Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-10-28

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try, peace, consolation, reward, and
salvation. In the famine years, when
the pail of death hung over that de-
voted country, and when famine, fever
and exile had carried away three mil
lions OF the population then these
heroes and heroines of the faith were
anchored securely in the love of God,
by virtue of the hope that was in
them. touching incident of these
dreadful days is sometimes told by the
old people.
Story of Widow Burns.
Who has not heard of the sad fate
OF the Widow Burns of County Clare
and of her five sons? They were
slowly starving The oldest son took
the famine fever and died. The neigh
bors dug his grave and buried him in
Gods acre. So many were dying then
that funerals Were few. and as a rule
each family was compelled to bury it's
own dead. The second son of the
widow soon took the fever and died.
The mother carried his body on her
back to the cemetery, removed the
fresh clay from his brothers grave
aGd placed his G. fin over lh.:t Of il:
dead brother. 'rhe third and the
fourth, and the fifth son died OF fever.
and the mother carried them also,
and placed their bodies. one over the
other IN that scmc crave, and covered
them with the clay hat made mound
above them Then the lone widowed
mother died. and NO women carried
l:cI body, and placed it by tue grave
OF her five sans.
Suffered Much.
my hearers, the SORROWS and suffer.
ings of our people during these years
of martyrdom, were enough to make
Gods angels weep. And through all
that night of national mourning and
desolation. these children of God, in
and out of Erin, prayed and hoped on
for the day dawn of better times.
Thank God their hope was not in
vain. The nations proclaim this fact
The myriad martyrs of Ireland. con-
template it in their own eternal tri-
umph, and in their amending rewards,
in heaven with God forever. Nay more,
all creation, animate and inanimate,
bears witness to the heroic patience
and blessed hope, of the Irish race. Do
you doubt this? If so, ask the winds
that waited the wailings of these peo-
pie, over their lakes, and down their
valleys. Ask the hills that flung back
to each other the echoes of their loud
lamentations. Ask the oceans which
received, and bleached, the bones of
their unwilling exiles, Look up for
living proof. and ask the Angels of
God, who carried up to heaven the
sainted souls of the patient Irish mar
tyrs. who prayed, while they sank,
into the grave of the famine-stricken
the fellon, the pauper, or the exile.
Love for Country and for God.
'All the world knows that the sons
and daughters of Erin love the land of
their birth with an intense and pas
sionate love. | will give few in
stances of this. st. Collumkille is re-
markable in this regard. His name in
English means The Dove of the Cell
He was a Monk and saint. of
seraphic love for God, and his church.
He longed to possess copy of the
Psalms of David. but Saint Finnian,
owner of Psalter, refused to let him
copy from it. In the sixth century
there was no printing press, and man.
uscripts were most precious This
holy book of the Psalms was kept in,
the house of God. st. Collumkille
went into the church in the night
time and continued to work on until
he had a complete copy of the Psalter.
The Holy Book was taken away from
him. A dispute arose over the pos.
session of it. a dispute
that led to war and the
loss of many lives. For his share in
bringing on this unfortunate affair
st. Collumkille was made to suffer.
His confessor gave him, as
penance for his sin, a work
of life long PREPARATION and suffering.
He was ordered to leave Ireland for.
ever, and never again to look on the
land of his love. With broken heart
he crossed the sea to the storm scourg-
ed Scottish island of Iona There he
| lived in exile for six and thirty years
and there he died and was buried.
During his long exile, his greatest So
lace was to climb promontory and
look wistfully in the direction of Ire.
land He spoke to the winds, and the
sea, of the beauties of Ireland and of
her sons and daughters. He petition
ed the sea birds to carry to Ireland
| eiS SlOiy VI luc anu uuuRGr--
| ing love of his heart for his lost ma
tive land. Sitting in sorrow, and in
tears on the barren rocks, he attuned
his harp. and poured out his soul in
songs of praise of Innisfail.
Patrick SarsfieId.
Another lover Of Ireland, was Pat
rick Sarsfield. Alter the treaty CT
Limerick he. with thousands of other
brave soldiers. went ever the sea, and
entered the service of France At the
battle of Landen the Irish soldiers at
tackled and routed the English SOL
diers. with Orange Billy afterwards
King William the III of England
among them. Sarsfield, at the head
of Lord Clare's dragons, was driving
the English before him in headlong
flight. when a stray bullet pierced
his heart. and he fell to raise no
more. He gathered blood from his
death wound, and holding it up in his
hand cried out, oh! that this were
for Ireland His last thoughts were
for the land of his love.
Allen | arkip and n,Rr;ap