Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-28
cesdinsiy careful in vouching for stran-
gers.
The Irish College.

gers.
The Irish College.
The Irish College is another place whore
Americans are always welcome. and there
you will find another brilliant lot of young
men who will be heard from in the future,
because they are good material for bishops.
archbishops and cardinals. The careers of
the graduates of these institutions show
few failures and few insignificant men. If
you could trace the history of the graduates
Of the American and the Irish colleges at
Rome. and l mention those in particular
because l know more about them than the
others, you will discover that they have ex-
ercised powerful influence, not only in
the church butyin the world at large. Wher-
ever you hnd man who was educated at
one OF these institutions you can depend
upon him.
l have particular admiration for Father
Byrne. the vice rector of the Irish College,
who is an ideal Of a priest. scholar and
gentleman.
The Irish College is the Oldest In Rome,
and occupies the ancient convent of st.
Agatha which lies almost hidden by a
miniature mountain in the middle Of Rome,
upon which stands the famous PalaZzo
Aidobrandini, once the residence of Cardi-
nal Mazarin. The fortunes of the Aldo
brandini family were made by Pope Glenn
ent VIII, who built this splendid palace
and presented it, with a million scudi in
ready money, to his nephew. To this fam
lily also belonged st. Pietro Igneo, who was
canonized because in 1867 he walked I'M
harmed, crucifc in hand, through burn
ing avenue Of olive branches ten feet long
at Florence to prove an accusation of
simony which he had brought against the
bishop OF that city. Near here, according
to Ovid, the ghost of Romulus used to take
Its promenades, but we have more recent
matters of interest in connection with the
Irish College, for in it's chapel, which dates
back to the year 472. the heart of Daniel
OConnell lies in a monument bearing the
following inscription:
This monument contains the heart of
OConneil who dying at Genoa, on his
way to the Eternal City, bequeathed his
soul to God, his body to Ireland and his
heart to Rome. He is represented at the
bar of the British house of commons in
MDCCCXXIII. when he refused to take the
anti-Catholic declaration, in these remark
able words: I at once reject this declara-
ton; part of 1t believe to be untrue, and
the rest I know to be false He was born
VI Aug, MDCCLXXVI, and died XIV May,
MDCCCxLVIII. Erected by Charles Bian-
conf the faithful friend of the immoral
Liberator, and of Ireland, the land of his
adoption
In this chapel the family of the famous
Cardinal Antonelli are buried, but curiously
enough his grave is unknown.
The students of the American College
spend their summers at the historic villa
Barbarini. at the old town Of Castel GAN
dolfo. high above the Alban lakes, where
the popes for seven centuries were in the
habit of taking their summer rest and rec
reat1on. 1t is beautiful old place, and in
the decree of eXterritoriality granted by
the Italian parliament in 1871 it was in
cluded with the Vatican and Lateran pal
aces as the estate over which the pope
could retain exclusive jurisdiction, but
since that date it has never been occupied
because 1t was considered unsafe and inn
polite for the pope to leave the Vatican.
Leo Kill never saw, or at least never Wis
tied, Castel Gandolfo, although his prede-
cessor. Plus TX, came with large retinue
OF cardinals and other ecclesiastics and
functionaries from the Vatican every sum
mer, and was in the habit of riding among
the surrounding hills on the back of an
old white mule.
The ancient papal palace rises from
among the comfortless homes of few viii
layers. who have become poorer and poorer
since the popes ceased to come here: the
mighty walls are crumblng, the floors
creak. the plastertng Is covered with a
damp mold, and 1t is scarcely habitable for
lack of repairs, but the surroundings are
as beautiful as may be found in Italy, and
that means the world 1t is an ideal place
for rest recreation or reflection, and the
american students wake things up when
tney come down every summer The
grounds Of the Villa Barbarina which they
occupy are lovely, and they have intro
duced facilities for q few North American
sports which sometimes paralyze the ItaI-
lans For four months they have little
study and many long walks among the AL
pan mountains, glowing with natural
beauty and filled with "reminiscences of the
gods and heroes OF classic days