The Irish standard., 1905-04-22
EvENTFuL WEEK
Inspiring Scenes in Dublin Mark
Gaelic Revival.
Procession Takes Nearly Two
Hours in Passing.

Sud6c WeSh WdS given up lO lue
general promotion of the Gaelic move
ment and to preparations for the
great demonstration which was to fol
low. This came off on Sunday last
1t was the third annual celebration
of the kind, and, in it's dimensions,
demeanor and excellence of arrange.
ments. was a CONSPICUOUS advance
upon those that proceeded it, writes
Kilian Bruce under date of March II,
in The Irish World. Though the Gael.
ic League is. first of all, one for the
restoration of our ancient tongue, it is
by no means confined to that. With
the advance of the language move
ment pure and simple-and it's ad-
vance has been little less than
marvellous, there being now fifty
branches of the League in Dublin
alone-it has extended it's operations
until it has taken under it's patronage
the national interests of the country
generally. and it's rescue from the
grasp of the "Shoneen" and the place
hunter by the inculcation within and
without its own circles Of a manly
and Independent spirit of Nationalism.
The demonstration was in every
way success Coming in the middle
of spell of wet and dreary weather,
bn u,hioh !, fay cy
at first. shone out clear and bright to-
ward noon in as genially Irish a
manner as one could have wished for
great Irish purpose. The tear, one
might say, was in Erin's eye in the
morning. but it was soon replaced,
as if by special boon for the occa-
sion. by the smile which shed de-
lightful sunshine over the city, and,
we might add, the hearts of the
people. The Irish are susceptible to
atmospheric influences, and the sun
shine was reflected in the faces of the
men and women who thronged the
streets and made the air musical with
unwOnted laughter and voices, which
for the time had no tone of care.
Some idea may be formed by the
size of the procession when l tell
you that it took nearly two hours for
its closely cOmpacted sections to pass
the rooms of the Ardcraobhe, or Head
Branch of the League, from the win
dows Of which had a full view Of
it from beginning to end.
AS the Dublin papers will give you
the details of the demonstration much
more minutely than can, l shall
mention only some of it's more notice
able features. In fact. desire only
to record my impressions, not to give
descriptions. To the Nationalist
heart ii was a hopeful and an inspir-
ing sight To the Irish who are not
Irish. but only poor imitators of things
English-who prefer Britannia metal
to Irish gold-worshipers of British
supremacy, who believe in the divine
right of England to rule this and all
other countries, it must have been
gall and wormwood, and only another
instance of the ignorance and "in-
tractabi!ity" of character which re-
fuses to be woven into the druggat
of English civilization.
Marching with the procession were
representatives of the trades, crafts
and manufactures of Dublin-few and
insignificant enough for a city which
in the highest departments of pro-
duction was once Il successful rival
of England and important enough to
Show that the industry of the city
was not wholly confined to the manu-
facture of Guinness Stout or Jane
sons Superior Irish Whisky" On the
wagons which carried them there
were basketmakers at work on their
baskets, brickmakers turning out their
machine-made bricks as they moved
along; stonecutters with their aprons
on and their chisels in their hands:
Il smiling old lady. sitting at her spin
ming wheel, grooming an ancient Irish
melody. and an artistically arranged
and most beautiful specimen of arti-
ficial flowers from one of the city
converts, the work of Irish girls under
the direction of the good Sisters of
Mercy. Neither poverty nor persecu-
tion. nor the brutality of English
social innovations, have been able to
extinguish the taste and artistic talent
for which Ireland was celebrated when
the predecessors of our rulers were
sharpening their spears and shaping
their stone hatchets for each others
destruction.
There WAS also band of pipers,
and among others in the band was,
am informed. a son of the present
Lord Chancellor of ireland. pro.
nounced Tory, who is, such an enthus.
last for things Gaelic that he wears
the ancient Gaelic dress. and is fire.
Quently Ito be seen in the fashionable
promenades of the city attired in this
costume to the great CONSERVATION
and horror of the Shoneen class to
which he belongs.
Besides there were many other
things. which went to show that the
idea of.an Irish Ireland was not, as
sail or limited in the drawing-rooms
of the West Briton. vulgar dream