The Irish standard., 1892-08-27
POETRY AND SONG.
Potent Instruments Which Have
Kept Aglow the Spirit of
Irish Nationality.
WAR SONGS OF THE GAEL.
Patriotic Address by Father Nc
Intyre, Of the Church of the
Immaculate Conception.

Patriotic Address by Father Nc.
Intyre, Of the Church Of the
Immaculate Conception.
At an entertainment given in Associa
tion hall, this city, on the evening o1
August II, Rev. M. Mcintyre, of the I'm
maculate Conception Church, delivered
a sparkling address on the "Poetry anc
Song of Ireland" which we take pleasure
In presenting to our readers as follows
Rev. Fathers, ladies and gentlemen:
In addressing you this evening on the
subject of Poetry and Song I do not in,
tend to give you anything like history
of the poetry and song of ireland. What
I simply intend to do is to give you at
least an imperfect idea of the power
which poetry and song have exercised in
the past over the Irish race and still con-
tinue to exercise.
If then [ should betray my feelings
this evening as one who cannot forget
the land of his birth, / hope you will
pardon that fault in me which was to be
found also in every man who loved his
country.
Walter Scott says: ~
Breathes there man with soul so dead
Who never to himself hath said
This is my own, my native land?
So cannot forget mine. But it is not
of that land intend to speak to you to-
night, nor of its beauty that is told in
story back to forgotten ages. I do not
wish to transport the imagination to an
island embedded in the Atlantic Ocean
and separated from all other lands by the
hand of God as thing of beauty around
which the wild waves keep guard and roll
in thunder tones, as If jealous of their
beautiful treasure. It would be foreign
to the subject announced if I were to ask
the imagination to wander to scenes of
fairy delight, by green hill side, rich val
ley and woodbine paths, where wild
flowers make fragrant the very air and
invite the weary traveller to rest amid
the nazes of beauty.
No, Twill only ask you for moment
to listen to the regret of the exile on
leaving the scenes of bis youth. He says:
Never again in the green sunny bower
Where my forefathers lived shall spend the
sweet hour,
Or cover my harp with wild woven flower,
Or strike to the numbers OF Erin o-Bragh
Never more mid scenes so fair,
Never more I'll wonder where
Beautvs mazes SO beguiie
Travellers to rest a while.
Yes, the exile's heart is buried in the
scenes of his youth and it breaks his
heart to leave them. For him though
t'beauty wanders everywhere still her
home is ever in his lovely "Eden of the
west" That land ever beautiful and
fertile could not fail to produce genius,
valor, poetry and song. The latter are
our subject. What shall / say of the
poetry and song Of Ireland? While true
and brave men fought the battles Of the
country against hope, when the hearts
were broken that never would bend, when
the nation lay prostrate under the raw
ages of war, when hearts dropped and
the soul almost forgot its faith, the bards
of Ireland took up the harp and sung
those songs which the immortal Thomas
Moore afterwards put into soul-stirring
verses. Yes, when the nation lay buried,
and the faith Of St. Patrick was trampled
beneath the foot of the Dane, those
bardR took up the war songs of Ireland,
and sung them to the people till the souls
OF warriors were born anew, and the foe
man was driven for ever from the land.
Poetry it was which was blended with
the speech OF Brian Boru on Good Fri
day morning, when he marshalled his
men and addressed them in the name of
the crucified. Holding the Cross on
high he said:
Men OF Erin! Men OF Erin grasp the hattie are
and spear,
Drive the northern men before Won like q herd
OF frightened deer.
On to-day the Goldman suffered, lcok upon the
a. sacred sign,
May we conquer, meath its shadow rs OF old did
Constantine.
Yes, do claim for thee, o Poetry and
Song OF Ireland, that after the place
which the faith held to its God ye were
the great auxiliaries that quickened that
faith and animated the souls Of Ireland's
sons in their struggles for God and ma
tive land.
ln the wars which Hugh O'Neill car
4 RED Il on against the English his soldiers
were 2 aanlm,ated Y, BY the war song Of ODon-
As nell .Aaboo, which told them 81 the sacred
b cause gltt e which Elhi l5 they were engaged.
ssered the cause that clan connell defending.
me altaSs We kneeI and homes of onr sires;
less the: ruin the toe il