Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 2 October 1913, Page 39

Irish News

GENERAL. . - - Sincere regret was occasioned all over Co. Mayo by the news of the death of Mr. Francis Faulkner, Castlebar. Deceased was the principal merchant in th» town, and was held in the highest respect and esteem by all classes. - " The Cathedral of St. Carthage, Lismore, has been decorated by the erection of a magnificent stained-glass window to the memory of the late Rev. James Mockler, who died on May 18, 1911, as the result of a driving accident whilst discharging his sacred duties. ; There has just died at Grange, near Partarlington, a man named Patrick Doran, who had attained the somewhat remarkable age of 109 years. A strange feature was that the man had no. grey hairs, and to the last grew a fine crop of black hair. He retained his mental faculties up to the hour of his death. In his young days he was a celebrated athlete. He could recount many anecdotes of the night of the Big Wind and of Black '47. ' A beautiful Celtic cross has been erected by the parishioners of Castlepollard Parish over the grave of the late Very Rev. H. Farrelly, V.F., for many years the pastor of that parish. Few priests in the diocese of Meath during the past half-century were more universally esteemed and beloved by all classes than the deceased clergyman, whose demise about three years ago gave rise to widespread sorrow. . Lizzie, John, and Mary Byrne,, aged respectively 11, 9, and 7 years, travelling alone from New York to Queenstown, arrived on August 10 at the latter port on board the Cunard s.s. Carmania. Their father died some time ago, and their mother became ill at Brooklyn, and was advised that an operation was necessary. Fearing a fatal result, she booked her children by the Carmania, and addressed them to their grandparents at Tullamore, King's County. The little travellers left for the inland portion of their journey by the afternoon train. IRISH PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES. The Irish National Pilgrimage to Lourdes, which left Dublin on September 8, numbered about 3500. The pilgrims were accompanied by several members of the Hierarchy. According to cable messages, there were many pathetic scenes at the Victoria Station, London, when the pilgrims returned. The patients were removed on stretchers and in invalid chairs. The supervising doctor said that there had been seven first-class cures, and many other individuals had benefited by the pilgrimage, but he was not prepared to say that the cures would be permanent. The pilgrims brought back wonderful stories of cures. A girl, who left Dublin paralysed, walked the gangway of the steamer on her return without help. Her cure has made a profound impression. LANDLORD AND TENANTS. Lord Oranmore and Browne, Castlemacgarrett, Claremorris, entertained his late tenants to a farewell banquet in celebration of the transfer of his large estate to them. Lord Oranmore and Browne proposed the toast of the evening, ' Success and prosperity to the purchasing tenants on the Castlemacgarrett Estate. He said that, taking, it all in all, that through a long period of time the records of this property, so far as landlord and tenant were concerned, showed a spirit of mutual tolerance and mutual goodwill and kindliness of feeling which might well make them the envy of many estates in various parts of the country. This was not the time nor the place for eulogy of landlordism or of tenant-right, but he would mention that in 1898 .when a revision of rents was due there was not one single tenant on this estate who went into.court to obtain a second term rent, because they all had confidence in the fairness of the then landlord, the late lord. And if further proof were needed of the esteem

and affection and the respect in which the late lord was held by his neighbors and his tenants alike, it J was furnished a little more than two years later 7 in i the enormous concourse of mourners who followed f his remains to their la.stresting-plaGe, amidst the tolling of the bells of churches, not of one denomination alone, and the prayers of the parish priests in; the neighborhood, two of whom have since, alas, been called away. The memory - of that day remained engraven in the hearts of his descendants. He remembered also the beautiful gifts presented to him by his tenants-and the neighbors on the occasion- of his marriage. -" On the 31st May, the last day he collected rents on this property, there remained due to him, apart from the hanging gale, which he did not demand, only a sum of £23 from agricultural and town tenants alike, and even that sum would have : been largely reduced" but he was unable, through his arrangements with the Congested Districts Board, to accept what was afterwards offered to him. He thought that this was a record which did credit to both sides alike. It is said,'; proceeded Lord Oranmore, ' that one. of (the chief | characteristics of Irishmen, which distinguishes them from other nations, is their love for the soil on whichl they were born, but I ask you to remember that this characteristic is not the property of Irish tenants alone ; it equally belong to Irish landlords, and I should be less than an Irishman and more than human if, while rejoicing with you in your joy, I did not on this occasion cast one long, lingering glance behind oh the green acres which have passed for ever from my possession. You are now about to own the lands you till, and it is" a satisfaction to me to know that the additional lands which I have sold to the Congested Districts Board, should they think proper to bestow them on you, are sufficient to satisfy the wildest, dreams of possession which any of you may have had. in. -W.ii— .J, ■• - f T i ■■" V VISIT OF AN AMERICAN PRELATE. : : His Grace the Archbishop of Philadelphia, who had been spending several weeks in —chiefly in Lismore and Clonmel (his native home)got a remarkable send-off at Queenstown on August 10, on his departure for America. The Archbishop was accompanied by Father Fitzpatrick, who had been with his Grace during his stay in Ireland. A number of priests journeyed out in the tender with the Archbishop, including his brother, Father. F. Prendergast, Portland. To a press representative, his Grace said that the Most Rev. Dr. Browne,. Bishop of Cloyne, placed his residence at his disposal at Queenstown, but he was sorry he was unable to accept the courtesy of the Bishop, which the Archbishop said he was deeply grateful for. His Grace was sought after by many travellers, and he was everywhere the recipient of warm congratulations on his vigorous health. WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM. ; The assertion of Home Rulers that Belfast is largely dependent for its capital on the Nationalists of Ireland is borne out by the figures with regard to Belfast banks which have branches outside Ulster. The Belfast Bank has eight branches in Leinster, and one in Conhaught. The Northern Bank has eight branches in Leinster, and four in ConnaughtT The Ulster Bank has 18 branches in Leinster, four in Munster, and nine in Connaught. These three banks together have 34 branches in Leinster, four in Munster, and 14 in Connaught, or 52 branches in all outside Ulster. These branches have local habitations, and are permanent. But, in addition, in a very large number of towns in the South and West, the Belfast banks open temporary offices on fair and market days. BUSINESS AND REBELLION. - .' It is interesting to see that the Belfast Harbor Board have decided to proceed, at a cost of £75,869, with the building of a new wharf for the accommodation of large liners (says the London Daily News) . They will need it, for besides the four large steamers which Messrs. Harland and Wolff are building in Glasgow

arid towing . over to be fitted in Belfast this year, a .4fcsyper-01ympic as large as the Imperator is to be launched next year at Queen's Island, and two more, scarcely less large, are to follow., At the same time, though Mr. George S. Clark keeps on saying that Home Rule will be the end of all things, his eminent firm in Belfast, Messrs. Workman and Clark, are preparing to extend two of their slips so as to build larger ships than ever before. Home Rule may be the end of a good many things: evidently, in the opinion of such excellent authorities as the Belfast Harbor Board, it will not be the end of Belfast's shipping. WILD STATEMENTS REPUDIATED. '"'■- A violent address delivered from the pulpit on the occasion of a Twelfth of July Orange Lodge meeting in the North of Ireland by the Rev. C. E. Keane, M.A., Protestant minister at Edgeworthstown, has been .promptly repudiated by his parishioners (says the Freeman's Journal). The reverend gentleman said that the object of the Orange Order, Home Rule or no Home Rule, was to fight the Church of Rome. ' There must be a strong political organisation,' he said, 'such as the Orange body, to fight her with political and perhaps other weapons.' He attacked the Catholic Church as the instigator of crime, and attributed crime in Ireland to the influence and policy of the priests, and declared that under the sway of the Church ' the history of Ireland has been the history of cowardly criminals.' The rev. gentleman has been ministering in Edgeworthstown, in the centre of Longford, one of the most Catholic counties in Ireland, and his speech, which was published in the Belfast papers, astonished his congregation who have lived in amity and in close business relations with their Catholic countrymen. The Protestant parishioners of Edgeworthstown, many of them Unionists, promptly dissociated themselves from the wild and unthinking words of their minister. In a signed declaration published by them in the Longford Leader they declare: 'We have lived in peace and harmony with our Catholic brethren, and they with us, and as fellow-Christians we desire that those friendly relations will continue to exist in the future.' Accordingly, whilst reserving to themselves the right of thinking and acting politically and religiously as they think fit, they say: 'We desire to dissociate ourselves from the views expressed by our Rector, the Rev. C. E. Keane, M.A., with reference to the Roman Catholic Church in a sermon delivered by him in the parish church, Bally machugh, on Sunday, July 13.' They conclude by disapproving of any statement to the effect that the Roman Catholic Church encourages crime of any kind, believing as we do that the contrary is the case.' No repudiation could be more specific. This dignified statement is made by gentlemen who are in intimate business and social relations with the Catholic population of the great Catholic county of Longford. . ■ - •• i' RECORD SHIP-BUILDING. At a recent meeting of the Belfast Harbor Board an important announcement was made as to extensive developments on harbor property for the benefit of the ship-building trade. They include a new fitting-out berth, at an estimated cost of £75,000, which will admit vessels of 32 feet draught at low water, and 40 feet at high water, which would enable any ship hitherto built or designed to always be afloat, and would be also suitable for any vessel built or designed in the present generation. Mr. Pollock, in submitting the minutes, forecasted some great developments in local shipbuilding. Messrs. Harland and Wolff would launch this year from their Glasgow yard four large steamers, which Lord Pirrie stated would be towed to Belfast, where their engines and boilers were being built, and where they would be fully equipped. The Queen's Island next year would launch a super-Olympic, large enough to rank with the Imperator or the large .Cunard liner now being built on the Clyde. A second ship hardly less large would follow, and a third —a smaller—would be launched later on.