perhaps the crops of the tenants. The Irish party riddled the proposal. Member after member brought forward the most convincing arguments to show how indefensible it was, how injurious it would be to the peace of the country, so that in the end, after a desperate fight by the landlord representatives in the House, Mr. Wyndham gave way, and allowed freedom to the tenants to make whatever bargains they chose with their landlords. Local Government The annual report of the Local Government Board for Ireland has been issued. It states that the term of office of the first county councils and rural district councils, on whom, with their officers, rests the credit of having successfully assisted in carrying the Local Government Act into operation, expired in June, and the new councils, with the experience of the past three years, will, no doubt, endea\or to bring the system into a state of even gieater elliciency. r lhe report proceeds — ' We feel confident that the conduct of their aftairs by the various local authorities and their officials will continue to justify the delegation to them of the large poweis transferred to their control by the Local Government Acts. In no other matters have the councils been more successful than in their financial administration. After the heavy preliminary expenses necessarily attending the introduction of a new system of local government had been provided for and the councils and their officers had succeeded in obtaining a satisfactory basis on which to make the/ir estimates of future expenditure, they found it possible to eflect considerable reductions in their rates, and there seems tg be every reason to anticipate that with extended experience, there will be a still further general reduction of country rates.'