National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-04-20
IRKLAHb's SAINTS AND HEROES.

Lecture BY Few. J. J. Ksane, Of 81. Rstrick's,
The Rev. J. ]. Keane, Of st. Patriek's church,
last night delivered lecture at St. AloysIus'
church, before the ReadIpE.room Association, on
"Irelands saints and heroes" There was q large
audience present, who showed how near the sub
ject came to their hearts by their deep attention
and earnest applause Of the patriotic passages.
Rev Father Cleary, in introducing the speaker,
said that whilst our eouItrymen on the shores Of
Massachusetts, bay are celebrating the auniVer-
saFy Of "thst shot which was heard all around the
which re- echoed that shot in the cause OF freedom
and recognized nee people.
The Rev. Father KeBne, aftSr expressing IFS
pleasure in addressing the association, said hero
ism and sanctity are two words that ought 70 be
synonymOus. The hero is ono who does grassland
good things; the saint is ore that does crest and
good things In the eyes Of God. But Whatfs not
great and Reod in the eyes Of God Is In truth not
sIea. and good at an GeDes he only is n truth
appreciation Of things the world awards the lau.
rel crown Of heroism 70 men whose erows il would
hardly venture to Hreathe with thc-Gureole Of
sanetity. There may be
SOME HSRoIc CHARACTERS
iR'the annals Of oar country whom the Church
might hesitate TO canoniZe; yet history shows
that there is no country where the character Of
ed together 81 our own little Island OF saints.
A history Of great events must presuppose q
country Of heroes or saints, OF beth. In the chron-
.t-les OF nations we can md none that furnishes
parallel to IRELAND in historic interest. Erin,
then. must indeed be superer:nently the mother
vi Every patton fas its vEctssitudes, which leave
their traces on the character Of its people and in
situations. 1be circumstanees that have infiu-
enced the condition OF Ireland may be divided
| into three ages-the of peace and glory, the
age of struggle, and the ssge,of downtrOdden OPP
We have been so long accustomed to picture
cur country almost in the gloom OF the sepulchre
that It becomes impossible picture her in peace
hapJfness and prosperity; yet at time she was
the special sanctuary OF the Church, the regene-
| rater Of Europe. DRring the fierce struggle in
| Europe in the fifth century ireland became the
! ark OF safety to the Church, and her glorious
record since that time attests how faithfully she
has performed her trust.
The speaker then synopsEed the hero!c and
| ecclesiastic history OF ireland. He began with
| Conary the Great, who reigned In the AGg1sta1
age Of the world, just before the coming of the
Messiah. The frst knowledge of Christianity
was brought to them by Conall Rearnach,
OF the hrst Irish saints, is universally acknowI-
edged to have been the first bishop of TOul.
Saints EIiplius, Florentinus and GRnibaldus,
with two sisters Of the latter, were among the
pioneers Of
IRISH CHRISTIANITY.
The four holy bishops, Saints Reclen, AiIbe,
Kieran and lbGr. were the immediate precursors
OF Saint Patrick. 1t renamed for Saint Patrick
The Speaker gave a sketch Of the life of Saint
Patrick, through whose efforts the land had been
by the degradation Of women; Christianity com
mel ees with IGNORING her. Saint Patrick had
done this In choosing SAINT Bridget his O.
OF orator, whom he acknowledged as an equal
He gave also q sketch Of the life Of st. Uolumb-
kill, the exile and poet saint and read transla-
tiOn Of one OF his Gaelic prOductiO written in
exile. The Church OF Down, in Ulster, possesses
in an hOnored tomb the relics OF Ireland's three
great regeneraters and patrons, st. Patrick, st.
abois is the picture Of the first three centuries Of
Christian Ireland. With them we're associated
St. Finan, st. Brendsn, 81. Fintan, st. Colman'
st. KieVan, st. Kenny, St. KiaTan and many
others through whose efforts the greatest evils OF
lreland-her over eagerness for martial exploits
and the spirit Of rivalry between the clsns-had
be en- transformed to zeal for piety and friendly
rivalry in the pursuit Of
THE TRUE AND THE GOOD.
If the light that then shOne in Ireland has
been changed to midnight gloom the fault should
lie with the hand that has quenehed it.. Let us
picture to ourselves what she yet might be If her
wrongs were righted, by thinking what she was
The second epoch, the age Of struggling for
from III Tssr m y nSS eom s ma ~
the first invasion OF Normans, to the flight of the
Earls. The speaker narrated much Of the his
tory Of the time, and sketcbed several Of the
heroic characters Of the age. Brian .Boru was
the first and most conspicuous hero. The great
souls Of the time were 81 CELSIUS, st Gelasins,
and Matthew O'Heney. harianus Scotus was the
most learned man Of those times in Ireland. But
among them ali the great representative man
Amer this epoch begins the story of ,EngIands
tyranny and Ertn's struggle. Although they are
full of sorrow, lrelandS sons MAXWELL be proud
of those five centuries. Up TO the time of Henry
VIII, Englanois action in reference to ireland
had been ambition, but then, by the Reforma-
ton, to this was added fanatieal hatred against
the Church, and
WAR OF DETERMINATION
against Catholic ireland. Ireland can point with
pride to Ard Righ Roderick, Donald More
O'Brien and Csthsl 0'ConnOr, as array ed against
such characters as the bypocritical Henry II, the
beastly Henry VIII, the jeZabel Elizabeth and
the regieide Cromwell.
The speaker related the story Of the futile a.
tempts Of Richard ii TO gain possession Of the
Irish throne.
lreland's internal dissensions gave England
the advantage. By cunning they gained power
over the Irish chIe1tains. England ought never
to have chosen the lion as type, but should
have taken the tiger. The speaker delivered q
splendid eulogy on Hugh O'Neill and Hugh Roe
0'Donnell, the Irish patriots He told in glow
ing eoIors what Ireland had suffered from Eng
land in this latter epoch, during which the spark
Of Irish heroism had CLEANED as bright as ever,
concluding with q eulogy on John Mitchell and
Daniel O'ConnOr. He said that some sneered at
the low and ignorant Irish, bat whatever ignor-
ance exists is due to the years Of oppression to
which the Irish have been subjected. He thought
II these sneerers would look about them in the
schools and colleges, at the forum and in legis-
lative halls, they would retract their words. I
am sure that you will uphold meHhen say that
IN "a N TFishman