1ut 10, 1909.
July
IO
.).n c�roea1t1 sotu1s.
1909
[..u.i
dealing with the status of Irish in the University, said :-" The Senate is-at least should betheir servant, not their master. Their duty is to arrange the details, to fix the technique. Those who object to the Irish language being made essential are divided into three classes. The first class includes their ancient enemyThe motto the English garrison in Ireland. of the new movement is Ireland for the Irish. The second class is of those who should be with us but are not. "Dressed in a little brief authority," unmindful of what they are, they despise their motherland, for whose ills their sole panacea is emigration. They hob-nob with the enemy, and gradually acquire the fashions and foibles, too, of the predominant partner. They worship the golden calf. They are the snobocracy. The third class includes the idlers, the selfish and lazy. These will ask you: 'Cui bono ? ' and go their way. More than a quarter of a century ago, at the beginning of the land agitation, I stood on the ·platform with the founder of the Land League, and finished what I had to say in these words : ' If those who rule the country will not give us justice, we will force it from them.' And I say to-day to the Senate, 'Give us our birthright. If you refuse to comply with the firmly expressed demand of the country, you act unworthily and unjustly. If you say the country is not ripe for such a course, we do not believe you. Are there not training colleges over Ireland for the training of teachers, and is not Irish taught in the primary schools ? Everything is ready, but the will seems wan ting to the Senate to have this great act of justice done. No concession short of our demand will be acceptable.' Finally, my friends, I shall not conceal from you the hope in n1y heart that if the Senate prove stubborn and continue to resist our demand, the Archbishop of Dublin will protest against the insult offered to Ireland by resigning his position as Chance1lor, as he formerly resigned his position on the National Board for a far less weighty reason."
...
•y"'Feis Thir Chonaill. t�· The Gaelic League had no official connection with Feis Thir Chenail which was held at Teelin Head, in Donegal Bay, on June zqth. The promoters chose to giv_e the Feis a distinctly religious and Catholic character, ai:id on that account it was organised by a distinct committee. After the celebration of High Mass there was an Irish sermon by Father Friel of Gleann Choluim Chille, and an Irish address by Father Cassidy, P.P. Afterwards the Rev. M. J. O'Donnell, D.D., told in English the story of An Cathach, the battle-book of TirChonnaill, The Most Rev. Dr. O'Donnell, Bishop of Raphoe, appealed to the parents of Donegal �o speak the language in the homes, and P'.1draic O Broin, of na Cealla Beaga, read the Fe1s <;)de which he had written specially for t�e oc�as10n. The gathering was also addressed in Insh by Monsignor M'Glynn, Dean of Raphoe. .?'
....
In the course of his speech, Dr. O'Donne 11 said :-" Is Irish, or is it not, in these years, becoming again the home language �r a ho�e I do�bt if a satislanguage of our people ? factory answer can be_ given to either of t�ese questions. Now, that is the fundamental point. It is vital, I say, if the language is to become the home language or a home lang.uage of <;>Ur people, that while so many Irish-speaking parents are still alive the language should get hold of the hearths and homes of Ireland. It steins altog .ther an easy matter here. In all such cases the influence of the mother counts for almost everything; and here, ever since the time when Columba's mother, Ethne, spoke the Irish language to her sons and daught_ers, the mothers of families in these two panshes of Kilcar and Glencolu1ncille have constantly But, spoken that language to their children. remember that even in Donegal there are m3:ny Celtic fan{ilies without a single member having Irish as the native language. There comes the firs; difficultv. But whv would Irish net be �poken · . in everv - w hil J i e eac h d ay, at least-· for a little familv where either the father or n1?ther �p,eaks Irish - and their children are learning Irish at school ? That is possible with a little effort, and the effort ought to be inade. �or instance, . srht resolve in such circun1sta!1ces fanu·1·ies rmg . bed time to speak Irish from supper time t O .' - d hour each dav. or at all events, forone fixe Now you in these parishes could do 1!1uch to You th a t · . in these 1 ce help ' in-· a movement lik f 1 parishes should be the vanguard ot a peace ud arrnv detennined to hold the homes-of Irdelan t for the . ae1 · 1· ou . woul not language of t l1e G· refuse to be associated with neonle ,, ho canno •
a
CL .... lDJl:LA.M•
9
SOLC U. )
owing to their want of opportunity, be asked to speak Irish more than a short time each day, and your doing so would do a great deal of good. If such families speak Irish regularly for a short time each day it would be good for the language, good for education, and good in every way for the country." In Inis Ceitleann. Liam Mac Gio1la Bride who has become one of the best know and most popular of Gaelic League public speakers opened Feis Fhir Mhanach at Inis Ceitleann on June zqth. The Rev. Father Tierney pr sided, and there were many other When the opening cereclergymen present. mony was over, Mr. J obn Wray, LL.B., proposed a resolution in support of the demand for essential Irish in the University. This was seconded by The Maguire of Fermanagh, and unanimously adopted. tllS" Ceanntair Thuama. Coiste Ceanntair Thuama has maintained an Irish teacher to conduct teachers' classes and teach in schools where the teachers were not qualified to teach the language for several years past, and at considerable expense to the The Coiste local Branches of the League. has been dissatisfied with the progress that was being made, and it has now published a detailed report of the manner in which Irish is taught in the schools of eight parishes in the Tuam neighbourhood. In Dunmore, where there are r,roo pupils on the rolls, only 591 are taught In five of the fourteen schools in the Irish. Irish is taught, and of thirty teachers, no parish only six hold certificates for the teaching of the language. Although a teachers' Irish class has been carried 0'1 in Dunmore for three years at the expense of the Coiste the majority of the teachers have not attended. Good work is being done, however, in a few local scho?ls. In Tuam parish practically all the school-going children are taught Irish, but the efficiency of the teaching is not yet wholly saisfactory. In Cummer parish r4r of 612 pupils on the rolls Cummer has more are not learning Irish. speakers of Irish than most parishes east of the Corrib, but except in Belclare and Sylane the schools are not doing satisfactory work. In Killererin creditable work is being done, but several of the teachers are not yet qualified to In Kilconly 122 children are teach Irish. not being taught Irish, and the younger pupils generally get no instruction in the language. Excellent work is being done in nearly all the In Caherlistrane where the Milltown schools. school-going children are native speakers, the report says that in four of the paris� schools the position of Irish is by no means satisfactory. One hundred and nineteen pupils are not getting any instruction. In Headford the s�hools are doing fair work for the language, but in Abbey the condition of Irish teaching in the schools In several of the boys' schools the is bad. A large number of teachers know no Irish. the pupils are native speakers, but the schools do very little to give them either a knowledge or love of their native language. '6/F The Coiste has lately waited on the Tuam District Council, with the result that at the meeting held on June zoth the Council adopted the following resolution:" That we, the Tuam District Council, having considered the report furnished by the Coisde Ceanntair, showing the manner in which Irish is being taught in the sch?ols �f the district, are of opinion that the attention g1v�n to the teaching of the Irish lang�age, as d_1sclosed by t�e report is most unsatisfactory, inasmuch as i t appea;s therefrom that the language is _either indifferently taught or totally neglected m the larger number of the schools ,�rithin the District Council area. \Ve deplore this fact, for so long as the language is neglected in the sc�ools, �ittle real progress can be made towards 1 ts revi val. \Ve, therefore, respectfully request the managers of the school to take such steps as may be necessary to have the language taught to the children� from the time that they first attend school, and as it is evident that teachers who have not a proper spoken and _literar�v k�owled?e of the language cannot possibly teach it effic1e�tly to the children, to urge on all unqualified teachers to attend the Connacht College at Partrv until such time as they are fully qualified to teach Irish _as well � English. The Council wishes to point out that th_e Compulsory Education Act w� only put in force on condition that the Insh language should be taught to the ch_ildr�n of t�e. r�tepayers, and as expressing their views on this important question, demands that the language be
efficiently taught in every school within the area of the District Council. That we suggest to the different managers of the schools not to appoint any teacher who has not a knowledge of the Irish language, written and spoken."
..,...
The Coiste places special stress on the necessity of having Irish taught fr0111 infant classes up, and the report points out that the Connacht College and the local Irish classes afford teachers the necessary facilities for the study of the language and of teaching methods.
..
An tAthair O Ceileachair. An tAthair O Ceileachair writes us to say that .the statement in our leading article last week, that he is to be " ostracised and exiled " In is a misrepresentation of the facts. accordance with the ordinary regulations of his diocese he migh t have to go on a foreign mission, but in case he does, it cannot be put We down to his action re essential Irish. regret having misrepresented An tA thair O Ceileachair's position, and we earnestly hope that such a good Gael will be able to remain Our information came from a in Ireland. " Sagart Og '' writes usually reliable source. to say that the recent action of the Bishops was of a disciplinary nature, and that it was not prompted by enmity to the League. The Rev. T. McGann has sent us a rather angry letter the greater part of which has already appeared elsewhere. The Language Fund. The improvement evidenced in last week's list of contributions to the Language Fund is well maintained in the list for the current week. Craobh An Athar Sgorlog sends £r6 4s. 6d .. Coiste Ceanntair Neidineach sends £14 8s. From the new branches of Teanga and Druim Coiste Raithin, in Iarmhide, comes £14. Ceanntair na Gaillimhe sends fro for a first contribution, and Craobh Bhaile an Mhuilinn sends £7 6s. The final instalment from Coiste Ceanntair Bhaile Atha Cliath to the 1908 Language Fund which amounts to £46 r8s 8d. appears in this week's list. Affiliated Branches and Coi sti sending in contributions before August will be entitled to representation at the Ard-Fheis, if the names of delegates will have been sent to the Ard Runaire before July 14th. �
./ ;..-- Irish in Belfast University. The Rev. Canon F. W. O'Connell, known
to the Gaelic world as " Conall Cearnach," a penname over which he has contributed many clever articles and sketches to Irish journals, has been appointed Celtic Lecturer in the Belfast University. As writer, editor, and examiner, Canon O'Connell has been one of the busiest workers in Irish circles of late years, and our readers will be glad to hear of his new appointment.
Bilingual Teaching. The conference on Bilingual Teaching which is being promoted by the Coiste Gnotha for Oireachtas Week, will, we trust, be attended by every teacher of a bilingual school in Ireland. We hope in a week or two to publish a list of Irish grammaticai- and literary terms that have been adopted for use in the Irish Training Colleges. Fleadh na Leanbh. Monday, znd August is the day in Oireachtas week appointed for the children's fete, commencEvery Irish family, ing at four o'clock. or as many as possible, should send at Tickets least one juvenile representative. are on sale, and any adult who desires to behold this brilliant spectacle of Fleadh na Leanbh can obtain same for Is. each, at 25 Rutland Square. �!:·) ,,,,;
r ot Re,0..C'C,0..S.
�n ,
o· '
I
I ......... Q)"" ' ""-J
-
.....
ROTUNDA GARDENS, Monday 2nd August.
TICKETS I/· EACH, Can be had at the Gaelic League
Offlce<11, or
t'rorn any member of' the committee.