The Irish standard., 1905-08-12
NOW IN IRELAND
Rev. Father Yorke, of San Fran
cisco, is Enthusiastic
Over tho Great Gaelic Awaken
ing In the "Old Land"

Gaelic League idea. On the little ten
der that took us into Queenstown
Father Lyons discovered news
dealer, man born of Irish parents in
Glasgow, who proudly told us he was
struggling through the fifth book of
O'Growney. From him we learned
that there was quite demand for
Gaelic literature, and that, though
Queenstown was hepelessly cosmo-
politan and Cork apathetic, there was
great deal of real good work going
on in both places, writes Rev. Father
Yorke to the San Francisco Leader.
We arrived in Cork at midnight,
and while taking supper put our
waiter on the rack. He had heard of
the Gaelic League, but declared true
nationality to be dead in Cork. This
meant, as we afterwards discovered,
that there had just been a bye-elec-
tion for the city, and the pious and
immortal William O'Bren had rated
on his colleagues of the Irish Parlia-
mentary party. Yes, our waiter was
married man. He had three boys
going to school. Were they learning
Gaelic? No. Why not? Sure, H.
wasn't taught. So, you see, for our
first nights experience we had our
choice of opinions.
The next few days we spent enjoy
ing the splendid succession of hills
and wales, of river and woods, that
make Cork one of the most beautiful
| cities in the world. The streets are
clean, the shop windows we'll fur
| nished, and far more young people
going hither and thither than one
would expect. On the shop signs we
see now and again the old Irish let
frequently the notice that the goods
on display are of Irish manufacture.
The book stalls are full of Gaelic pub
lications, and altogether there is many
an outward sign that Cork is not out
of the Gaelic race.
We have been reading SO much
celebrations that we are quite anxious
to attend one. We notice in the ad.
vertisements that on Sunday there is
to be a great Feis in Mitchelstown in
the north of the county, and that an
excursion train goes from Cork. Sun
DAY proved a beautiful day-indeed,
weather has been exceptionally Well
behaved. On the excursion train there
was only third class, but to my mind
1t is just as comfortable as first, and
travelling third gives one chance of
meeting the real people, while at the
same time it cuts down the amount
the soulless corporations levy for To-
comotion on suffering public.
The character of the people going
to the Feis seemed to me to be very
high grade. Family groups, for the
most part, with the children dressed
in costume, for many of them were to
take part in the language, dancing
and singing competitions. There was
hardly any Gaelic spoken, but we
must remember we are dealing with
townspeople, and the language has
been extirpated in the town for gen.
erations. The train service was fairly
good as far as Fermoy, but at Fermoy
we went on a small branch road to
long and very heavy, SO when we
came to stiff grade about half way
to our destination the train was cut
in two, and here we were left While
the engine carried one section into
Mitchelstown and came back for us
process which occupied two long
hours. Yet such is the inherent meek
ness of the people of Cork that this
piece of mismanagement was gently
referred to in the newspaper accounts
of the Feis as a slight temporary de-
lay. The Gaelic League might also
with profit set itself to inculcate this
idea into the heads of the Leaguers
that the railroad companies are the
servants of the people and that they
are not entitled to their wages unless
they render reasonable service. There
was absolutely no excuse for the STALL
ing of half the train on the side OF
! a mountain, and some seemed to think
that the mismanagement was inten-
tional and for the purpose of annoying
; the Gaelic League.
The railroad on which we were is a
part of the Great Southern and West
ern. This line has been nicknamed
the Great Sourface railway, because
all it's profitable berths are manned by
Protestants. The majority of the
stockholders are Catholics and the
Gaelic Leaguers have been protesting
loudly against the way in which the
company does it's business. Hence one
would not be surprised If the officials
should connive at anything to make
it uncomfortable for the Gaelic
League.
There must have been five thousand
persons gathered in Mitchelstown,
and a finer, more sober or more order
ly crowd it would be hard to find. We
saw one drunken man, and he was a