The Irish standard., 1888-07-14

u.s. .'Csyiare, Z which appeared IN the Irish.
| People, the Shamrock, the Ir1shman,s
and other national journals, made rebels
|.of many an Irish youth. O'Donnell,
/ deserves, I think, the title OF .sthe poet
|of the Fenian movement" Certainly
! his poems had in them more Of the
1 divine aalatus'' than any others that
found inspiration i'll the spirit ofsnaton-
atty that was then ahame in the land.
John Keega3 Casey, better known as
'Leo,' . was his great rival. Without in
stituting any comparison between the
two poets-whose styles, indeed, are
quite different, and whose poetry, there
fore appeal to different tastes, I may say
that Leo's sweet, simple ballads had in
them more Of the national feeling-more
of the essentially Celtic spirit than
O'Dopnell's, and while O'Donnel]'s
poems were read by wider circle, Leo
was more lat home" with the people,
and was, consequently, the greater pro-
pegandist. What powerfully graphic
force there is in his mot Dead" in
which he describes Ireland az she was
then painted by many, and as he saw
her in the future now SO near at hand.
O'Donnell could tune the harp to
other moods than that of militant nation
atty. His poems of love and fancy
were accorded places of honor in the
Dublin Review, Chamber Journal, and
Ali the Year Round. and, what was more
acceptable to O'Donnell, they were well
paid for. Indeed Charles Dickens, who
edited the last magazine was true
friend Of O'Donnell, and exercised his
influence, but without avail, to get the
poet more reliable and regular source
of income than the contribution of fug1-
tive pieces to the magazines, In 1871
he published his most ambitious poetical
work. Memories of the Irish Francis
cans, which is founded on the Rev. c..
P. Meehan' Is interesting. and well-known
book on the same subject. O'Donnell
was again in Dublin during the years
lS72-'73. The volumes Of the Nation
for these years will be found replete
with verses from his pen. Very often he
had two poems, and sometimes three, in
the one Issue Of the Nation. Many Of
his contributions are signed s:John F.
O'Donnell'' and So. f. OD:" others
.tMonkten West" and few tx. M. P.:'
He does not appear to have used the
non-de-plume Of s'Caviaire'' since the
days of his contributions TO the Irish
People and the Shamrock. A novel
from bis pen, called "Sadlier, the
Banker; or. the Laceys OF Rsthcore,''
appeared anonymously in the Nation in
lS72-'73. 1t is tale Of the times of
Keogh and Sadlier. About tho middle
Of June, '73, MIR, Justice Keogh was once
more brought prominently into notice by
his notorious Judgment in the trial OF the
Galway election petition. The former
career Of the man became, OF course, a
subject OF refreshened interest, and
lO'Donnell, with his wonderful readiness
and resource, at once began this novel,
and continued and finished 1T under the
most extraordinary pressure. But it
was not III prose alone that O'Donnell
held up to public scorn the life OF Ksogh.
Many poems from his pen dealt with the
sane unsavory subject. During this
visit TO Dublin he also contributed &c,
zozimus, q comic journal, edited by Mr..
Richard Bowling.
The last poem O'Donnell, the now
famous novelist, sent to the Nation was
ssThe Treaty Stone" It was signed
s'MonFton West" and published on the
2lst of March, 1874. Two months later
The was laid in his grave in Kensal- green
Cemetery! A short time before his death
he had got an appointment in Colonial
Government Office through the influence
OF the late Lord 0 'Hagan. Poor O'Don-
nell did not long enjoy his release from
the drudgery and precariousness Of the
lifo of hterateur, How he welcomed
that release and enjoyed it through It's
brief existence We can see from a poem
written during that period, and found
among his papers after death. it en-
titled-"My Fiddle" and after an af-
fectionate parting with the old instru-
ment, which, Of course, is symbolical of
his Tyre, he says his soul is fsboiled
white, in double bonds Of dry routine, y
but he is thankful that
That means peace. For blessed are the chimes
Which tell our labor done and toll rewarded,
Forgetfulness Of tantalising rhymes j
And constituencies, feeble, though two-sworded'
Before laying down his fiddle he asks
himself has he always been true to Ire
land in his singing. He says
O, little instrument II,
Bent cedar, tendon. bent