The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-08-19
Most Eloquent Champion of the
Rights Of Ireland.
BRILLIANT CAREER IN PARLIAMENT
Ended His Life as Minister to
Court of Tuscany.

Richard Laler She'll, the famous Irish
orator, statesman and dramatist, was
born at Drumdowney, County Kilkenny,
Aug. II, 1871. He received his elemen-
tary education at the hands of an old
French able, who kept school at Ken
sington, and i'll 1904 he was admitted to
the famous Jesuit College at Stonyhurst,
where he remained until 1907, when he
entered Trinity College, Dublin, from
which he graduated in July, 1871, and in
November OF the same year entered Lin
coins Inn to finish his studies for the
bar. In 1873 he began his career as an
orator, his maiden speech being an elo-
quent plea for Catholic emancipation,
which was highly praised by Daniel
O'Connell About the same time he
wrote his first play, "Adelaide; or, the
Emigrants,'' which was produced with
great success by the we'll known actress,
Miss O'Neill afterwards Lady Eliza
Beecher), on Feb. 1o, 1874.
In 1874 Shell was called to the bar.
In the same year he married Miss
O'Halloran. His next play was "The
Apostate," a tragedy which was enacted
with much success and with great ap-
plause by Young, Ken1ble, Macready
and O'Neill, who were then at the
height Of their fame. This play brought
its author $500 and was followed by
"Bellamira; or, the Fall of Tuns,' for
which She'll received $4,000; "Evadne, !"
which netted him $2,5oo; "The Huge
not" "Montoni' and Damon and
Pythias." Notwithstanding his reputa-
ton as dramatic writer and his assidu-
Gus attendance at the Four Courts,
Shells progress at the bar was slow, be-
cause of his strenuous advocacy OF
Catholic emancipation. Although in
some minor matters he disagreed with
O'Connell, his speeches and writings
helped the cause of emancipation ma
terially In 1894 Shells new tragedy, an
adaptation of Massinger's "Fatal
Dowry," was produced in Drury Lane,
and met with cordial reception
The appointment OF Lord Wellesley,
the victor of Waterloo, as Viceroy of
Ireland, in 1921, gave O'Connell, She'll
and the other patriots some hopes, but
they were disappointed, and on May II,
1923, the Catholic Association was
formed. In the meantime there ap-
peared the first OF those we'll known and
admirable "Sketches of the Irish Bar"
which She'll, in conjunction with his
friend, w. H. Curran, contributed to the
"New Monthly Magazine" The series
extended over several years. Convinced
at last that nothing but extreme pressure
would extort emancipation from parlia-
ment, She'll joined heartily in O'Con-
nelrs agitation and was one of the first
to whom the latter expounded his
scheme of Catholic rent. She'll drew up
petition to parliament setting forth the
abuses in the administration OF justice to
Ireland, but it was rejected by Sir Rob
ert reel, the prime minister.
In 1926 She'll, O'Connell, O'Gorman
and other patriots proceeded to London
to protest against bill that had been
introduced for the suppression of the
Catholic Association. Their efforts
were unavailing, but their visit was not
without beneficial influence in promot-
ing thefprogress Of Catholic relief bill,
which passed its third reading in the
house OF commons on May 10, but was
lost in the lords, owing to the opposi-
ton of the Duke of York. ''The sup
preston of the Catholic Association y
says one OF Shells biographers, $50 far
from putting an end to the agitation,
only changed its 'modus operandi,' and
under O'Connell's direction the system
of simultaneous meetings throughout
the country proved far more effective in
stimulating the demand for emancipa-
ton than the old weekly meetings in
Dublin. In preparing the ground for
the new sIystem no one worked harder
than She'll. He was present and spoke
at nearly all the principal gatherings
during the summer-at the aggregate
meeting at Dublin on July 13, when the
new association for purposes of public
and private charity was started; on Oct.
70 at Wexford, on the Goth at Water
ford, on Aug. 4 at Kilkenny, on the 10th
at the new association, when sugges-
ton of his was adopted for the forma-
e[1ag A. s.o,r,ae and ad.