Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 25, 25 June 1908, Page 27

Irish News

DUBLIN— A Large Fortune The 'Seattle Post Intelligencer' states that the sole right of Mr. Corcoran, of Dublin, to the Sullivan property in Seattle, valued at over £300,000, has been finally confirmed. The second heir, Mrs. Callaghan, a resident of Cork, having died while the case was at hearing, Mr. Corcoran becomes the sole heir to the property. The Under Secretary for Ireland In reply to a question by Mr. Lonsdale,"ToEr. Birr ell writes : — 'Sir Antony MacDonnell has not resigned his office of Under-Secretary for Ireland, but some time ago he communicated to the Irish Government his desire to retire after the presentation of the Eeport of Lord Dudley's Commission. The Eeport has, I believe, been signed, and will be presented in a few days. I have, however, requested Sir , Antony MacDonnell to defer his retirement for such a time as wilL enable me to have " the great benefit of his advice in the consideration of this Eeport, and he has been good enough to agree to remain in office until the end of July. It is proposed 'when the office becomes vacant to fill it by the appointment of Sir James Dougherty, the Assistant Under-Secretary. ' Catholics Defended The Protestant Archdeacon of Waterford presided at the annual meeting of the Church Education Society in Dublin on April 30. The rev. gentleman paid a compliment to the impartiality of Catholic teachers towards Protestant children attending their schools. Eev. Chancellor O'Connor and Eev. W. Manning, who followed, cast aspersions upon Irish Catholics, whereupon a lady stood up and declared that although she had for many years taught a parochial school under the Eeiigious Education Board, she might have starved since the school was closed were it not for the charity of her Catholic neighbours in giving her musical tuitions. Was it not cruel, she asked, that a poor Protestant might have died of starvation only for the kindness of her Catholic neighbours? At this stage the Chairman intervened, and said the lady was interrupting the proceedings, whereupon she resumed her seat. A Centenarian A very interesting centenarian passed away recently at Howth, in the person of Mrs. Mary O'Loughlan. She was 102 years of age. Up to the end she preserved all her faculties except her sight, which recently had been some- • what defective. An Alarming Outlook At the annual meeting of the Presbyterian Synod of Dublin on April 28, the Eev. Dr. Prenter said he detected an under- current of apprehension as to the spiritual- life of the congregation. Looking broadly at the question, it was manifest that they were caught in a general drift, which was observable not only in this country, but in all the countries of Christendom. There had been a tremendous falling off in the numbers in the Methodist churches of England ; the same was true of the Baptist denomination. Coming to Scotland, they found that no less than 25,000 Communicants in the churches of Scotland became lapsed in one year. That, to his mind, was perfectly appalling. In America he believed there was a similar state of apprehension, and it seemed to him they were face to face with some -very large and general, if not universal, problem. They in Ireland were caught in it, and his opinion was that, instead of improving, they were much- more likely to get * worse. . r ' _\,_ ' ",, GALW AY— Grazing Lands to be Distributed • A satisfactory ending to a big grazing dispute at Ballygar and Ballyforan has been arrived at. Through the exertions of the Eev. Peter Coleman, Ballyforan, the lettingson the grass system have been discontinued, and the property owned by Major Kelly held for distribution amongst- the adjoining small' holders. The grazing occupiers sought compensation for disturbance, which was refused, but a farm is to be secured for the son of one of them. The announcement of the sale and the defeat of the grazing system

caused great jubilation, and tar-barrels and bonfires burned through the country side; LIMERICK— A Well Known Master of Hounds Sir David Eoche died^at his Croom residence on Sunday evening, Aprils 29. Deceased was Chairman of the County Grand Jury, D.L., and a member of the Limerick County Council for the first three" years under the Act of 1898. He owned and hunted the County Limerick Hounds for several • years. MEATH— Come back to his Native Land M!r. J. J. McCarthy, Tralee, late of South Africa, haspurchased the fee simple of the Courthill Estate, in the County Meath, containing 400 acres of land and a splendid mansion, at £20,000. The estate, which formerly belonged to the Hon. E. Brabazon, son of the Earl of Meath, is one of the finest in Ireland. TYRONE— One Hundred and Seven Years of Age Hale and hearty, and in full possession of all his mental" faculties, , is a man named Patrick Kelly, ■ who resid.es on a small farm in the vicinity of .Ballygawley,' County: Tyrone, and who, early in May, celebrated his hundred and! seyenth birthday. - ' -'•''." WATERFORD— A Golden Jubilee V On May 1 the Superioress and Community of ..the Good Shepherd, at their Convent in~Waterford, celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the introduction .of the Order to Waterford. • ' ' A Venerable Religious Eev. Mother Mary St. Joseph, Ursuline Convent, Waterford, passed away on May 1, in the eightieth year of her age and the sixtieth of her religious profession. WESrMEATH— The Land Question Mr. Ginnell, M.P., during his incarceration in Kilmainham Prison, occupied himself in writing a book on the Irish land and ranching question. It will be entitled 'Land and Liberty/ and will be issued shortly. WICKLOW— Over a Century The death is announced of Mrs. Brigid Kavanagh, of Ashford, County Wieklow, at the advanced age of 102 years. GENERAL Letter from Cardinal Moran His Eminence Cardinal Moran has addressed a letter to Mr. John Eedmond, M.P., acknowledging the receipt of the resolution passed by the Irish Party placing on record the gratitude of the Irish people for his great services to the Irish cause. After expressing his thanks for the resolution and the beautiful- casket in which it was contained, his Eminence says the many friends of Ireland in Australia feel confident that at no distant day the struggle for justice to Ireland, sustained as it is by the sea-divided Gael, will be crowned with complete success. - - - - -- _ National Schools According to a parliamentary return issued recently, there are 8,538 national schools" in Ireland. Those under clerical management are — 1,307 Catholic schools, 713 Episcopalian, 379 Presbyterian, 42 Methodist, and four others j whilst under lay managers there are — 136 Catholic schools, 242 Episcopalian, 175 Presbyterian, 17 Methodist, and 32 others. Japanese Competition That Ireland is suffering from Japanese competition*, was one of the remarkable facts brought out bef ore^a* recent >' Parliamentary Committee. Until recent years - the " most • remtinerative Irish cottage industry, was drawn needlework. -- Nowadays - this industry is practically dead, having been - killed by the Japanese. The export to Japan of linen to ' be made into drawn work table covers, etc.,- ran- u'pVto ; 4,600,000 cards in 1906. Irish homeworkers have thus had to face the competition of the yellow man. 'But,' said the . inspector of the Congested Districts Board* of Ireland, 'we must wait until Japan hits Lancashire hard, then ' "the question will be raised. So long as she only hits Ireland the matter will not worry the Government.' The Rural Population At the General Synod of the Protestant Church, the ' question of granting loans to Protestant peasant proprietors

•was discussed at some length. The question was raised by Canon Forde, of Castlerea, and the Rev. Mr. Townsend, of Skibbereen, who pointed out that while the Synod was discussing such questions as the superannuation of the clergy, the fact was being orerlooked that their congregations were seriously dwindling. The Body should endeavour to find some remedy for the exodus that was taking place from the rural districts. Money, he said, might be advanced for the purchase of land for Protestant farmers, or otherwise strengthening their position, so that they would not be obliged to leave the country. It was pointed out that the Trustees had no power to advance money for such a purpose. The University Question

Religious prejudices (remarks the 'Catholic Times') are stronger perhaps in Ireland than in any other part of the world. In the creed of the Protestants there is something of the dour character that belongs to the Protestantism of Scotland, to which land a considerable proportion of them can trace their origin. But, strange, to say, whilst hostility to the Catholic religion is giving way little by little .amongst the Scots, it is as unyielding as ever amongst the Northern Irish Protestants. That the Presbyterians will reap many benefits from the new Belfast University no one can deny ; yet the General Presbyterian Assembly has condemned the scheme by a vote of 396 to 14S. In a letter to the 'Freeman's Journal,' Mr! W. J. Johnston, a Presbyterian, and the son of an elder, whilst deploring the attitude of the Assembly, considers it improbable that it will be endorsed by the Presbyterians of Ireland as a whole. Thanks to a number of softening influences they are beginning to take a much more tolerant and broad-minded view of Irish affairs than they have done for a quarter of a century. They are not unmindful of the debt of gratitude they owe their Catholic fellow-countrymen. It was largely due to the efforts of the Irish Nationalist representatives in Parliament that they were freed from the intolerable oppression of the Penal Laws, and a goodly number of them will accordingly refuse to approve of a resolution which was dictated solely by an anti-Catholic animus. Mr. Birrell's proposals are highly commendable if for no other reason than that they would, when realised, help to banish such a narrow and intolerant spirit. Local Government Bodies

The triennial elections for the County and District Councils and Poor Law Boards throughout Ireland are now taking place (says the 'Freeman's Journal' of May 9), and it is remarkable with, what an absence of excitement or conflict they are being conducted. Indeed, over a large area of the country, and especially in the case of the County Councils, the uncontested return is the ordinary incident of the election. Nobody who has studied the financial and practical results of the work of the Councils, now about to begin only their fourth term, can be surprised at this exhibition of confidence. 'The waste and jobbery' which were to 'bankrupt the ratepayers' have yet to make their appearance. Even that censor morum the Local Government Board has testified to the general soundness of the financial management — only one Council falling under the lash of its criticism, not undeservedly — and to the efficiency of the work accomplished with perfect regard to economy. Indeed, the charge of extravagance has so completely broken down and proved so ludicrous on the lips of the critics of popular and Nationalist Local Government, that eminent Tory lawyers have abandoned it for the contrary charge of ' penuriousness, ' which is equally unfounded. What a pity a simpler and less complicated plan of local administration was not evolved by the authors of the Local Government Act. Had such a plan been devised the rural ratepayers would now have been even more satisfied with the work of their representatives.