The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-10
URGES THE IRISH To-
, REVIVAL Of GAELIC
Rev. Mr.. Curran Calls on the
Country People to Unite for
the Language.
BY Timothy ). o'connor.


Dublin, Dec. 9.-Americans who are
interested in the campaign now being
conducted in that country for revival
Of interest in the Irish language will
also be interested in the movements
made by Rev. Father Dinneen, M. A.,
of this city, on this side of the water,
while those having charge of the Celtic
propaganda are visiting the various
American cities and towns.
Father Dinneen, in an address at Dun
garvan this week, entering into an anal
ysis Of the conditions Of life in the
districts in which Irish still survives,
and upon these Investigations bases the
conclusion that the living Irish speech
is now in a desperate position In his
address he pleaded for vigorous agi-
tation to be conducted turnout the
length and breadth of the Irish speak
ing area Of the country as the only
efectual means of preserving the living
language and enabling it to be extended
to the other parts of the country. Such
an agitation would have a powerful in
fuence in determining the fate Of the.
language in the country districts.
Must Have Irish Towns.
But the language question in the
towns was even a more difficult prob
lem. There could not be an Irish speak
ing country district in which the Irish
language might be expected to hold
permanent sway without an Irish-speak-
ing town. Unless this movement pro-
duced genuine Irish-speaking towns the
language was lost. He relied largely
upon the common sense and patriotism
of the townspeople in various Irish
cities and towns to bring about the
general use Of the Irish language in
these places.
He spoke chiefly of towns in which
there was plenty Of Irish, in which the
shopkeepers and business men in gen.
eral understood it sufficiently well for
commercial and conversational pur-
poses. Use could be made of the coun-
try people in reforming the towns, and
OF the townspeople in reforming the
country.
Key to Situation.
| AS regards the towns, the country
people had the key Of the situation If
they only knew it. If the country peo-
pie insisted on speaking Irish in the
shops, and transferring their custom
shops in which they were not served in
| Irish, and adopted this policy in a
united body, the townspeople would
begin to realize the commercial value
| Of Irish very quickly.
There were said to be towns in the
lrish-speaking district where the shop
| keepers, when spoken to in Irish by the
country people, pretended they did not
understand, and would not serve the
customer until he asked what he wanted
in some sort Of English. Such state
of things would not last a week in face
of strong propagandist agitation in
the Irish districts.
Disloyal to Ireland.
Such a spirit was a disgrace to any
town; it was disloyal to Ireland, and
was commercially ruinous. The shop
keeper was the servant Of the customer
and not his master: There were few
shopkeepers who would refuse money
or at least keep on refusing it, offered
on condition that their customers would
be served in Irish.
If the country people understood
their power and the value of the Irish
language which they possess in it's liv.
ing state they would see that the Ian
guage when used properly would ma
terially assist them in their diffcultie.
would often keep their children from
emigration, would bring them ease and
comfort and renown.