Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-27
GAELIC RENAISSANCE
Efforts of League Formed to
Revive Native Language.
ALL SECTS UNITED IN 1T
Good Effects of Movement to Restore
Ireland's Own.
C0NNEMARA'S WASTE LAND
Homes of oliver Goldsmith and
Maria Edgeworth-Tolls of
an Absent Landlord.
BY WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
WESTPORT Ireland. August 10, 1908.
AS Westport is the nearest town Of
| Importance in Ireland to the United
States there have been several projects TO
| take advantage of that fact by running
line of steamers from here. The dis
lance to ST. Johns, y. B.. is 1866 miles:
to Halifax, 2.165 miles: to Boston.
1855 miles. and to New York. ZOO miles.
which in each case is much less than
from Queenstown or any of the English
ports. AT the same time. however. pas
sengers landing here would be subjected
to long railway journey and be required
to cross ST. Georges channel. which is
not an amiabe streak of water. The
channel is subject to the same moods
and lenses as the English channel, and
whoever crosses 1t must make some sac
| rifices to Neptune in the form Of dis
comfort. if not otherwise. company
was formed some years ago to build docks
here and provide the necessary steam
ers but nothing has been heard from it
of late. and the invention of the turbine
engine and the construction of the fast
steamers for the other lines, like the
! Lusitania. make the voyage quite as
short without the other drawbacks.
Waste Land in Connemara.
westport and is one of the largest land
owners in Ireland, but he does not spend
much time here. He prefers his town
house, at 10 Hyde Park place London.
The greater part of his land is entirely
|
of rock. moorland and mountain peaks in
Connemara, which furnish admra BILE
scenery. but are good for nothing else.
AS Gen. Sheridan once said of another
place under other circumstances: 'dIt
would be necessary for crow to take
his rations with him. if he attempted to
make the journey across his lordship' s
estates. There is more waste land to the
acre in Connemara than in any other
part of the United Kingdom, and the
Marquis of Sligo owns the largest share
of 1t.
The Sligo family is descended from Sil
John Browne. an eminent barrister OF
the seventeenth century. who was a col
Onel in the service of King James during
the invasion of William, Prince of Orange
and drew up the famous articles of capt.
ulation by which the city of Limerick
the last stronghold of the Catholic earls
in Ireland, was surrendered in 1851 upon
the express condition that the Roman
Catholic population should thereafter en-
JOY the same privileges as the Protes-
tants. That stipulation, however, was
never observed.
Tolls of an Absent Landlord.
The Marquis of Sligo owns the town OF
Westport, and it Is built around the en-
trance to his beautiful park. He is more
generous than most of the earls. because
he allows the public to enjoy 1t with him
free Of charge and without restriction.
The gates are always open to young and
old, rich or poor. on foot on bicycles or
in vehicles, except automobiles. He has
prejudice against automobiles, and they
are not allowed to enter.
Across the roadway from the main en-
trance and nailed to the wall of an old
fashioned house is an ancient signboa rd
| upon which is inscribed the tolls formerly
demanded by the Marquis of Sligo upon
the sales of produce in the market of this
town. He owns the place; the land all
belongs TO him, and that which is not oc-
cupied by his houses pays him ground
rent perpetually. He owns the market
place. and instead of charging rental to
| the farmers who come there to sell their
produce, he used to tax each sale. a
penny for dozen eggs, penny for a
chicken. tuppence for sack of potatoes
and so on. There is long list upon the
signboard giving the exact toll for every
article and animal that entered into the
traffic of the market place. fish. fowl
fruit, vegetables, grain and all other
things. He owns the fair grounds also
and In olden times collected 10 per cent
of all the premiums and prizes that were
awarded and a corresponding toll upon
the cattle that were bought and sold at
the monthly and annual fairs. This GUS
tom prevailed all over Ireland until 1881
when the people decided they would not
submit to it any longer, and thereafter
refused to pay the collector when he came
around. Finally. after a popular agita-
ton. which resulted in a good many
broken heads and some loss of life, par
lament abolished the privilege. and the
tolls collected in the market house now
60 into the common treasury.
Home of Distinguished Authors.
Westport is the residence of the Rev
j. Nj. Hannay. rector Of the Church of
Ireland here. who is better known to the
world George A. Birmingham, author
of several political novels which have
caused a great stir and have had an i'm
portant influence upon land legislation.
Mr. Hannay is an ardent patriot, but
has the judicial faculty of looking upon
both sides of a question. In the vivid pic
lures he has drawn of the scenes events
and consequences of the land wars, strip
ping the screens from the motives OF the
leaders, he has convinced thousands of
people where ordinary arguments would
have entirely failed. His novel entitled
The Settling Pot" has frequently been
recommended to me by the highest au-
thOrities as the best picture of Irish poll
tics ever written.
Oliver Goldsmith.
There has always been d good deal of
literary talent up this way. The County
Longford. just south of here. was the
birthplace and home of two of the most
famous OF Irish writers. Maria Edge
worth and Oliver Goldsmith. 1t is quite
emarkable hat both should have derived
their early love and knowledge OF the
Irish character from the same identical
parish. Both received their early educa-
ton at the same school ard the little