The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-31 00:00:00

The New Irish Association.

The aggregate meeting, convened by the Lord
Mayor of Dublin, " for the purpose of forming an
association for the following objects :-1. A reform
of the law of . the landlord and tenant, securing to
the tenant full compensation for valuable improve.•
Ments ; 2. The abolition of the Irish Church esta-
blishment ; 3. The perfect freedom of education in
all its branches," was held in the Round room of
the Rotund() on Thursday. It was (says the Free-
man's Journal) a most important demonstration in
every respect, well calculated, from its numbers
and the rank and position of those who attended, to
exert a powerful and widespread influence, and
entitled to the utmost weight and consideration;
The requisition for the meeting, presented to the
Lard Mayor,was most numerously and influentially
signed. It included the signatures of 23 members of
the Catholic hierarchy, the names of several hun-
dreds of the other dignitaries, parish priests and
curates, members of Parliament, magistrates, landed
gentry, professional men, merchants, traders, mu-
nicipal representatives, &c. The meeting was called
for 12 o'clock, but long before that hour the Round-
room and the approaches to it were densely thronged.
The platform and the reserved seats and gallery were
crowded by Catholic prelates, clergy, and laymen,
representing every class and interest of the country.
Owing to certain inflammatory and lengthened ap•
peals and threats uttered, it was supposed that at-
tempts would be made to disturb or break up the
meeting, but the expectations of the evil.disposed
were disappointed, as most efficient arrangements
had been made to prevent disorder and preserve the
peace. A large number of gentlemen, appointed to
act as stewards, were stationed in different parts of
the Round room, some of the police force were also
distributed throughout it and outside the building,
and those precautions effectually frustrated any at-
tempt to create disorder—if any were intended.
Amongst those present were—Archbishop Cullen,
Dublin—Archbishop Leahy,Cashel—BishopKilduff,
Ardagh—Bishop Gillooly, Elphin—Bishop Keane,
Cloyne—Coadjutor Bishop Nulty, Kilmore—Mr
Maguire, M.P.—Mr Edward J. Synan, J.P.—Mr
W. J. O'Neill Daunt, Alderman Plunkett, Mr H.
Devitt, barrister—Mr J. B. Dillon, barrister—
Major O'Reilly, M.P.—Mr R. J. Devitt, T.C.—
Colonel French, I. W. Kavannah, Mr James,Nu•
gent, Mr Thomas Arkins, Mr O'Leary, barrister—
Mr Joseph Sweetman, T.C.—Mr Cornelius Redd
mond, Waterford News—Mr Michael Dwyer, Ca•
tholic Telegraph—William INlolony, Thurles—lgna•
tins J. Kennedy,P.L.G.-111ichael Murphey, T.C.—
James Delany, P.L.G—Michael O'Brien, J. Begg,
James Farrell, P. J. Smyth, Irishman—Alderman
M'Cann, George Austin, P.L.G.—John Byrne,
P.L.G.—H. H. M'Dermott, barrister—Philip Red•
mond, T.C.—Michael Cavacan, T.C.
On the motion of Mr JOHN FRANCIS MAGUIRE
M,P., Mayor of Cork, seconded by Mr EDWARD J
SYNAN, J.P., Ashbourne, Limerick, the chair was
taken by the Right Hon. the LORD MAYOR,
The LORD MAYOR, who on rising was received
with loud cheep, said he begged to thank them for

the honour they had done him in asking him to pre
aide at that great meeting. It was a singular
coincidence that the first public act he was called
upon to perform after his election to the civic chair
was to preside at a public meeting held in that
room, convened for the purpose of sympathising
with the brave people of Poland in their heroic
struggles for faith and fatherland— (cheers)—and
ha rejoiced that the last public act of his official
year identified him with a constitutional movement
in this country, having for its object the complete
emancipation of his creed and country from those
oppressive and offensive laws which still disgraced
the statute book,and weighed like a millstone round
the necks of the people. (Loud cheers.) That great
meeting was convened by him in compliance with
the most influential requisition that had ever been
presented to the chief magietiate of Dublin. It was
signed by nearly all the prelates, and by a large
number of the pastors of the church of the Irish
people—and it also contained a vast array of the
mayors, magistrates, and municipal representa•
lives from nearly all parts of the country, and
for a specific purpose. He asked what was the
specific purpose for which they were all summoned
to attend ? It was to form on association, having
for its objects--first, a reform of the law of landlord
and tenant, securing to the tenant full compensation
for valuable improvements—(hear, hear) ; secondly,
the disendowment of the Irish Church Establish.
ment, bi which all religious denominations shall be
placed on equal footing, at the same time protecting
the vested rights of individuals (hear,hear); thirdly,
perfect freedom of education, securing to the parent
entire control in the education of his child, and giv-
ing to the State the supervision of the public funds
for that purpose. (Cheers.) These were the subjects
which had engaged and still engages the attention of
the ablest statesmen, the greatest orators, and the
most accomplished writers in the three kingdoms.
They had been discussed, over and over again, in the
senate, on public platforms, and in the daily press
and periodicals of Great Britain and Ireland. He
appealed to them not to heed the counsels of those
who would seek to turn them aside from the sure and
safe paths of constitutional agitation. Ile trusted that
goodwill and harmony would prevail at that meeting
and that they would prove themselves worthy of the
rights—political and religious—which they claimed,
and to which they were entitled. (Cheers.) Let them
enable him (the Lord Mayor) by their conduct there
that day to say of them that which he had been gra-
tified at being enabled to say of them during his entire
year of office, namely, that Dublin stood preeminent
over every other cap italin Europe for the good order,
forbearance, and immunity from crime of its inhabi-
tants. (Hear.) He wou'd again direct their attention
to the terms of the requisition, which set forth that
they came there for the purpose of forming an asso-
ciation to carry out the objects already stated. 'While
it would be his duty to keep them to that question,
to allow no departure from it by the introduction of
irrelevant topics, and to maintain, as far as lay in his
power, peace, order, and harmony at their meeting
that day, he impressed upon them that the present
movement was neither conceived nor intended to be
carried out in any way offensive to the feelings or
opinions of any class of our fellow-countrymen. He
learned that a placard had been extensively posted
throughout the city, and it had been copied into
almost all the newspapers of the city, and this
placard contained upon the face of it a flagrant
falsehood respecting himself. (Hear, hear.) Surely
the cause which must resort to such barefaced lying
as that to which he referred must have very little
truth or justice to rely upon. (Cheers.) In that
placard it was stated that he ordered a black flag
to be hung out of the establishment of which he
was the head when her Majesty visited this country.
He felt humiliated at noticing so contemptible a
falsehood ; but he did so because some friends had
said to him that a lie, however flagrant, if permitted
to get into circulation, would not be overtaken by
him during the whole course of his life. (Hear,
hear.) He did not personally care what might be
invented about him. He felt that during his term
of office he had faithfully discharged his duty. He
believed that in the civic chair he had held the
scales evenly. (Cheers.) Ho would be a slave, he
would be a cower d, he would be the veriest poltroon
if he did not respond to the great and influential
re quiaition that had been addressed to bier. (Cheers.)
On the motion of Major O'Reilly, M.P., seconded
by the Very Rev. Dean O'Connell, Messrs J. B.
Dillon and R. J. Devitt were appointed secretaries
to the meeting.
The Secretaries then read a number of letters.
amongst which was the following from Mr Bright,
M.P..—

Rochdale, Dcc. 22.
My dear Lord Mayor,—l have to thank your committee
for their friendly invitation to YOU api,roaelling• meeting,
although I shdl not be able to avail thyself of it. It is
difficult for mo to leave home at this season, and I have
an engagement to be in Birmingham about the time when
your mating is to be held. lam glad to 800 that an effort
is to be made to force on some political advance in your
country. The objects you aim at are good, and I hope you
may succeed. On the question of landlord and tenant I
think you should go farther and seek to do more. What
you want in Ireland is to break down the laws of primo-
geniture and er.tail, so that in course of time, by a gradual
and just procees,the Irish people may become the possessors
of the soil of Ireland. A legal security fur tenants' improve-
ments will be of great value, but the true remedy for your
great grievance is to base the laws which affect the land
upon sound principles of political economy, With regard