The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1893-06-17


& been poured out upon Ireland. They
y pluudsfed our cities, destroyed oul
churchse, laid waste orr lands, expelled
|'oitizens from their walls, mobiles from
i their palaces, and ell the nativ. 8 from
1 their homes.
"Of thatHonce populOus country called
4 Fingal, almost all the inhabitants per.
ished BY fire and sword; being q most in
nocent people, and having not hing Irish.
like in them but the Catholic religion
So writes DR.. TALBOT, Archbishop Of
Dublin, in q curious contemporary work,
called 1.-THE Politicians Catechism.' =
~ hithersoever the enemy penetrates,
everything. is destroyed by fire and the
sword" writes Cspuchin father. None
are spared, not even tie infant at its
mother's breast; for their design is
wholly to extirpate the Irish race
| Wexford witnessed scenes OF incon-
celvable horror. Priests, religious, citi.
zens and 1900 soldiers we're massacred.
| There, before Gods altar, fell many
sacred victims, holy priests of the Lord;
! others, who were seized outside the pre-
cincts Of the church, were scourged with
whips, others were hanged; some we're
arrested and bound with chains, aud
others were put to death by various
most cruel fortunes. The best blood of
The citizens was shed; the very squares
| were inundated with it, and there vas
scarcely a house that was not defiied
with carnage and full Of weeping.'
Cashel was appalled, By che sanguinary
deeds e 'Murrogh OF thet Burnings."
The seige Of Cashel. which Father Nee
han calls ian appalling tragedy is thus
described,in q MS. narrative Of the Je-
suits, dated 1852: THE garrison, about
800 in number, together with the priests
and religious, as also very many Of the
citizens, retired to the cathedral church,
which holds 9. etrong position, and is
styled tho Rock d Bt. Patrick S. x
After long combat the general of the
enemy suspended the fight, and, de-
handing : surrender, offered permission
TO the garrison to depart with their arms,
and ammu iittiion with all the honors of
war; requiring, however, that the citi-
zsns and clergy should be abandoned to
his mercy. 1t was then that the true
heroism OF these Catholic soldiers Rhs
seen. They refused to listen to any con-
ditions unless the citizens and clergy,
whom they had undertaken to defend,
should be sharers in them; and they adj
ded that they chose rather to consecrate
their lives to God On the rock Of St. Pat-
rick than to allow. that sanctuary to be
profaned by dogs" The result can
easily be. forseen. The eneny, ~ over
poweriLg numbers, entsrsd " shattered
windows and doors. Still the brave
handful of men continued the unequal
struggle. Finally "all resistance ceased"
Most of the noble defenders had persisted,
and scenes Of revolving cruelty ensued.
At Drogheda the gallant SIR Arthur
Aston, with his handful OF men, made q
desperate resistance against fearful odde.
His defeat was followed by q carnage
which Lasted five days It has been
characterized by the Protestant Earl OF
EOrmond as exceeding every thing he had
ever heard of in bloody inhunanity and
breach of faith. "Our men getting at
them" writes Cromwell. were ordered
by me to put them all to the sword.
And, indeed, being in the heat of action,
7 forbade them to spare any that we're in
arms inethe town; and / think that night
they put to the sword over 1000 men;
divers OF the officers and men having
fed ever the bridge into the other part
OF the town, where about 100 OF them
possessed ST. Peters church steeple,
some the West Gate, and otheraa round
tower next the gate, called St. 6unda, e..
These being summoned to yield to mercy,
refused; wherein I ordered the steeple 81
st. Peters TO be fred He goes Oh to
I04eSt0 AOW GA0 VtAleI HtUWSte SsWSA5* sig
nailed; and how the men, having sub
mitted, "were knocked On the h4ad, and
every tenth man 81 the soldiers killed, and
the rest shipped to Barbados. Z
Churches we're desecrated. affairs
stripped, priests prescribed and hunted,
sacred images destroyed or carried in
blasphe mookery through the
streets. All that belonged to the spifii-
tual life of the people was ruthleasly re-
moved from Them. M The old abbeys,
beautiful with the sacredness Of age, and
with the rare traditions OF holiness that
hung about them; the churches, fre-
sq1ently the pious offering Of the ancient
lords 81 the soil; the very grayeynrds
wherein ancestral dust had mingled with
the oonsecrated earth; the bells that morn
inn and evening had called generation
after generation to prayer; the shrines
wlb,ither pill rims had tiocked, the holy
wells, the w,ayside crosses all we're.
swept away as ii common deluge.s
Houses 81 education were totally de-
strro1yed- every syestige Of ancient learn-:
II, or} Is rooted M The very iQnoranoo