The Irish standard., 1909-01-02
THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY.

THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY.
Since going to press last week we
have learned with much pleasure that
the Irsl, language is to be q compul.
sorry subject In the new Catholic Uni
versjty at Dublin, which was recent
y established by act OF parliament AS
will be seen elsewhere in these pages,
the priests and people of Ireland de-
manded in no uncertain tone that in
an Irish national university tho Ian
guage of the nation should not he boy
cotted while French, German and Eng
fish literature should be taught.
In justice to Rev. DR.. Delaney, IT. is
but right to say that he has been a
promoter of Irish studies and has con-
tributed from his slender means to-
ward the rcsuscitation or Firms lam
Euagc and history. He mad reason; Of
his own az president OF the now uni
Iersity for excluding Irish, Us is clearly
explained by the Dublin Freeman's
Journal, but he had 10 anticipation of
the loue protests from the Gaelic
lcaEuers OF the country and yielded to
their wishes. The board OF senators
of tho university at Il recen. meeting
decided to admit Irish as a modern
language, aud SO the people are pac-
fled.
There arc now Some 10000 pupils
learning Irish in the national schools
and nearly 1000 have taken Irish in
the intermediate schools during the
year The pupils taking the intcrmc-
diate course can become good irish
speakers before they enter this unf-
vcrsity at all. and as university stu
dents they will be able to speak, read
and write their native language to rer-
lection. What is to be the character
OF tho Irish teaching in the uni: ersity?
asks the f'recman's Journal ana it an-
swcrs by saying:
Tho students will cone to the uni
versity knowing the language, and a
higher typo of study will ne required.
Until tn, Gaelic manuscripts are edir-
r'l and brought within reach OF stu
dents, any attempt to make Irish liter
Hturc tho basis OF a university course
would have the effect of making STU
dents despise tho Irish language. These
students would have access TO all the
great works in other languages and
Irish should suffer by the comparison.
But there is another way IN which
Irish teaching Of university type could
80 given, and that is by taking the
language as Il whole and regarding it
as a linguistic study. IL that were done,
students would be provided with IL fas-
"inating study. The investigation OF
the development of the language from
the Old irish to the Modern Irish period
would be full Of interest for students
who approached the work equipped
with a knowledge Of the spoken Ian
guagc. The difficulty Of books and
equipment could be easily overcome,
and courses arranged which would
keep up a high standard of teaching
and avoid invdious comparisons will,
the teaching of other languages In the
university"
Why not secure the services OF a
thoroughly competent Irish scholar to
translate tho manuscripts in Gaelic into
English or prepare them for advanced
students as text books? Douglas Hyde
is supposed to be fit for such a task,
and probably there are others. Not
since the days of O'Donovan and
O'Curry have the Gaelic manuscripts
been translated to our knowledge. Now
that there is an irish national univer-
sity. in fact as we'll as in name, an
effort should be made to translate these
ancient manuscripts and publish thon
in book form. 1t is an expensive un-
dortaking. but the Irish throughout the
world would contribute a fund for the
purpose. IL necessary. Such man as
Prof. Kuna Meyer, the German, could
be procured to give to the world the
contents OF these ancient manuscripts
Of IRELAND. II is strange that the late
Prof. O'Growncy, when appointed to
the chair Of Celtic in the Catholic Uni
vorsity at Washington. had to so to
= tn fi,,iv hi
own native language. Before many
years, we hope to hear Irish spoken in
all parts of the Emerald. Isle.
THE GoMPERs CASE.