The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-31
The Ancient IrIsh.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sh" / am
thankful and grateful TO An Irish american"
for his recognition OF my communication to
THE SUN and am pleased to satisfy his desire
for Information. but cannot understand the
purport Of the buncombe in some parts OF his
letter. Under tho nimsy prcteXt that the
placing forward the glories. greatness. and
power Of the ancient Irish shows the dcgonor-
acy and effeminacy OF the modern Irish. he as
sails and ridicules me. The Irish were ad-
vanced In the arts. sciences. ana accomplish
ments from the earliest date Of Ircland's his
tory till after the arrival OF the English Their
missionaries OF religion and professors Of
learning established monasteries aud seats
for the dissemIInation Of knaSowledge all
Of the, world The nobility of all lands
iocked there. and were Instructed in the
professions. Even when tho iron rule Of Eng
lands hirclings held sway over the Irish peo-
pie and kept them in subjcction, and denied
them education for centuries. many Of her sons
escaped 10 other lands. became educated and
were eventually masters in all the accomplish
soldiers and statesmen. poets and writer's ply
sicians and cergymcn. won honorable mention
and renown in all lands. II any one doubts me
let him read the histories OF the different na-
tQns. and their pages will confirm my assertions.
am un admirer and defender Of the scholars
ana a heroes oil an, hntqHity; ana II solomon say
the sun" and the evidence to sustain that wise
man exist why shouldn't we praise and emu
late the glories and advanced civilization Of the
ancients deny and refute all the assertions
made by the writcr in question. and 1t X absurd
to recognize the position he maintains. 1t
doesn't injure the modern Irish 10 sponk or
write Of the wonderful gifts Of the ancient Irish.
1t does not destroy emulation and true national
pride TO dwell with pleasure ON the fame Of the
past. The Irish race have degencratcd only. in
So far lis the vast body Of them are concerned
in ilnesse in the arts and sciences. the same rs
all other rnces or peoples The American
people also have dcgencrated Our forcfathcrs
would not tolerate fraud and corruption in Of;
flee; crime and hypocrisy are now held sacred
and sustained and society is sunk ia iniamy
and vice.
praising lrelands sons. when the greatest
poets and writers that Ireland ever produced
were wont TO ilre the spirit and animate the on
Of old The writer | have reference 10 says
this i, wrong v" must dwell on the pr scnt it
should not e The ridiculonsncss at such Ian
guage Is apparent To the most casual observer.
The instruments | have reference tl were
called IN Irish history musical aud Speaking
stones. Stones cannot Civ" uttcrnnrr 60 sound.
II is evident they had mechanical appliances
attached 10 TO them From this. and ils Use Of
electric signals 10y the Gets and Danes. we
must infer that tie inventors OF them under
stood electricity. IL Is recorded that ina pagan
times ono Of tnrm was placed on certain
ro'k \. called Clorh l.obhrais, near kilnluctuom-
as IN the County Waterford. aud the Liza Fail
NJ Tara. and another at Mouuimth. in
ne Que"ns county. and thoy arc men
toned as having been known in other
places Throughout Ireland. am mol At
tempting am imposition or satire. / have
searched the public aud many private libraries
and convorsod with learned lrishm"u for .nior-
nation, and am thoroughly and strongly cons
WINGED from the repeated references made in
the ancient Irish annals to those speaking and
musical instruments that they Wrrr IhouO-
graphs, nothing mora or loss. II An Irish
American eyer read the history 81 his uatiVo
land he would find | am right. As an Amrri-
can lrshmnn dcnirc To state facts in the light
of the nineteenth century. which should rccOg-
niz, and credit all that hrillancy and splendor
OF tn" people OF ancient Ireland.
Will close by correcting his last paragraph
touching the statement that few Ir III have
royal or noble blood in their veins. This had
no reference 70 the subject at issue but | will
merely rcferhim 70 history. which proves that
more royalty and nobility existed IN ireland
than among any people in the world. II cannot
be that they ana their race were wiped out.
Anon. the poasantry Of Ireland are people in
whose veins flows the proudest and noblest
blood on earth. Thor ancestors wcrc the cap
tains Of the people in the different countries in
which they sOJourned on their TRANSIT To Ire
land. When the estates Of the nobility Of Ire
land were coniiscatcd. and they became peas
ants. whore now is il possible to find the roy
atty but among them?
THOMAS j. BRosNAN.
New YORK. July 80.