Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-04-01

is strangely familiar to Gaelic speakers,
and though its spelling is entirely differ
ent, believe that an Irish and a Manx
Gael can converse without much diff
Guilty. Besides, the Manx language is
just now being taken up with much
spirit, with the aid of distinguished
Manx scholars like Mr.. A. W. Moore, the
present Speaker of the House of Keys.
The Arthurian legends, that glorious
Cymric inheritance which Tennyson has
woven into one of the finest pieces of
English literature, find their Gaelic coun-
terpart in the Ossianic poetry first brought
forward by Macpherson. y
And here | must say few words about
our own share in the great Celtic heri-
tage. You are all aware that the ancient
Irish language is considered by Cont
mental philologists not only as the key to
all the Celtic languages, but, next to
Sanskrit, as perhaps the most important
of the old Aryan tongues. need hardly
refer to the | ,009 Irish manuscripts that
fill the shelves of the Royal Irish Acad-
envy, the Trinity College Library and
other Libraries dispersed over Europe, ex-
cept for the benefit of those who deny
the existence of Irish literature alto
gether. These manuscripts are mostly
unpublished, and large number of them
are practically unexplored. They have
already yielded such charming romances
as the Fate of the Children of Lir," the
Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne," the
Lays of the Land of Youth" and the
many beautiful pieces contained in the
collections of Stokes, Windisch, thinner,
O'Grady, Joyce and many others. Those
among us who have not had the great
privilege of hearing or reading these sto-
ries in their original tongue should make
themselves familiar with this most dis
tinctive of national literatures through
whatever translations are available. But
with sufficient leisure, and the improved
modern facilities for acquiring the Irish
language, it may be safely said that an
acquaintance with a language spoken in
Ireland for some 5000 years, and even
now spoken by million people, should
be one of the first ambitions of every
Irishman and Irishwoman. We ought to
take this matter quite calmly and quietly,
and not tofret or fume at the carping re-
marks of any dry-as-dust professor who
considers any subject not his own as be-
meath contempt. The wave of enthusi-
asm which is now sweeping over the Gel
tic world is, hope, the augurY of a
happier future. Everywhere we find the
best spirits working at the preservation
and restoration of our Celtic heritage;
and so we need not be surprised to find
that the FIVE Celtic Municipalities are draw
ing closer together and are learning to
understand and appreciate each others
efforts to keep alive their best national
traditions. Slowly but surely the broth
ers separated for so long are drawing
together for common endeavor in that
highest form of patriotism, the cultiva-
ton of the spiritual heritage of the ma
ton. This year and the next will, hope,
see some practical result of this fraternal
cooperation, the details of which are
being discussed by the foremost leaders
of Celtic thought. May we be gifted
with strength and determination to keep
alive in our hearts the glow which burned
in those of our forefathers, the love of
onr beautiful land, of our people and of
our language, so that we may be at peace
among ourselves, and show to the other
races of the world that the Celtic race
has character, dignity and mission
of its own, a mission fraught with the
happiness of mankind.