Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 24 June 1915, Page 39

Irish News

GENERAL. Marlborough street parish,’ Dublin, which has a population of over 50,000, is to be provided with a chapel-of-ease, the site chosen being in Lower Gloucester street. The area has been cleared, and the building will be commenced at once.

In view of the centenary celebrations in honor of St. Columbanus, arranged for November, 1915, the Right Rev. Dr. Shahan, Rector of the Catholic University of America, generously offered through the Irish bishops a prize of <£2oo for the best Life of St. Columbanus. The prize has been awarded to the Irish authoress, Mrs. Helena Concannon, Galway.

An official report supplied by the Under Secretary for Ireland to the Secretary of the King’s County Co. Council states that the county enlistments, including reservists, called to the colors to March 15 was as follows: —Tullamore, 201 ; • Banagher, 97; Birr, 213; Edenderry, 113. - Total, 714, or approximately one in ten of the eight thousand men in the county between the ages of 20 and 40 years.

The son of the late Captain Esmonde, M. P., in a letter to the press corrects the statement that his father died of pneumonia. The real cause of his death was heart failure, brought about by over-exertion in the performance of his duties. Owing to the shortage of officers in the Royal Army Medical Corps, Captain Esmonds for the last month of his life had been attempting to do three men’s work, and the strain proved too great for his strength.

Mr. Philip MacDonald, solicitor, speaking at a recruiting meeting in Galway, said that not alone had the Irish Guards distinguished themselves on the battlefield, but it was within the knowledge of everyone that they had distinguished themselves recently at home. That was in no sense a political meeting, and they were not asked in coming there to abate one whit of their political opinions. Since the war had started 600 Galwaymen had joined the color's, and to those who sneered at the Volunteers as toy soldiers he said, with full knowledge of its truth, that 50 per cent, of the Galway Volunteers had joined the colors.

Preaching at the Requiem Mass for the late John Canon Garrick, P.P., of Kilfinane, County Limerick, the Most Rev. Dr. O’Dwyer, Bishop of Limerick, said that they had been fellow-curates forty-five years ago. ‘I knew him of a winter’s day to take off his new overcoat and give it to a poor shivering tramp whom he met on the road,’ said the Bishop. ‘On one occasion he got a sick call to a family at Newcastle West, who were lying ill with typhus fever. The father and son were in the same bed, and no one was in the house with them. To hear their confessions, Father Garrick lay down in the bed between them, and heard them in turn at each side. It was courage as great as anything recorded on the field of battle, but Father Garrick took it in the day’s work, and never said a word about it.’

Speaking at a recruiting meeting in Cookstown, Lieutenant T. M. Kettle asked what was the nation engaged in fighting for. It was not only for principle, but for their lives. Recounting his experiences while engaged for eight weeks as correspondent with the Belgian Army, he said he could but tell them of what he had seen—of the ruined towns and the devastated country, not don© as the fortune of war, but by deliberate pillage and organised villainy In the town of Termonde, of 14,000 inhabitants, he had gone through every street after its destruction on the 15th September last, and there was not a roof left. As he saw the poor women searching amongst the ruins for anything that might be left, he felt that, in spite of his being middle-aged, married, and a literary man, he was bound to do whatever it was possible for him to do in the army, or else he could not look his children in the face.

GOVERNOR’S STRIKING TRIBUTE.

In the course of a letter which the Lord Provost of Edinburgh has received from the Governor *of . Newfoundland, thanking his Lordship for the extreme courtesy and sympathy which he had extended to the Newfoundland Regiment placed in garrison at Edinburgh Castle, the following paragraph, which will be of special interest to Irishmen as indicating f the patriotic feeling in the breasts of Irishmen in the far-flung reaches of the Empire, appears: —‘ The old stock of Newfoundland is mainly sprung from the west country seamen and from Irishmen of Waterford and County Wexford. I wish there were more of us Scots among them, but I doubt if even Caledonia could better the breed.’

MR. DILLON’S IMPRESSIONS. The Weekly Despatch publishes the replies of a number of distinguished people to the question What has struck you most about the war?’ Mr. John Dillon, M.P., says: —‘Two things have impressed themselves deeply on my mind, first, the horrible collapse of the present system of European diplomacy, and, second, the enormous change wrought by the war in the appreciation of the value of men as human beings. Out of these two things, we may hope, that some good results will come from all the suffering, misery, and ruin which this war has let loose.’

DEATH OF MR. NANNETTI. The announcement of the death of Mr. Joseph Patrick Nannetti, member of Parliament for the College Green Division of Dublin, will be received with profound regret even by those most opposed to him in politics (says the Irish Catholic). The son of an Italian father and of an Irish mother, the deceased gentleman possessed a real capacity for affairs and administrative work,- while the inherited suavity of his Southern ancestry conferred on all his actions a kindliness of expression which was really very charming. Essentially gentle, unaffected, and unostentatious, Mr. Nannetti had many friends who will long deplore his loss. A man of high personal character, a staunch Catholic, and a devoted Nationalist, Mr. Nannetti’s place in the ranks of Ireland’s representatives will not be easily filled.

ADDRESSES TO PRESIDENT AND CARDINAL AMETTE. An Irish, Nationalist deputation is about to present in Paris two addresses setting forth the sympathy of the Irish people with France and the French people in their struggle for the integrity and freedom of their countryone to the President of the Republic and one to the Cardinal-Archbishop of Paris. The first address will be spoken by Mr. T. P. O’Connor, M.P., on behalf of Mr. Redmond and the Irish members. The second, which is from the Ancient Order of Hibernians to the Cardinal-Archbishop, will be read by Mr. Joseph Devlin, M.P., as President of the Hibernians.

The French political leaders of all parties have expressed their appreciation of this manifestation of sympathy, and have made arrangements to give the members of the deputation a cordial welcome. The deputation to the Cardinal-Archbishop will be introduced by M. Denys Cochin, one of the deputies for Paris and a member of the French Academy. A banquet will be given to the members of the deputation by the Foreign Affairs Committee of both Chambers, composed of the members of all parties of the French Parliament. M. Bourgeois will preside, Mr. Redmond will be represented by his secretary, Mr. Hanna. The mission will consist of the following Mr. T. P. O’Connor, M.P., Mr. Joseph Devlin, M.P., Mr. John D. Nugent, secretary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Mr. Hugh Law, M.P., the Lord Mayor of Dublin, and Mr. Roynane, his secretary; Mr. T. J. Condon, M.P., Mayor of Clonmel; Mr J. T. Donovan, M.P., Mr Thos. Scanlan, M.P., Mr. T. J. Hanna, and Father MacMullen, of the Passionist Congregation.