The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-10-12
IRELAND
50 POSTER LOVE Or COUNTRY
Americans, English, Frcnohnen and
Other, land Ere All Pro-
v:dad In This Respect.

A man OF Irish blood, and American
birth, who has lived all his life in New
York, entertained some members Of his
singing club with a new notion about the
needs OF Ireland recently. Il believe,
he said, chat one reason why the land or
my sires has been downhearted for ages
is that she is one of the few countries in
the world which has not a heroic national
song fitted to stir the souls OF her Chill
dren and unite them all in a common
pride. The English have Rule Britannia,
the French have the 'Marseilaise. the
Scots have Scots VIVA Haze the Germans
have the Watch on the Rhine the Amer
leans have the Star Spangled Banner,
TIE Italians have sGayibaldi's Hymn, the
Russians have Life to the Gar and !
could go on telling of other countries ny
the score each Of which has its own heroic
national song. Poor old Ireland has not
a song Of the kind that is sung from Ban
try Bay TO Lough Foyle, from Balbriggan
to Kilkee by Catholic and Orangemen, in
the peasants cabin and the lordly palace,
by men and women. The best Irish
songs are full of grooming, or walllng,
or ihdmor. Or sertimentalism, and OF
everything else except the glory Of hero
ism and triumph and power and jubila-
ton. / know of several Irish songs that
are full Of nerve and mettle, but there is
not one Of them that has entered the
spirit Of the whole Irish people, or that
has bound them together for Ireland. I
tell You that there is reason in the opin-
ion which l hold.
Look at the Freedman when he hears
the Marseilaise.' / once went to a
French celebration of the 14th of July,
and when the band struck up the tune Of
the great French hymn, every body got
inspired with kind of frenzy, Joined in
the chorus and shouted so loud that I
wanted to become Frenchman myself.
Next look at the G ermarls when the
'Wacht am Rhein,' is heard. I went to
the Schuetzenfest a. while ago, when the
heroic strains Of the German martial song
was played and sung; and | can tell you
that every German there, whether he was
a Lutheran or Catholic or Freethinker,
felt the thrill which unites the people of
a country proud of itself
Look once more, and look this time
at any body of Scotchmen, the world
over when Robert Burns magnificent
song. Scots wha ihae,' is sung to the pierre
ing music of the bagpipe. was once at a
Scotch affair when the band raised the
notes OF the heroic national war song
OF Scotland and every Scot there seemed
ready to grasp his claymore at the sound
OF the pibrach and defy the world.
Turn again toward any festival of pat
riotic Americans when the music Of the
Star Spangled Banner is played and
sung. Whatever political party we be-
long to, whatever religious creed we be-
lieye in,. whatever state of the Union we
were born in, it makes no difference when
the notes Of that song are heard; we are all
Americans with one flag, one country
and one spirit.
cat last, as for Ireland. Why is it
that she has not heroic national song,
accepted by all Irishmen and sung at
avery gathering of the races regardless
of politics or religion, none the less suita-
BILE for Redmondites than for Mccarthy
ties or for Heayites than Dillonites, not
less so for Maynooth than for Belfast? l
wish that old Ireland had such a song,
which could give her people the feeling
of nationality and would enable them
TO realize that upon at least one thing
they were united, and that. notwithstand-
ing hundred things they were all Irish
believe that such a song would do more
for Ireland and Home Rule than all the
speeches ever delivered in Parliament
cit is an error to say that only some
old song would fill the bill. Nearly all
the heroic songs have spoken of, which
are regarded as national treasures, ORR
ginated in modern times; and it is not
yet too late to compose the words and
music for heroic song for Ireland, not
one like 'Tara's Harp but rather like the
French marching song. Ireland has poets
and she has had memorable episodes in
her history, and she has spirit I wish
that some one of her poets would strike
the Irish soul as the 3Marselaise' strikes
~ L1r.o,a