Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 8 July 1915, Page 39

Irish News

GENERAL. Captain Louis Corbally, third son of the late Mr. Matthew Corbally, of Swords, Co. Dublin, died on May 6 of wounds received near Ypres. Mrs. Fury, of Loughrea (Co. Galway), who has received information of the death of her son Malachy, of the Connaught Rangers, at the front, has, including five sons, 90 relatives with the colors. Lieutenant Win. Archer Redmond, M.P., sustained a fractured forearm on Sunday, May 9. He was on a visit to his brother-in-law, Mr. Max Gi’een, at his residence, Prospect, Templeogue, County Dublin, and while starting a motor car it back fired and the crank struck him, fracturing his forearm.

Sir T. C. O’Brien, the old Middlesex and All-Eng-land batsman, of Lohorth Castle, Mallow, is amongst the large band of cricketers who have joined his Majesty’s forces since the war began. At present he is stationed at the Army Remount Depot, Lathom Park, Ormskirk. Sir Timothy holds the rank of captain.

Calling attention to the fact that when Lieutenant Gladstone fell, the man next to him was Second-Lieu-tenant Harold Francis Lynch (Stonyhurst) the London Tablet says : ‘ This last association, accidental and slight as it is, between the grandson of Gladstone and an Irishman, nearest of all to him when he drew his last breath, has an historic appropriateness of its own.’

Speaking at Maynooth on May 17, the Lord Lieutenant said that the vital moral character of Ireland was in these days emphasised by the fact that they were in deadly grips with a cynical and dastardly enemy, who had no respect or pity for the lives of civilians, of women and children, nor were even the grey hairs of the priesthood sacred to them.

Mr. John Gorby, Main street, Carrick-on-Suir, has been informed that his son, Corporal Frank Gorby, Royal Irish Regiment, was killed in action in the western war theatre early in May. A few weeks ago the deceased was awarded the D.C.M. for conspicuous bravery in the field. The late Corporal Gorby was very popular in Carrick-on-Suir, and the news of his death was learned with much regret in the town.

Captain Lord de Freyne and his brother, the Hon. George French were both killed on the same day. They were serving with the Ist South Wales Borderers, which went out from Bordon as part of Brigadier-General Landon’s 3rd Infantry Brigade. It is only two years ago that Lord de Freyne succeeded to the Barony. His O„ J . . love of adventure led him to join the permanent militia of the United States as a private, where his services soon gave him promotion. When his father died he returned to Ireland and made arrangements for joining the Reserve of Officers.

The Irish population in England, Wales, and Scotland have responded magnificently to the call to his Majesty’s forces at the front (says a London newspaper From the statistics recently published by the general secretary of Hie United Irish League of Groat Britain, up to March 1 we find the number 115,513 —- equivalent to 20 per cent, of the Irish-born population in England, Scotland, and Wales. The most generous estimate of the total of the new Army docs not exceed 6 per cent, of the whole population of Great Britain. Therefore the proportion of the Irish population of Great Britain that has joined the Army since the outbreak of the war is over three times the proportion from the population of Great Britain as a whole.

THE HOLY FATHER AND WEXFORD CORPORATION. Cardinal Gasparri, Papal Secretary of State, lias written to the Mayor of Wexford Corporation saying that the manifestations of filial love for, and sincere faith in the person and the augnst throne of the Vicar of Christ on earth that the Municipal Council of Wex-

ford, in the name of the entire people, had shown to Benedict XV. in their joy in his exaltation to the Pontifical Chair had been received by * his Holiness, .with intense delight. In return his Holiness conveyed , his thanks and blessing to all his flock in Wexford," particularly to the Mayor and members of the Council of that ancient town.

DEATH OF A CHRISTIAN BROTHER. One of the oldest members of the Christian Brothers’ Community passed away on May 10 at St. Vincent’s Male Orphanage, Glasnevin, in the person of the Rev. Brother Michael Andrew Ryan. The deceased had attained the ripe old age of 75 years, and was for 55 years connected with the Brothers’ community. He was born near Pallas, County Limerick, and received his education at the Christian Brothers’ Schools, Limerick City. He entered the Brothers’ novitiate in Dublin at the age of 18 years, and took up educational work in several parts of -the country where the schools of the Order are established. He was attached to the schools at Limerick for a number of years, and afterwards acted as Superior in a number of districts, including Portarlington and Naas.

NEW LORD JUSTICE. ‘The announcement of the appointment of the Right Hon. Mr. Justice Molony to the office of Lord Justice of Appeal, vacated by the lamented death of Lord Justice Moriarty, lias been received with general satisfaction. The new Lord Justice (says the Irish Catholic will bring to the Court of Appeal precisely the qualities which will secure for its decisions increased respect both in the estimation of litigants and of the general public. No better means of preventing the prolongation of legal proceedings and consequent waste of money can possibly be devised than securing the existence in this country of a Court of Appeal, whose decisions will carry such weight that even the most adventurous lawyer will not advise recourse to the House of Lords. The elevation of Mr. Justice Molony is a step towards the attainment of this most desirable end. Naturally, speculation is now rife as to who is to occupy the position among the Puisne Judiciary vacated by the new Lord Justice of Appeal. According to usage this would pass to the Attorney-General, M Jonathan Pirn, but it is generally believed that he may forego his claim to the office, and that the new judge will be the Solicitor-General, Mr. James O’Connor, whose appointment would be approved not only by the Bar, but by all who appreciate legal ability and high personal character.

SUCCESSFUL KILKENNY MAN. Chicago exchanges record the death a few weeks ago of a really remarkable Irishman, Mr. John Cudahy, of the world-famous Chicago firm of meat-packers. Mr. Cudahy was a native of Callan, County Kilkenny. His parents emigrated to the West when he was very young. He died at the age of 71, a millionaire several times over‘ having earned, besides money, position, and prestige, the universal respect and regard of his fellow citizens. Ills honest life was open for, all to read, and many were his acts of charity, of which no earthly record was kept. He was also interested in several public charities, and gave liberally to all of them.’ There were two Cudahy brothers, Michael, who died several years ago, and John. Alike in ability, and courage, the two men were very different in methods. Michael was steady, safe, conservative; John, more daring and more disposed to take chances. From the standpoint of integrity they were at onetheir word having the quality of legal tender. No one who knew them even remotely would hesitate to trust either. As business men they reflected credit upon Chicago. Though little identified with Irish affairs, both were staunch Nationalists, ever ready to show their affection for the land of their birth. The immense fortune won by the Cudahy Brothers remains with their families.

A HEROIC GUNNER'S FATE.

News of the death, under heroic circumstances, of James Gosson, a private of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, has been received by his friends at Skerries, County Dublin. Private Gosson and his brother were posted with a machine-gun section, and both fell practically together. ‘ Eye-Witness ’ deals with the incident as follows —-‘ At one place in this quarter (the extreme left) a machine gun was stationed in the angle of a trench when the German rush took place. One man after another of the detachment was shot, but the gun still continued in action, though five bodies lay around it. When the sixth man took the place of his fallen comrades, of whom one T as his brother, the Germans were still pressing on. He waited until they were only a few yards away, and then poured a stream of bullets on the advancing ranks, which broke and fell back, leaving rows of dead. He was then ’wounded himself.’ The ‘sixth man' was Private Gosson, whose brother lay dead beside him in the trench. Wounded in the shoulder and foot he was removed to the Canadian Field Hospital. Tetanus supervened, and he died. Private Gosson was a reservist, and at the time of the outbreak of the war was drill instructor to the local company of National Volunteers at Skerries. II e has left a wife and young family.

- RECRUITING IN IRELAND. M John Redmond, M R., writes to the press as follows:-There is a great deal of misapprehension, I find, in the public mind with reference to what we have all been calling the ' Irish Brigade.’ As a matter of fact, the proper term is the ‘ Irish Division,’ and we have all been using the word ‘ Brigade ’ simply because of historical associations. The fact is that the Irish Division, which is the 16th Division, under General Parsons, consists of three Irish Brigades —one stationed at Ferrnoy, one at Buttevant, and one at Tipperary, entirely composed of Irishmen and also largely officered by Irishmen. The Brigade at Fermoy is now full. The Brigade at Buttevant is almost full. The Brigade at Tipperary, however, still requires a large number of recruits. This, I fancy, is largely due to the fact that recruits have rushed to the Fermoy Brigade under the impression that that was the Brigade and the only Irish Brigade. The regiments of the Buttevant Brigade, which still require recruits, are the 7th Royal Irish Rifles and the 9th Royal Munster Fusiliers. The regiments of the Tipperary Brigade, which still require recruits, are 7th and Bth Inniskillings and 7th and Bth Irish Fusiliers. These are all great historical Irish regiments, and inasmuch as the Irish Division as a whole cannot be ready for active service until all the brigades are completed, it is to be hoped that the deficiency in the Tipperary and Buttevant Brigades will be made up as soon as possible. Recruiting in Ireland has gone on with increasing rapidity, and it appears, from the latest figures that 1 have seen, that in the four weeks ending the 16th April

close on 6000 recruits enlisted. A number of these, no doubt, went to the Irish Guards and a very large proportion to the various reserve regiments, and only a small proportion of them to the Irish Division. This is a great pity, and I feel sure that, if efforts were made to let it be clearly understood by recruits that they are required in order to complete the Irish Division, sufficient would speedily be obtained. I may say that, through the generosity and public spirit of a leading Irishman and friend of mine in England, Mr. Thomas Ryan, of Buxton, I have been placed in a position of being able to present, as a mascot, an Irish wolfhound to each of the three Irish Brigades. The dogs are most splendid animals, of the purest strain, and they come from the finest Irish wolfhound kennel. One of them stands 91 hands high to the shoulder. _ I hope personally to have the opportunity of presenting these’ dogs to the brigades.