The Irish standard., 1888-03-31
FAMOUS IRISH MARTYRS.
Thrse Hundred Men and Women Who
Died For the Catholic
Faith.
IRELAND LOVES THE CHURCH,
And Whero is the Country To-day in
Which Oatholicity is More
Flourishing?

h11AoAA NeSoAAS!A04oy AZ ~ooAS
Flourishing?
From the Catholic Press
It is weli-fonnded boast Of the Irish
people that the faith was introduced
and planted among them by their first
apostle without bloodshed, and that
with item at least, the blood Of mar
tyrs was not needed to fertiliZe the
seeds Of Christianity. Indeed the ia
nous Gerald Of Wales, the companion
of Prince John in his visits to Ireland,
strangely enough, sought to discredt
The Irish Church for this very reason.
He forgot that already for tnore than
Two centuries, almost without inter-
ruption ireland had groaned under the
persecution OF the Danes, that its holy
places Bangor and Clonmacnpise, Kill
noise, kildare and Lismore) had been
plunderaJ tiula after time, aud their
pious Initiates put to death, often with
eyery refinament Of cruelty.
Nor have martyrs been wanting in
Ireland in later times. Matthew
O'Nanev, the Archbishop OK Cashel,
with something like prophetic spirit,
replied 80 the taunJ Of Gerald, that it
was indeed true there had been no mar
tyrs up to that time and Che reason was
that the Irish people respected their
bishops and priests too much 10 imbrne
their hand: in innocent blood; but nov
q race had come into the Island whose
custom it was TO make mai tyrs. From
henceforth. Ireland like other countries
would have It's martyrs.
a detailed history Of the attempt to
introduce projss tautsm into Ireland,
has yet 10 be written. But We know
enough OF the facts 10 say that no coun-
try has suffered su much and 80 contln
ot!sIy for tne faith rs Iralanl~-no race
has been tried SO sOreiy in the furnace
oE persecution as the Irish. And where
is the country to day iii which Catholic
iJy is more iiourishing: What race at
home or ABROAD ciings more foudly to
to the Chair OF ST. Peter? Throughout
the hole history OF Ireland for the
last three centuries love Of religion and
love CT country are interWOYen, patriot
ism and Cayholicity are almost synony-
NOUS. The land questionable great
question OF the hour--hAs il not it's
strictly religious side too? Il it not {;
fact chat the first great ''clearings" in
IL systematic way, took place in.ssC]are
soon after O'Connell's election? BY
this cruel exercise of their "Iegal
rights,' The then dominant class, the
Protastants, sought to ayenge the de-
feat they had suffered at the hands of
tSle people, who had elected a Catholic
&c uphold Catholic interests in the
British House Of Commons.
Our readers, we feel sure, will be glad
to learn ttlat the case OF the Irish mar
Gyrs will, before long, be submitted 10
tho Holy See. Some years ago Cardinal
Moran was commissioned to bring TO-
s,e;her the documents ana facts con-
nected with it, When he left Ireland,
the task was entrusted to the Most Rev
O'Caliaghan, wh }, i'll consequence of
his long residence in Rome, and his
knowledge OF the manner of procedure
was eminently suited for it; but owing
TO ,he pressing duties Of his present Of
hce, he could not give to it the needful
time and attention. Some months agJ
the Rev. Denis Murphy, S. j., OF
University College, Dublin, was nomi-
mated by the Irish Bishops as Promoter
OF the cause of the Irish Martyrs, and
he is now busily engaged in che task of
bringing together all that bears ON
their history.
The task is not an easy one. Unfor
tunately, many sources Of inform alton
which are of very great Importance in
matters Of the kind, and were in special
use in the case of the English martyrs,
are, in great part, wanting here-as, for
instance, family records aud local trad-
tions. Even the so-called legal formal
ties. which We're complied with after
manner elsewhere, were not in use in
Ireland Something like the drunllaad
court natrjal OF more recent times was
the manner OF procedure employed in
dealing with an Irish priest who was
found administering the sacrament, or
giving instruction to his scattered
flock; or to the laYman who gave him
shelter. Yet enough remains to estab-
lish the case Of d considerable number
of the Irish martyrs, and to prove be
yond all reasonable doubt that they
were put to death in odium fidei, and
bore their su>f5rings as one who is
martyr should. For instance, we have
what is practically the testimony of his
cont in Ireland, in Belgium,