Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1908-03-14
LOVES LABOR.
Something About the Four
Masters and Their Great
Work.
Romance Behind the Line That
Produced the Famed
Chief.
They Sprang From Long Line
of Hereditary Irish
Historians.
FOR GOD and FOR COUNTRY

AS each successive Patrick's dav
rolls round and we observation-disclosures
feel the rich, red blood of our Irish
ancestors flowing in faster streams
through our arteries we seek for
something new in St. Patrick's life
and character to be proud Of.
Whether laymen or priests, the Irish
are essentially preachers and teach
ers. Their inherited generosity makes
them this way. If they have knowl-
edge, humble though it may be, they
want others to enjoy it. If an Iris l.
man appreciates the zeal, the faith,
the fervor, the self-sacrifice of St.
Patrick, he wants the whole world
to share in his appreciation. The
Irish are not selfish in their joys,
though they may, keep their sor
rows to themselves. Many an Irish
heart is breaking under terrible
weight of woe, yet one would never
know of the difficulties under which
that heart labored. But in seeking
for something new about st. Patrick
one is invariably brought up against
the inevitable annals of the Four
Masters" and from their compil-
ations has been evolved the history,
"All that is known of st. Patrick"
The question naturally arises, who
were the Four Masters? Compare
lively few Irish-Americans can an
swer. Yet it is worth while to 9scer-
tain and to remember that they, too.
had the spirit of the present day sons
of Erin; that they desired to give to
the world true account of Ireland
and her people.
The Four Masters were Michael
OClery, Chief; his brother Conarv
O'Clery, a distant relative Cugory
O'Clery, and Fearfeasa O'Mulconry.
Thein work was begun January %,
1882, A. D., and was concluded Aug
ust 10, 1886. Their headquarters
were in the Convent of the Francis
can friars in County Donegal, and
from there they and their assistants
secured every monastery and school
in Ireland for fragments and scraps
of the country's history from the
Deluge to the year 1916, A. d. 1t was
a long, arduous and underpaid task,
although the great Chieftain O'Gara
furnished the means for carrying on
the work. Fergal O'Gara at that time
ruled what is now the County Sligo.
AS far back as the history of Ire
land can be traced each tribe or clan
had its ollamh pronounced ollav) or
historian. This office was hereditary
in every Milesian clan. 1t came
about in romantic way that the
0'Clery's became the historians of
Tyrconnell. Originally the O'Clery's
were descended from one of the
Kings of Connaught. In the thir-
teenth century they were dispossesed
by the DeBurgos and other Norman
adventurers and sought safety in
other parts of Ireland.
About the year 1880, A. D., one Of
the O'Clery family, whose antece-
dents had settled near Tyrawley, set
forth to seek his fortune in the
country of the O'Donnells. His given
name was Cormac. On his journey
he sought succor at the Abbey of
Assaroe. The good monks discovered
that he was a young man of more
than ordinary spirit and intelligence.
he was invited to remain at the mon
astery as professor of canon and
civil law. Cormac O'Clery agreed to
remain for a time at least. While
there he made the acquaintance of
Matthew O'Sghingin, the historian of
the clan of O'Donnells. Matthew was
much impressed with Cormac O'Clery
and offered 10 make him his son-in-
law, and provided that in event of
male issue the child and his de-
scendants would continue to be the
of the O'Donnell clan. Cor
mac accepted the bargain, and from
that matchmaking sprung the line
of O'Clerys that finally developed
celery and two others of the
Four Masters.
1t is unnecessary to trace the line
down from 1880 through several cen
turtles. Let it suffice for the present
to know that Michael O'Clery, who
on account of his religious belief and
patriotic tendencies had to leave Ire
land, became a member of the Fran
ciscan order at Louvain, France, in
1907. He was known as Brother
Michael. A few years later he was
sent back to Ireland by Father John
Colgan to collect material for "Ihe
Lives of the Irish Saints" He did
this work admirably and also began
collecting materials for the work