The Irish standard., 1894-01-06


RID. n {
erhood The village Of Leiah ahiinbridg
n was centre Of rebellious conspiracy
titles only q few miles off the line Q
march from soallop Gap, whore thl
Ibaisve NJ sxtord rebels emerged through
1.-The Carlow mountains from their native
fields on their forlorn march to Castle
comer. A rather high range OF more o.
| less barren hills rises between the latter
town and Tyndall's native place. The
i Leighlinbridge Yeomanry, draWP from
Tyndall's class and containing more than
one Of Tyndall's fore -goers, occupied the
Ihills and harassed the rebels. Their
Ip1isoners were brought into the village,
aud the tradition of the punishment in-
lAicted on them still lives among the vii
layers. Their place Of execution is
known as Numbering Alley signid-
cant expression Of the local judgment on
the justice executed there. and there are
grussome stories Of wounded men pis-
tollad By the leaders of the ''Yeos." The
people of the neighborhood gave their
o#n martyrs to the cause. One of the
crnellest murders in the neighborhood
wassthe Execution Of a young gentle
man named Paul Cullen for participa-
tion III the Rebellion. The only evi.
dance against him was his popularity.
His name has been handed down to his
tory IN another way, for hewas the uncle
of fhe first IRISH Cardinal, who was
named after him, and who, if not record
ed in ecclesiastical biography as ortns
Iisighliniensis must be described as
oriundus.
In all these performances the Is ndalls
were on the side Of Claw and order"
There areI 7aguas terrorist whispers Of
deeds Of 4 namesake ot the Bible trans
lator. They reaped tfeir reward. Nearly
every county il Catholic Ireland has a
clhss Of poorer Protestant farmers and
peasants who formed the instruments of
Protestant ascendency IN it's operations.
From them were drawn the landlords
bailit the .sheriff's officers, the tithe-;
ptoctors, the civil bill officers, the tax
gatherers, as we'll as the sections and Off
cials 81 the old Established Church.
They formed privileged class Of the
cdmmunity, and found the struggle for
existence always easier than their Gath
olic neighbora, for it was helped, not
hindered from above. In places like
Carlow, where bigotry still grips the
local authority, they keep their monopoly
even to the present day. But it was
more profitable in the old times, and the
Tyndalls were of the most favored Of the
petty officials. Nobody could ever doubt
their Orangeism, though it must be said
to their credit that in their relation, es-
pecially in later days, with their Catho-
lie neighbors they we're always civil, hos
pitable "good fellows"
Amidst all their good fellowship the
Tyndalls remained true to the cause of
religious and class ascendency. Touch
politics, touch Protestant privilege, touch
the "Union," and the old blood leaped
up in the most liberal of the tribe. No
more need be said of his politics. He
was as incredible witness in defence Of
the Union as the least educated of the
class from which he sprung.
We owe whatever Tyndall has done
for science, however, to the fact that he
did spring from this class. 81 d he been
born Catholic, even with all his gifts,
he would never have. had at that date
the opportunity by which he reached to
fame. His father was one Of the old rev.
enue police. who watched the interests
Of the revenue and hunted the trail Of
the manufacturers of rebel usquebaugh
before Peel and Thomas Drummond had
given Ireland the Royal Irish Constabu-
larry. His duties IN that capacity did
not prevent him from carrying on small
retail trade as leather merchant. Tyn-
dali ascribes his love for theological
speculation and disputation to his faith
er's early exercise of him in religious
controversy. The wits of Protestant and
Catholic were often sharpened in the old
days in the village in good humored reli-
pious debate. What quality Of him came
from his mother he has not left on rec
ord. but it must have been good. She
was a gentle, good woman, cultured be-
yond her sphere, and fond in her declin-
ing days Of reading Scott and Dickens to
such boys as she could interest in the
fortunes Of Waverly or Oliver Twist
She is said to have been more eager that
her boy should be kept at school than
was her, husband, and that she had 70
struggle TO have her own wish realized.
ETyndall was lucky in his first schoolnaas
ter, who, strange to say was 9 Catholic.
His name was John OonRill, and he liv9d
long after l'yndalps boyhood, teaching:
successive generations Of lads who we're