The Irish standard., 1900-12-15

ton of 10000, shortly after the So
called reformation it consisted of but
three houses. All the others had been
destroyed by the RUTHLESS invaders"
and their late occupants were either
dead or seeking safety in the fastness-
es of the adjacent hills. They showed
to the world how men can fight and
die for thei: convictions.
The most conspicuous structure in
the town just at present is the Churcn
of England Cathedral, which is built |
of red sandstone, and stands. it is said. !
on the very spot where st. Patrick
built his first church. The church. of
course. belonged to the Catholics until
the enactment of the penal laws. Their
rigid enforcement by Henry WILL, by
his successors Edward vi. and Eliza
beth, not only deprived the Catholics
of their propcrty-pcrsonal as we'll rs
ccclcsiastical-but compelled them to
take to the woods if they wished to
worship God ut the dictates of their
own conscience. Their magnificent
churches were occupied by strangers
while they themselves worshipped i'll
caves and glens. 1t WAS witnessing
this contrast, perhaps, which moved
the Irish peasant to uttcrancc of the
sentiment to which Moore in a later
day gave voice and music:
"Thy rival was honorcd. while thou
vert wrongcd and scorned:
Thy crown WAS of bricrs, while gold
her broWs adorned;
She woocd me to temples, while thou
lay'St hid in caves;
Her friends were masters while thine.
alas! were slaves.
Yet cold in the earth ut tiny feet
would rather be
Than we'd What | loved not or turn
one thought from thee"
But the days of religious prosecutions
had an end. O'Conncll, who later was
lovingly called "the liberator," by his
indomitable courage and glowing rhet-
oric, backed by the masses of his fel-
low cOuntrymen, Wrung Catholic
emancipation from another lrishmau--
the Duke Of Wellngton-who was at
the time England's prime minister.
The iron duke was loath to accord any
measure of freedom to his Catholic
cOuntrymcn, but he finally surrender
ed to the united demand of the people.
from no higher motive, as he after
wards admitted, than a desire to avoid
another revolution. Then priest aud
people came together from their hiding
places. Their long night of bondage
was over. Presently every hill top
had its little church, while the towns
had more prctcntious cdilices.
But what of Armagh, which had
been the see Of the national saint? An
other congregation of another faith
occupied it's temples. a temporary
church was necessity, and according
ly one was secured but it was resolved
ut the same time that Armagh, in tho
old see of the national apostle, The
metropolis of Ireland for four centur
les, and for that period the home Oi
the native Irish kings-Armagn
which even at that date was renowned
throughout the whole world for is
schools of theology and literature
should have Il cathedral worthy of be
ing the mother church of the Irlsl
race. \ site was selected to the nortl
of the former structure, and on it now
stands the magnificent new cathedral!
1t is believed that the present .sitt
was also selected by st. Patrick. Per
haps the good saint had more lpprr
hension in his time of some EngliSl
real estate spectators trying to corner
the market than lie had that amy
country pretending to civilization in,
common honesty would rob his peopl,
of property that they had posscsse,
many centuries before the Saxon in
vadcr was dreamed Of Accordingly
it is reported. on quite respectable M
thOrity, st. Patrick selected Il Sccont
site for his Followers to occupy in tho
event of their first holding being talk
en- away from them.
In reference to the present site anl
its selection by st. Patrick. his cmi
nence Cardinal Logue, archbishop OF
Armagh and primnte Of all Ireland
thus charmingly writes:
"St. Patrick himself would seem tt
have forescen the eclipse and foretoli
the outburst of Il new light. We art
told in the Book Of Armagh that when
accompanied hy Daire. he Went tt
mark out the sight of his first cathe
dlal he found roe and rawn resting
on the spot where the altar afterwat(
stood. Moved by that tenderness io
Gods dumb creatures which has cvel
characterized the saints, he stayed til,
hand which was raised to strike them
lie even took up the fawn himself an,
carried it on his shoulders, the roe fol
lowing like i pet sheep. until he lai(
the fawn down at another cminenct
on the north side of Armagh TLa