The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-03-02

Born at IuDpeT.ud. oe4ll \WeA W
the Feinans) in the Parish Of Ardi'
COOL, Co. Mayo, Ireland. John Mac.
Hale, Of venerated memory, easily
looms the greatest Irish Prelate of the
last century, an intensely strong Irish
man, a patriot Of unsullied character
and a man, 80 towering, so strong, se
courageous, that neither force nor fiat
tery could make his indomitable will
to bend.
He first saw the light March 9Th
1871. His early education was re-
ceived from Hedge schoolmaster,'
and SO fallen was Ireland in those
dark days this wretch actually COM
PEELED the young MacHale to wear a
"score' suspended about his neck, &c
that whenever he spoke in his native
Irish a notch was made on it and fol-
every notch he received a sound drub-
bing-which awaited little as subse-
quent events showed.
From an early age he evinced q
preference for the ecclesiastical state,
and so, having closed his classical
studies, he entered Maynooth, where
he had a most distinguished course.
So high was the opinion entertained
by the directors of the college that
they induced him, after his ordina-
ton as a priest in 1914, to assume the
chair Of Dogmatic Theology. DR..
Delahogue, who for twenty years prior
thereto had occupied the position, hav-
ing resigned in his favor. For eleven
years he continued in that capacity
discharging the duties of the office
with conspicuous ability.
On June 5. 1925. at the COMPARE
lively early age of thirty-four, he was
consecrated Bishop of Maronia, in
partibus, and coadjutor to DR.. WAL
dron, Bishop of Killala. Bishop WAL
dron died in 1884 and DR.. MacHale
succeeded to the widowed See of st.
Muiredach. In the fall of that same
year he was transferred to the Arch
iepiscopal See of Tuam where for f1f-
ty-seven long years he shone with a
bright brilliance that even time has
not yet dimmed.
From the earliest years Of his man
hood his work for faith and mother
land was of the most incessant char
acter, while the channels into which
his ripe and powerful genius flowed
were many. During three-quarters OF
a century that began black and omi-
nous he stood out boldly in the Irish
armament. n beacon light of hope to
his country and people, a guiding star.
that never failed them. In his time
Ireland passed through sore trials and
won some substantial victories. The
great Prelate champion ever worked
to mitigate the horrors of the first
and his soaring genius, indefatigable
energy and dauntless contributed in
no small measure to the achievement
of the second. In that long ordeal he
saw friends become apathetic, trea-
son reveal itself and poltroons sell
their country's cause for price; inor-
dinately ambitious creatures allowed
the dearest hopes of the nation to
drift onto the shoals of destruction
whilst they blindly wrangled over
matters of no consequence; but through
1t all there was one who never way
cred, who never severed himself from
the cause Of the common people whom
he loved, or imperilled by injudicious
act or vacillation the cause of his
country. To the cause of Christian
or Catholic education in his Metro
politan confines he bent his best en-
ergies and inspired his suffragans by
his unselflsh example so that, while
laboring under disadvantages most
discouraging their efforts were re-
warded with a large measure of sue
cess; and if the olden faith burns
brightly in the western province it is
due almost entirely the devoted ef-
forts Of John MacHale and his faith
full associates.
Archbishop MacFIale was a versatile
character. He was poet, musician,
an antiquarian, an orator of tremen-
dous power, a linguist, an incisive
writer, an historian, controversialist,
a statesman and politician, as we'll as
being learned theologian. Amid all
his labors and vast responsibilities he
made time to indulge himself in his
various pendants. Not the least of
these was his extraordinary love for,
and desire to preserve the Irish Ian
guage from decay and destruction;
not as a petty patois, a local dialect,
but as the complete finished vehicle
that would give expression to the
highest form Of Irish culture, g. shrine