PEOPLE WE HEAR ABOUT

New Zealand Tablet, 10 July 1919, Page 39

PEOPLE WE HEAR ABOUT

| Mrs. Thomasina Arnold, who h died : at^| Salem (Mass.), U.S.A., ? at the age of 102 years, was (says the Boston Pilot), a cousin of, the late Mr.- John Redmond. She was a native of Wicklow town, and one of a family of 11. I Mr. Patrick O’Shea, the well-known Irish tenor, ; died recently. lie was s for a long time _ associated withJ the Carl Rosa and Moody-Manners ' companies, -in-the United States, and in Great Britain, and was in much request as a lecturer on traditional Irish music and . folk songs. As a singer of Irish airs in the native tongue, he had few or no rivals. He was a native of Lismore, Co. Waterford, and had barely reached middle age. - ; News has reached Dublin of the . death of Ernest Windisch, Professor of Sanscrit at the University of Leipsic, and one of, the foremost Celtic scholars of the day. lie was a friend of Whitley Stokes and Standish Hayes O’Grady, both well-known Gaelic scholars. He e devoted his attention principally to “Middle Irish,” and compiled a useful grammar for that ..period, 0f .... which- there are, two translations into .English. ... His Irish Text's with vocabulary is a standard work for students. ; ■: 'T O ' r - ; i>. The Right Rev. Mgr. Byrne, Dean of Dungannon, Ireland, died on March 28, in his 78th year. A member of an old Tyrone family, he, was ordained in 1864 and became Dean in 1882. lie did a good deal for education, building many schools and convents, and was for many years Chairman of the Catholic Education Board. He was also a Commissioner of National Education. Tie was elevated to the domestic prelacy in 1891. His grand-uncle was Doctor in the Sorbonne, Paris, and President of (he Irish College, Nantes. Leaving France at the time of the Revolution, he became, third President of Maynooth, and afterwards Dean of Armagh. Early this year it was announced that the term of office of Sir Michael O’Dwyer, Governor of the Punjab, : was on the point of expiring and that he would thereupon' retire. Since then serious troubles have occurred in India, and as a strong man is required to handle the situation, The Times - the other v d ay made the -suggestion , that it was highly desirable that the British ■ Government should ask Sir Michael to remain at his post. On the same day on which The Times made this ; proposal it published a letter signed “1.C.5.,” evidently written by an authority upon Indian affairs, which pointed out the necessity of retaining in office one; of the ablest rulers the Punjab of India had ever known. An Irishman and a staunch Catholic, though a graduate of Balliol College, Sir Michael O’Dwyer has been one of the greatest administrators that the Indian Civil Service has produced' in these latter days? The Punjab and the Indian army know and have testified to this; ‘ It is gratifying :to i Catholics to ' know ' that some of the most. successful rulers -India has had have been Catholics. For instance, no 'Viceroy.gwas; more loved by the people of India than the Marquis of Ri-,, pon. Lord Mac Donnell, an Irishman and a Catholic, was not only recognised to be a great' administrator in India, but was specially invited by a Unionist Government, under unique circumstances : and in spite of his Home Rule views, to take part in the government of Ireland. Now comes Sir Michael O’Dwyer to continue the story of brilliant Catholic rulers of India. Men like Sir Michael O’Dwyer, who have .been; administering in most exemplary manner Indian provinces having three or four times the area and population of Ireland, demonstrate to the world at large (as Franciscan A nnals' of India truly remarks) that Ireland is well capable of taking care of its own affairs. ' : - -V- “