The Irish standard., 1894-08-25
GIFTED AUTHOR.
Among the Famous Writers .of. the
Day is Alfred Perceval
Graves.
PROUD OF HIS NATIONALITY,
Loyal tothe, Traditions of His Race
He is Man of Sterling
Manhood.

| OF priests we can offer charmin' variety,
Far renowned for larnin and piety,
Still I'd advance ye, widout impropriety,
| Father O'Flynn as the flower of them all.
| CHoRUs-Here's health to you, Father
O'Flynn
slainte, and slainte, and slainte agin:
! Powerfulest preacher, and
Tinderest teacher, and
! Kindliest crea ture in ould Donegal.
Don't talk of your Provost and Fellows OF
! Trinity.
| Famous forever at Greek and Latinity,. i
Dad and the divils and all at Divinity, /
Fathe O'F1ynn d make hares of them all.
Come, / vinture to give ye my word i.
Never the likes of his logic was heard !.
Down from mythology W.
Into thayology,
Troth! and conchology If he'd the call.
CHORUS Here's health. ETC.
Och! Father O'Flynn, you've the wonderful
way wild you,
All ould sinners are wishful to pray wild you,
All the young children are wild for to play
wild you, ~
You've such a way wild you, Father avIc!
Still for ALL you've SO gentle soul, II
Cad you've your flock in the grandest
control; n
Checkin the crazy ones.
Coaxin onaisy ones,
Liftin' the lazy ones on wild the stick,
CHoRus.-Here's health. etc.
And though quite avoidin all foolish friv-
oIity, :
Still at AL seasons of innocent jollity /.
Where was the play boy could claim an
equality
At comicality, Father, wild you?
Once the Bishop LOGGED grave at your
| jest,
Till this remark set him off wild the rest:
SIS it lave gaiaty
All to the laiety! !:
Cannot the clargy be Irishmen, too?"
CHoRUs.-Here's health to you, Father
O'Flynn,
Slainte, and slainte, and slainte agin;
Powerfulest preacher, and
Tinderest teacher, and
Kindliest creature in ould Donegal.
The gifted author of Father
! O'Flynn," Alfred Perceval Graves, is
better known in the United States than
almost any other Irish writer of the
present. This one song has brought
him greater fame than most poets
achieve with volumes; it has been sung
wherever the English language is
spoken, and its popularity increases
from day to day. Its jingle catches the
pop ular ear and the scholar is captured
by the unique and clever rhyming
which is as good as any ever written by
Gilbert, who is considered one of the
masters of ingenious versifcatiou. Miss
Mary Belloc tells us, in the English
Magazine, that, "Father O'Flynn" first
appeared in print in the Spectator, to
which Mr.. Graves has been a contrib
utor.
:, The popular song was written in the
year 1873 or 1874, and was composed
while the author was walking one
morning across two or three parks to
the Home Office, where he was then
acting as private secretary to the as.
sistant secretary of state, Mr.. Winter.
botham. ''The Top of Cork Road" q
lively tune to which he had often
danced jig as boy, was filing his ear
and mind, when suddenly the words Of
s'Father OFlynn" glided into being and
were written down Immediately on. bis
reaching the office.
Many Irish priests are credited with
having been the original of "Father
O'Flynn," but to,a certain Rev. Michael
Walsh, parish priest of Kilchrohane
Kerry, is due the honor Of having in.
spired the original balla1. Faith or
Walsh and MI. Graves father, after
ward Bishop Of Limerick, were very in.
Innate and the latter's sons passed
many happy hours in the company Of
the old priest. He was exceedingly
charitable and good, so much so that
his menage was of the scantiest, and
often he would cry out, as the las
came run ming in, "Boys, here are some
!, turkeys eggs, but no egg cups; how
ever. you had better scoop piece out OF
] the loaf and put your egg in it; that will
! do as wellp' He was q good musician
and supplied DR.. Petrie with some Of
his best Irish airs. He had been edu.
Gated at Douay, and had much CONT
mental culture, keeping we'll abreast Of
the times; thus all through our great
civil war the parlor Of his humble pres.
bytery was covered with maps on which
! he marked from day to day the various
!; advances Of the troops. When the
. Catholic priest was dying he sent for the
Bishop Of Limerick, but only to shake akEs
hands with him.