Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 37, 10 September 1903, Page 9

Irish News

ANTRIM. -A Memorial There has just been erected in the cemetery attached to the chapel, Annaclone, a beautiful monument in memory of the late Rev. H. Devlin, P.P. The monument consists of a finely-carved cross ol Sicilian marble, pedestal of same, surrounded by enclosed granite cut-stone and railing. CORK.— A Successful Student Mr. Andrew Ryan has been appointed Vice-Consul at Constantinople. He had a brilliant career at the Intermediate and Royal University Examinations. In 1891 he obtained first place in the Middle Grade Intermediate Examinations. In 1893 he got first place in|the Senior Grade, in Mathematics and in Classics, and won three gold medals. He took first place in 1894 in First Arts of the Royal University, with four first-class honors, and entering the Civil Service soon after, obtained one of the three appointments offered to open competition, namely, Student Interpreter. It was while a student of the Christian Brothers' College, Cork, that all these distinctions were won by Mr. Ryan. DERRY.— White Gloves for a Judge At the Summer assizes the Grand Jury for the city of Detry presented Mr. Justice Madden with a pair of white gloves, there being no criminal business to deal with. Big Haul of Salmon

An extraordinary capture of salmon was made on July 17 at New Ferry by the Barm and Foyle Fishery Company's employees. The nets were set at six o'clock a.m., and from that hour until seven o'clock m the evening were filled and reset several times. The take totalled 577 salmon in all, some of a very large size, and weighing some 4200 ft. This capture was computed to be worth over £200. DUBLIN. — Freeman's Journal Company

The ' Freeman's Journal ' Company have declared an interim dividend for the past half year of nine per cent. Mr. Sexton continues to guide its destinies successfully, and its shareholders reaping their golden harvest must feel perennially grateful to him for xhe able manner in which he has directed the business since he took charge. The Royal Irish Academy

The Royal Irish Academy, where the Irish gold ornaments which have at last been declared to be treasure trove will, on their transference to Ireland, be preserved, is rich in historical and literary treasures. The Academy is the possessor of the Benches of the old Irish House of Commons, the Woolsack and the Mace of the Irish House of Lords, the original manuscript of Wolie's celebrated poem, ' The death of Sir John Moore,' the harp of Thomas Moore, a collection of pamphlets relating to Irish affairs formed by the late Mr. Halliday, which gave Mr. Lecky much material for his chapters of Irish history ; and, above all, The Book of the Dun Cow, the Missal of St. Columba, and the Annals of the Four Masters. FERMANAGH.— An Interesting Find

An interesting find has just been made by a young man named James Johnston, a farmer's son, residing near Newtownbutler, Fermanagh, convenient to the wellknown Crom Castle. Whilst out bathing in Lough Erne his foot was cut by some sharp substance, and on diving to ascertain the cause he picked up a large sword. The blade, on examination, was found to be 3ft. lOin. in length, basket hilted, with rich carvings, the general appearance suggesting that it belonged to an officer of high rank in the forces under the then Viscount McCarthy. The date decipherable is 1640, a memorable year in Irish history. The sword is in a splendid state of preservation notwithstanding its long immersion. KILDARE.— The President of Maynooth College

The death of the Right Rev. Mgr. Gargan, President of Maynooth College, was announced by cable last week. KING'S COUNTY.— Visit of Bishop Higgins

In the unavoidable absence of the Most Rev. Dr. Gaffney, Bishop of Meath, owing to illness, the Most Rev. Dr. Higgins, Bishop of Rockhampton, Australia, ordained to the priesthood the Rev. Joseph Kelly in the temporary Church of SS. Brigid and Columbkille, Tullamore, on Sunday, July 19. After the religious ceremonies-, his Lordship was presented with an address of welcome by the Urban District Council. In replying, Dr. Higgins said that the occasion carried him back over a period of nearly 40 years, when, at the opening of his career in the sacred ministry, he had come there amongst them to take his place in the ranks of the clergy and to enjoy the consolation which the lively Faith and the

practical piety of the parish supplied. During his stay of four years amongst them he had been a close observer of the religious life of the people, and he did not exaggerate when he said that the varied character of his experience to that day whether as priest or bishop furnished no more practical example of the true Catholic spirit Speaking of the emigration question, he would tell them briefly why, bright and attractive as was, no doubt the Australian Commonwealth, and much as he desired to see its population increase and its rich mineral resources developed, he did not wish that any such change should ever be brought about by a single recruit from the ranks of the Irish people. His advice to every young man and woman, and to the old ones too, was that they should cling to the land of their birth, which was not only the cherishsd inheritance of their race, but which/ was second to no country in the world in the richness of its soil, the beauty of its landscapes, and the verdure of its valleys and its hillsides. His Lordship concluded an eloquent speech by expressing his appreciation of the kindly reception which had been given by the people of Tullamore, to whom he was bound by so many and such enduring ties. WATERFORU.— A Doctor of Theology American exchanges to hand contain an account of the conferring of the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology, by examination, on Key. Patrick J. Healy of Lismore, Waterford (a past student of Mount Melleray) ?u W in Ji ls 3Oth year ' Rev - Dr - HeaJ y w as ordained for the archdiocese of New York in June, 1897, after which he spent four years in the Catholic University of Washington studying an advanced course of divinity. It may be noted that the Washington University gives no honorary degrees, and its examinations are particularly s !i Ju bince lts foun(iat ion only seven students have passed the required test as S.T.D., or Doctor of Sacred Theology, and hence Dr. Healy's success is the more creditable. He has now been appointed to the Chair of Church History m the American Catholic University with the consent of Bishop Farley. WICKLOW.— A Relic of the Past The ndw cemetery at Baltinglass was consecrated on July 5. In Bishop Comerford's ' History of the Diocese of kildare and Leighhn ' is the following reieience to the old square tower, which, standing in a corner of the cemetery, seems to defy the ravages of time : < A tower in the adjoining cemetery was erected to serve as a belfry The statute 21 and 22, George 111., c. 24, enacted that no Roman Catholic chapel could have a steeple or a bell. To evade this penal enactment, bells were placed in detached buildings erected for the purpose in various parts of the country, Baltinglass being one of the number. The bell, which is still in use, was purchased by subscriptions raised by the Rev. Henry Young whilst engaged in conducting a mission here in 1828 5 Recently, however, a new bell has been placed in the tower of the parish church, and the old bell has been removed from its place in the old tower in the cemetery. Close to this old tower is the space on which formerly stood the old chapel. GENERAL Not Forgotten The ' Daily News,' writing of the home-bringing of the remains of Father O'Growney, says :— The devotion to the memory of a dead man must be very profound when his remains are removed across the North American Continent and the Atlantic Ocean for interment in his- native Ireland. This is what is about to be done with the remains of the late Reverend Father O'Growney, who died some time back at Los Angeles, in California Father O'Giowney was a simple priest who taught Irish at the College of Maynooth. This remarkable testimony of devotion to his memory arises from the fact that his scholarly work m the Language Revival movement m Ireland is recognised as one of the bases of its success. This is not the first time that remains have been brought all the way from California to Ireland. Many years ago the remains of Terence Belew MacManus were brought from San Francisco to Glasnevm Cemetetry. He was a Young Ireland rebel of 1848, and died a poor man in the Far West. But his countrymen loved him, and they brought his bones to his native land. Mr Wyndham Complimented During the debate on the third reading of the Land Bill, Mr Redmond paid a warm compliment to the Irish Chief Secretary (writes a London correspondent) for the ability and patience he had displayed in conducting the Bill There is no disposition in any quarter of the House io deprive Mr. Wyndham of his full recognition in this regard, and there is no doubt that he showed a knowledge of the intricacies of a very complicated question, a capacity for lucid and informing exposition of them, and a general spirit of sympathy and reasonableness which are worthy of very high praise indeed. It is

doubtful whether any member of the Government could have done the work so ably and probably none could have brought it to a temper so equable. The strain to which Mr. Wyndham must have been subjected in the last 12 months in making up the Irish Land question, in addition to his other official duties, must have been exceedingly heavy, and would have rendered excusable some nervous irritability on the part of any man. A Successful Bank

The half-yearly report of the Munster and Leinster Bank shows a remarkable condition of continued prosperity and steady development in business. After allowing for the transfer of £3500 to the Reserve Fund, and of a similar amount to the Bank Premises account, the directors feel warranted on reviewing the half-year's working to recommend an increase in the already splendid dividend of 11 per cent, to 12 per cent. There are very few institutions that can boast such a record as this. No better tribute could be paid to the painstaking and able management, and to the unbounded confidence which the investing public entertain for the most Irish of all banks— the Munster and Leinster. Tobacco-Growing Mr. William Redmond, M.P., accompanied by Mr. Butcher, K.C., M.P., had an interview recently with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his private rooms at the House of Commons on the subject of tobacco growing in Ireland. Mr. Redmond asked the Chancellor two questions : Whether he would consider the advisability of allowing tobacco to be grown permanently in Ireland if the industry were taken up by responsible persons, and a market for the product provided, and whether if such an industry were started an abatement would be maJde in the duty charged upon Irish tobacco, so that it might get a footing in the market. Mr. Redmond pointed out that tobacco was grown rather extensively in Ireland until 1831, when it was prohibited, and that there were now several substantial persons in the country willing to take up the cultivation of the plant if they received any encouragement from the Government. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, who was accompanied by a high official from the Inland Revenue, said he would very carefully consider if any concession could be made, and he confessed he regarded the whole proposal with a great deal of interest. He promised to communicate with Mr. William Redmond upon the matter. Effect of the Land Bill

Competent judges (says the • Irish Weekly ') compute that the Land Act will have the effect of emancipating the tenants of about three-fourths of the agricultural land of Ireland, and that in the case of the remainder it will subsequently be necessary to apply compulsion to the landlords. Some, indeed, predict that it will result in the transfer of seven-eights of the land, but whichever forecast proves correct the measure must result in something like a social revolution in Ireland. The measure, though not by any means' perfect, undoubtedly marks an epoch in the history of Irish politics. It is only a few years since the United Irish League was founded, and had anyone been then so courageous as to prophesy that within such a short time a Land Bill of such magnitude would be placed upon the statute book he would at once have been set down as a fool. Yet so it has happened that the lion's share of the credit for the achievement undoubtedly goes to Mr. William O'Brien. It is worthy of note that of the 14 amendments to the Land Bill, proposed by the National Convention, the Irish Party has succeeded in securing the incorporation of no less than 11.