The Irish standard., 1886-08-07
.PARLIAMENTS or IRELAND
That are Handed Down to Us in Irish
History Since Long Beyond the
Days Of King Boru, y
TO THE ACT OF THE UNION.

a Time When England Saw Her Hold OF
the Irish People-their Religious
Prejudices
Representative government in Ire
land is not creation Of to day or yes
terday, nor was it known alone in the
time of Grattan. although until re-
Gently there were many not aware that
Ireland once boasted of native Parlia-
ment. O;Connell's cry for repeal OF
the union with him may be said to
have died, for his successors in the field
Of parliamentary warfare dropped the
cry of Repeal" and set themselves the
task of winning from the English Par
lament legislation to aneliorate the
grievances under which Ireland
groaned while her spirit was being
crushed and her national life ex-
tinguished. Sc it was that, repeal
being lost sight OF for the time, the m
Justice OF the union was hidden DE-
hind the wrongs of landlordism, and
an agitation for legislative reform In
stituted. And so, until these latter
DAYS. few knew of Ireland s Parliaments,
and fewer still knew Of their ma
ture, with which many are unacquain-
ted. Yet it is a fact that the Green
Isle,'' under an electoral system, gave
promise OF q high destiny even before
ii had kn. .wn the dawn OF Christianity
Thirteen hundred years before the
Christian era, according to the Annals
Of the Four Masters" Ollomh fodlha
gave laws to his people, distinguished
them under chiefs and subordinate Of
ficers. and instituted at Tara Ireland's IS
Youngest Parliament, the famous TOGO
morah. where the heads Of Septs and
Barils and Druids assembled. These
laws were woven into verse
WHOSE PoErIG FLOW
has carried them down to history, and
with them the traditions of a people Of
whom Davis has truly said that they
possess the organizing power OF the
Norman and the perseverance of the
Saxon engrafted into the lively Gaelic
character. Under these laws happiness
and order prevailed, and TO this day
they are the admiration Of jurists aud
form no inconsiderable portion OF
the English common law. They
we're expounded by the poet-jurlsts
who undertook t. disseminate them
through the popular medinm Of poetry.
In the time OF St. Patrick these laws
were revised and their pagan cast re-
moved, hut substantially they remain
unchanged. Three kings, three bishops
and three priests brought these Brehon
laws into harmony with the gospel OF
Christ, and their work was approved OF
by the cllieftains of Ireland, 80 that
every interest Of Church and State being
represented the idea OF representative
government CAN be said to have been
fully carried out IN this first Parliament
OF Christian nations as it had been the
first Of the Pagan world. These laws
were in force at the time Of the arrival
Of the -Anglo-N Normaus in 1869, and
were adopted by these brave warriors
who fused with the natives, adopted
their language and customs, and con-
formed to all the usages of the people,
becoming, as the historian tells us,
more Irish than the Irish themselves. -
TEE PARLrAMENrs or THE "pALE,'
as the counties Immediately surround
ing Dublin were known under the Eng
lish. cannot be called Irish Parliaments,
but reference to them may be made. TO
enact repressive measures against the
old inhabitants and prevent the mix
ture Of the new comers with them,
these Parliaments were held. In 1861,
the Duke of Clarence. son Of Edward
III, held a convention at Kilkenny
where it was declared that ''all inter
marriages, fostering and gossiping,
buying or selling with the 'enemies,'
shall be accounted treason Two hum
dred and seventyfye years later, it.
may be here noted to show the varied
course of the Irish cause, an Irish Par,
lament was held in the same place and
laid first the principles Of legislative in.
The g Poynings act :.
which in the discussion of Home Rule
has been mentioned, deserves a little
consideration. Sir Edward Poynings,
a knight Of the garter and privy coun-
cillor, was sent to Ireland in the year
1894 by Henry to undertake the govern
ment. In November of this year he
held that memorable Parliament by
which all the acts lately passed in Eng
land were made to operate i'll Ireland,
the Parliament of the Irish was an
nulled, and was the first step to bring
all Ireland
5.$R 1s UNDER ENGLISH LAW.
IN $50, / on the 18th Of January, under
Queen Elizabeth, a Parliament, COM
rising the representa atives of ten coun-