Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 5, 31 January 1907, Page 27

Irish News

ANTRlM— Discovery of Minerals There is a touch of romance in the discovery of immense seams of coal in North Antilm, " which - should bring great prosperity to that, district. In 1767 Hugh Boya obtained from the Earl of Antrim the right to all minerals from Fair 'Head to Knockladye,. a distance of seven miles, with a wide sweep inland. A large output .- of coal followed, but with Boyd's death the prosperity of the Ballyoastle -district ceased. Two years ago Mr. Brande, a mining expert, visited the district. He then invited Professor Cole of the ' G-eological and Survey Department of Ireland, which had previously reported that - the coal was . exhausted, to make a survey in his . private capacity. Professor " Cole confirmed Mr. Brande's estimates that there are at least 55,000,000 tons of coal of good quality there. The borings revealed black ' band ironstone, esti- r ' mated to be at least 150,000,000 tons, the ore being one of the richest in the world. A - third discovery was of an enormous ' deposit of fireclay, the value of which can be estimated when it is that fire-: •bricks are now delivered in Belfast "at a cost of 82 shillings per thousand, whereas they can be delivered from Ballycastle for a little more than 60 shillings. A company, with privately subscribed capital, has been formed to work' the deposits. CLARE— National Pastimes Replying to members of the Clare Gaelic Athletic Association, who presented his Lordship with an illuminated address, the Most Rev. Dr. ODea expressed earnest sympathy with the efforts of the body to popularise the national pastimes of Ireland. Death of a Well-known Teacher Mr. Michael Cusack, who founded the Gaelic- Ath--letic Association of Ireland, died recently in Dublin. Born at Canon, County Clare, September 20, 1847, he had completed his 59th year. Twenty years ago he was the principal Civil Service teacher in Dublin^ his academy being at Gardiner's place. He first started teaching at Enniscorthy, in 1864, and leaving there in 1866, he became an assistant teacher at Richmond, County Clare. After that he had an appointment .near Coort for two years, after which he became professor of English and Mathematics »in St. Colman's, at Newry. Leaving Newry, he went' to Dublin on being appointed Professor at Blackrock College, which position he occupied for three years. Then he opened a school at Emmet street, and, requiring more accommodation, he transferred to Nelson street, and finally " he had the - princi- * pal Civil Service College in Dublin, at ' Gardiner's p*ace. He was always an ardent student and advocate of the Irish language and Irish games, and'in 1884 he founded the Gaelic Athletic Association. CORK— Proposed Memorial , A large .gathering of parishioners of Douglas, County Cork, was held on Sunday, December 9, under the presidency of Rev. Father O'Biien, for the purpose of taking steps to erect a memorial to the lafe Canon Murray, who had been their pastor for nearly twenty years. A committee was formed to mafte arrangements in connection with the project. The Fishing Industry — Mr>. Henry Sculver, an American consul, in a report from Cork to the Washington Bureau of Manufactures, says that the recent drop in the price of Irish-cured mackerel has_ forcibly impressed the public- as well' as the Government with the danger threatening this important industry. Conditions have vastly improved in the last decade, yet comparison with the early history of the trade shows but too cleariy that more strenuous efforts are needed in order that the people amd the country may enjoy "the full* fruition of this great source of wealth hidden in the seas and inland waters of Ireland. There were about TOO Irish boats, with nine men to each boat, engaged in the fisheries last season, and "those were only laa.lt of the boats and men engaged. The rest came from Scotland, the lisle of Man, and France. Some idea may be had ! ot the importance of this industry to the South of Ireland alone when, it is* learned that the wages paid to the men engaged on the coasts of Cork and Kerry during the -mackerel catch of two months last spring, amounted--^ to £.170,400. The total spring catch of mackerel for 1905 was 228,000 cwt, andVthe autumn catoh 274,666cwt. DUBLIN— Lady Ffrench's Estate , Th £r m SW Hon. Mary Ann Baroness Ffrench.of Elm Park, Merrion, Dublin, who died on June 3 last, left

estate of the gross value of - £34,215. Baroness. Ffrench bequeathed £1000 each- to .her nephews,. Lord; Ffrenoh and the Hon. John Joseph Ffrench ; .£SOO to each of her two nephews ; £810 to .various servants ; and left the Stansty- Hail .estate, Denbigh,^ to the Right Rev. Francis Mostyn, Bishop; of. Menevia, to whom she also left, subject to other provisions, the = residue of ,fler" estate. - . '-'",_•. Spread of Temperance Very Rev. Father Aloysius, 0.5. F.C., addressing a • meeting of working men in the Father Mathew Hall Dublin, on Sunday, December. 9, said that during the past twelve months a great deal had been done for the cause of temperance among their class in Dublin Next' year they intended to hold meetings all over the city and stUbiurbs, and. to use. every means in their power to bring the subject more fully before the -working meiwThey intended to organise a . great -banquet,, at whach the working men would, enjoy themselves on temperance refreshments alone. KILDARE— An Old Will An interesting will, dated 1678, lias' just been diT-, covered in a secret drawer at A thy. The \ testator, John Birkett, is supposed to have been, a priest He directed that his body should be buried at night -without stir or concourse of people,' unless he suffered at Lancaster, where he .hoped. some good Catholics would inter his remains, if the law permitted. ; Death of a Journalist The death of a well known and popular journalist Mr. Robert F. Hughes, who. was for some years connected with the '-Limerick Leader,' took place on November 30. The late Mr. Hughes, who was quite a young man, had been ailing for a long- time, and his demise was not unexpected. .During -finis connection with the Limerick press he had made" many fAends, not alone in the city, but throughout, the county, and these will, regret his early demise. The funeral took place on December 3, from St. David's Church, Naas, amidst many manifestations of grief. LIMERICK— Clerical Appointments . Rev. George Quain, P.P., Athea, County Limerick, -has been appointed Pastor ol Bulgaden, rendered vacant by the death of Rev. Father M'Coy, P.P. Rev. Father Cregan, Limerick, has been appointed parish priest of Athea. - - -- • j. The Proposed University Writing to the Limerick Corporation on the proposed University for Munster, Dr. Windle, President ofthe Queen's College, Cork, says : c .When Cork; Limerick and Waterford- all agree on a matter affecting the interests of Munster, and when they are supported by resolutions from so many other bodies, I think jt will be admitted. that there cannot be much doubt as to what the wishes of Munster are in this matter.' MAYO—A Dying Request Complying with the dying request of his 'mother, MiPatrick J. O'Brien, of Philadelphia, U.S.A., will have her body interred in the land of her 'birth, Ireland. She was temporarily buried on November 24, in the family vault of Holy Cross Cemetery, and in the spring the body will be removed to the little village cemetery in Kiltimagh, County Mayo, where Mrs. O'Brien was born 95 years' a,go. The deceased lady idted from) a stroke "of apoplexy. She successfully carried out the tradition' of longevity in the O'Brien family, for her three sisters had lived to the ages of D 5, 100, and 105 years. She is survived by three .sons and a daughter-, «41 living in Philadelphia. MONAQHAN— A Centenarian f The death took Dlace in the ■ early fpart.*of Decomber of Mr"; Henry M 1 Kearney,' of- C&rricknure, Clontibret, County Monaghan, who had attained. the * ripe old . age of 103 years. He retained in a remarkable degree all his faculties almost unimpaired to the. last* and was never known to be sick a day. -* In long - winter nights he delighted in narrating events of which he was ,an eye-witness that happened in the early years of the last century. WATERFORD— The Christian Brothers Most Rev. Dr. Sheehan, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, solemnly opened and blessed . the new chapel just\erected at -the Christian Brothers' Schools,- Mount Sion,.on December 8. . His Lordship presided, at High Mass on the occasion. - There was a large and representative attendance of the citizens and of Christian Brothers from other houses of the Order, Including Car-rick-on-Suir, Tramore, New Ross, and elsewhere.

Death of a Priest The death took place on November 28 at Bury, * England, of the Very Rev. Dean Walsh. The deceased priest was a brother of Mr. Edmonds Walsh, Woodbine. Cottage, Carrick-on-Suir. It is only a few months ago since the Dean was home in Ireland at the funeral- of his*, mother. Deceased, was a cousin of the Most Rev. Dr. O'C6nnor, Bishop- of Armidale, Australia, and .--was connected with a number of jvell known County Waterford 'families.^ Dean Walsh Spent nearly all his religious life in the "English mission, and was a well ivnown figure in Catholic circles on the side of the" Channel. * WICKLOW— Not Much Crime The Winter Assizes for the Lcinster Circuit were opened on December 4 in Wicklow "by ,Mr. - Justice Madlden. Hi& Lordship, addressing the'' Grand Jury, said he was glad to be able to informs them' that their duties on the present occasion would not be of a heavy character. As they were aware, criminals would come before them from thirteen jurisdictions — from counties and from the City of Waterf ord'. ' The number , of cases to be investigated was 31, or a little over two for each of those jurisdictions. He did hot attach much importance to the fluctuation in_the statistics -perirodi- ' pally presented to the judges. He observed that, though in some of the counties concerned, there x was a slight increase in the number of cases, in others\hat was counterbalanced by- a decrease in the number of cases to go before the Grand Jury. Though' the number of cases was about the same as that presented on - the occasion of the last Assizes held in Waterf ord, what was to his mind a more important matter was "that the oases were almost 'universally of an 'extremely light cliaracter. They represented the class of crime which must recur in any community so long as human nature remained what it, was. GENERAL University Education A cable message received last week" stated that the Royal Commission recently _set up to inquire into' the. position of Trinity College, Dublin, recommends the creation at D.ublin of a college that will be acceptable to Cat-holies ; also, in the event of. the establishment of a new college at the University of Dublin, or at the Royal University, that there should' be facilities for inter-collegiate co-operation between such college and Trinity College;. The Emigration Problem Notwithstanding the work of the Anti-Emigration Society and other -patriotic ' bodies (writes .a. Dublin ' correspondent), there has been no decrease in the number of people leaving our shores annually. This yearover 35,000 emigrants left. EigTit years ago, when the population, was much larger, only 32,000 emigrated. The one and only solution of. the emigration problem is to work for the unemployed. It is useless asking them to stay at home until this is done. A large percentage ' of those who emigrate ,have their passages paid by relatives in America who should know the state of- the labor market in the United - States where they reside and in the old land" 1 which they left-, many of them quite recently. Is it possible that,' knowing' all the circumstances, they bring their friends from bad to worse ? Referring, to the question the ether day, the Lord Mayor of Dublin said it was better for a man to emigrate to where he could get a living than stay at home-in Ireland -and starve, but it 'was ' their duty to endeavor to keep the people at home , by providing employment for them in their own country. There were thousands of people starving in the city at the. present time. Mr. Crozier, J.P.,J\C, a-Censerva-tipe, said that if emigration were to continue for' the next- twenty years as it Wad been going on N in' the past, Ireland Would 1 become a wilderness. He attributed the^ decrease to the fact that Ireland was not a manufacturing country, arfd agriculture did .not, pay be*; cause of foreign competition.' '- >

-The Very Rev. T. Guilfovle, of St. Patrick's -Cathedral, Ballarat, whose health has beerj completely "broken dow'h by hard work, -has left for an extended holiday. • • / At the end of the present month, after a -brilliant and" active career -of 48 years in the New South Waiefe Police Servioe, Superintendent Martin Brennan will-re-linquish duty. -His career has been one of exceptisnal ability, and perhaps with no exception do the .police awards recordf a career of such intrepidity and -activ r sty as that borne by the popular and sturdy Superintendent.