Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 17 June 1915, Page 39

Irish News

GENERAL. Private Morrow, of the Irish Fusiliers, who was recently awarded the V.C. for rescuing wounded from a shattered trench, has been killed while again assisting the wounded under heavy fire.

The Commissioners of Irish National Education have appointed Mr. A. N. Bonaparte Wyse, M.A., Inspector of National Schools, to fill the vacancy in the Secretariat caused by the retirement of Mr. P. E. Lemass, 1.5.0.

Rifleman John Grattan Houlihan, Clonliffe, Dublin, was killed in action, and a letter to his mother found on his corpse says: — ‘Don’t worry about me; I am in God’s safe keeping. lam always with you in memory. Say your prayers for us boys that we may return to our dearest ones in safety.’

Amongst those to whom commissions have recently been granted are the following: —Mr. J. J. Maguire, Clare Villa, Sandymount, Co. Dublin; Mr. P. 11. Shiel, son of Mr. P. J. Shiel, Portadown; Mr. J. J. Wood, Newbridge, Co. Kildare; and Mr. Paul Stewart Wakefield, manager of Messrs. Crane and Co., Ltd., Dublin. Mr. Wakefield is only 18.

Mr. John Redmond sent the following telegram to Lord Gladstone on the death of Mr. W. G. C. Gladstone killed in action:— ‘All of us of the Irish Party have learned with the deepest sorrow of the death of Mr. Gladstone, and send his family through yoii our heartfelt sympathy. The whole Irish people, mindful of the past, mourn with them at this tragic and heroic end of one who worthily carried on the great traditions of devotion to freedom.’

An important deputation waited on Lieutenant Esmonde at Drominagh recently, and invited him to come forward as a candidate for the Parliamentary vacancy. Mr. Esmond© expressed his gratitude for the honor done him by so flattering a proposal, and said that if the constituency desired his services as M.P. for North Tipperary, he would place himself unreservedly in their hands, and would use his best endeavors to give them as faithful service as his dear father had done.

Irish charities benefit largely by the will of the late Mrs. Emily Mary Clarke, of Blackrock, Co. Dublin, who left estate valued at .£46,514. She left .£IOOO each to the Vincentian Fathers of Blackrock and the President of Blackrock College, half of such sum to be expended in Masses for her soul. , .£2OOO was left in aid of the Night Refuge in connection with the Catholic Discharged Female Prisoners Aid Society, also a perpetual annuity of £3O to the same society to provide spiritual reading and retreats for the inmates. The Little Sisters of the Assumption at Drumcondra and at Kingstown each receive estates and houses the income from which is to be used to assist their work, while the residue of the estate is divided amongst ten other Catholic charities of the Irish capital. Another Catholic lady, Mrs. Winstamley, of Southport, who recently died, has left some £2OOO amongst Dublin charities.

STILL ANOTHER HERO. Temporary-Lieutenant George Carew, who has just been granted a Distinguished Service Cross for his gallantry during the operations on the Suez Canal, is a member of a well-known Waterford family. For several years Lieutenant Carew held an important position under the Suez Canal Company, and at the outbreak of the war, in common with a large number of his fellowservants in the company, he placed his services at the disposal of the War Office. As the official announcement of the award now conferred upon him shows, the deed by which he won it was exceedingly meritorious. In the course of the fight with the Turks, who were attacking the Canal, a shell struck the funnel of the Hardinge on which he was servings and completely shattered one of Lieutenant Carew's legs as well as

breaking one of his arms, but despite these and other injuries, he continued to advise as' to the piloting of the ship with, to quote the . words of the official announcement, ‘coolness and equanimity,’

THE DUTY OF IRISHMEN. In furtherance of the recruiting campaign in Kilkenny a largely-attended meeting was held in thjb theatre, at which the Marquis of Ormonde presided. • The Chairman, at the opening of the proceedings, 'read the following letter which he had received from the • Right Rev. Dr. Brownrigg, Bishop of Ossory: Dear Lord Ormqnde,— I regret very much that I shall not be able to be present at the meeting proposed to be held this evening in furtherance of the recruiting movement in our city and county, but I will ask your lordship and those present at the meeting to- be good enough to accept the assurance from me that its object has my entire concurrence and approval. Our country is at present engaged in a struggle for its very existence with an enemy the most powerful, the cruellest and the most unscrupulous, compared with whom scarcely any example can be found in the history of the world. Although we entertain the fairly well-founded hope that we shall be conquerors, yet the fortunes and issue of. war are so uncertain that it would be folly for us, at this stage, to rest satisfied that we are going to come out of the struggle victorious. And yet, if we be not victorious—if the enemy should appear some fine day on the shores of our country—we have, surely, object-lessons in abundance in the ruin and desolation, moral, religious and material, in poor Belgium and Northern France by which we may judge of the fate that awaits us in this country. Let us not be too ready to think that such disaster is either impossible or even very remote, and the obvious conclusion we should draw from such a condition of things is that every member of the community should be prepared to give help and assistance, each in his own degree, and according to his capacity, to repel the threatened clanger, and to win once more for our country the blessing of a secure and lasting peace. To gain this most desirable end the greatest want at present is the want of brave and courageous men ready to meet the armed millions of Germany, and to teach them that their dream of universal empire is not going to succeed. It has been a source of pleasure to me that the city and county of Kilkenny have been so well represented in the armed operations since the war broke out last August. In common with other places we, of course, have to deplore that many of those brave men now lie in foreign graves, while many others are confined in German prisons and camps. But we must not be too sad over their fate—the former died in a noble manner and in a noble cause (/nice et decorum est pro patria mori- the latter have lost their liberty in fighting for the freedom of their country. But, thank God, many others of • them still survive to use their strong arms in the difficult work that still lies before them. It seems to me that if we could read their thoughts just now, or if they could be present at the meeting this evening, we should find that it would be to encourage their old comrades in Kilkenny to come to their help. I hope the result of the meeting will be that their wishes shall be gratified.'

THE CONFIDENCE OF THE COUNTRY. On. April 14 a meeting of the Irish County Councils General Council was held in Dublin. Mr. P. J. O'Neill, J.P. (chairman), presided, and the following notice of motion stood in his name on the agenda.— ' That the Irish County Councils General Council desires to place on record the conviction of its members, representing county and county borough councils throughout Ireland, that Mr. Redmond's policy in relation to the present war commands the full and firm support of the overwhelming majority of their constituents.' The chairman said: 'Before formally moving the motion which stands in my name I should like to state very briefly why I think it important that this council should express an opinion on the subject to which the resolution refers. The widely representative character of our

council, coupled with the fact that it has recently’ received - its commission from the electorate, gives it - an indisputable claim to speak in the name of the Irish people. I think I can justly say . for my colleagues that they always approach the consideration of public question in a perfectly impartial spirit, and that they invariably express their views boldly and courageously. At . the moment our country is passing through an unparalleled crisis in its history, and our political leader, Mr. Redmond, has in the most statesmanlike fashion outlined what the policy of our country should be regarding the present deplorable war. In the declaration which Mr. Redmond has made on this subject he has spoken for the overwhelming majority of the Irish people, and I would go further and say that at no previous period of our country’s history has the policy of any political leader ever met with such universal acceptance from the people of Ireland. Of course, we know that a very limited and insignificant section of the population profess to be at variance with this policy for reasons which we find it difficult to comprehend. I am not unmindful of the wrongs that have been done to our country in the days gone by, but I do not think we should continue to brood over the black and bitter memories of the past. It has often occurred to‘me that we are less conscious of the changes that take place in our own time than we are of those which took place generations before. We have seen a vast proportion of the land of Ireland restored by the intervention of the State to the people who had been despoiled of their possessions. We have seen a non-representative system of local government swept away, and replaced by one directly representative of, and controlled by the people. We have seen the educational rights of the people provided for and subsidised by the State. Finally, we have seen the charter of our rights to legislate for our own people, on our own soil, placed on the Statute Book of Great Britain. I recall these facts for a two-fold purpose —firstly, to show that the relative position of Ireland toward the Empire to-day is not comparable with any previous period in our history, and, secondly, to acknowledge with gratitude how much we owe to the incomparable skill and sagacity of the leader who has accomplished so much for our country. Probably some of you may think that the feeble and insignificant hostility to Mr, Redmond’s policy is unworthy of even passing notice, but I would remind those who may be disposed to entertain this view that, whilst we at home are able to appraise the opposition at its proper value, outside Ireland it may be. exploited in a way to create a false impression as to the true feelings of the people. For this reason, I think it most important that this council, which is the most representative body in Ireland, should give its united and whole-hearted support to Mr. Redmond’s war policy. Ireland has, for the first time, become in reality an integral part of the Empire, and, as altered conditions impose new obligations, we must, therefore, be prepared to accept such responsibilities as the altered conditions demand.’

A DISTINGUISHED CAREER. ■ The Commissioners of Intermediate Education for Ireland have been pleased to appoint Mr. Stephen Patrick O'Brien, 8.A., N.U.1., Barrister-at-Law, to superintend the examination for 1915. Mr. O'Brien graduated in the Royal University of Ireland in 1900, having studied previously in the University School at Waterford. He had a distinguished course as a law student both in the Queen's University, Cork, and at the King's Inns, Dublin, was awarded first-class honors through his whole course and a special certificate in the final examination. Mr. O'Brien holds the gold medal for proficiency in legal debate. Called to the Irish Bar in Trinity term, 1912, he was proposed by the Right Hon. IgnatiusJD'Brien, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland. -His certificate was signed by W. 11. Battersby, K.C., M.P. He is son of Mr. Stephen Patrick O'Brien, Royal Terrace, West Kensington, Co. Dublin, until lately head master of the University School, Water ford. We congratulate Rev. Father Dominick O'Brien, Devonport, Auckland, on the success of his distinguished brother.