The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-01-12
RecolIections Of Father FIetcher's Ad-
dress in Keokuk on Music
in the Emerald
Isle.
MADE FEW MONTHS AGO
The Harp Which Once Through
Tara's Halls Recalled With
the Memories Of That
Lecture.

The study OF the characteristics and
rare musical taste of the Irish people
Is always interesting. Only few
months ago it will be remembered
that Father Fleming, a very gifted,
cultured and versatile missionary
priest, true son of the sod, deliver
ed lectures at knights Of Columbus
hall, and possibly at some other HALL.
The address at the hall named is
specially remembered, as it touched
upon the music side Of the Irish race.
He was very, apt, eloquent and pa
thetic in his address, paying high trl-
butte to his people, many of whom
have been capable of
"Untwisting all the chains that tie
The hidden soul of harmony"
1t will be remembered that he
went to the piano on the stage and
played the accompaniment. to song
which he sang, the song his mother
sang to him when a tiny boy, lulling
him to his baby sleep. 1t was beau-
tiful with the pretty, simple story he
told. The Irish people are peculiarly
a people who possess souls In sympa-
thy with swee. sounds. Take an
with labor and apparently sullen from
disappointments and misfortune, into
the presence of the harp which rang
through Tara's halls" and sing sweet
Irish song to the measure Of the melo-
dious harp strings, and at once the
disconsolate son or daughter OF the
dear old Emerald Isle will cast aside
the imprisonment of soul and the
heart will again beat for the nonce,
in happy response to each inspiring
note.
Legend Of the Harp.
There are legends about this old
harp. 1t is well remembered how
Tom Moore sang Of the Origin Of
the Harp in. one Of his sweetest and
tenderest ballads.
"'Tis believed that this harp which
now wake for thee
Was a siren of old who lived under
the sea-
There is the legend given In some
excerpts below of the harp's origin,
touching and splendid in its imagery.
Everybody should have touch of
music in his soul; God pity the soul
that hasn't, but it seems that this
attribute is more universally possess
ed by the sons and daughters of the
green sod than by any other race, at
least they are more controlled or
swayed by the heavenly harmony,
come as it may from harp OR other
instrument or the human voice.
Reading the past week a special
correspondence from Dublin, ire
land, writer to an eastern paper in
one of The New England states, the
lecture Of Father Fletcher, the talent
ed little missionary priest, then tenn
porarily located at kahoka, Mo-, but
Inow, it is understood, is located at
st. Joseph Mo-, came intuitively to
! thought, showing that he had left the
i imprint OF his having been here plain
lily On some of the minds Of his very
large audience.
4 This Dublin writer gives what Char
lo.te Milligan Fox says in her An
nails of Irish Harpers." She relates.
i the old legend that on Magilligan
A strand at the mouth of Tough Foyle
4 in County Derry, the skeleton Of a
great monster lay bleaching, the vino
shrilling through its bones; one came
# and. hearing the wind music, wished
to initiate it, SO fashioned out OF the
A bones a harp. The legend states this
was the first harp made in Ireland
At this day, Miss Fox says, In the
castle on the cliff overlooking the
\ strand is treasured the instrument OF
one of the most celebrated perform
ers of later times. Denis Hempson
or O'Hampsey of Magilligan, born In
! 1905, and who attained the age of 112,
1 Is said to have charmed his hearers at
4 the farpers meeting in 1892 in BE-
] fast by the intricacy and popularity
4 of his playing; Edward Bunting HIM
self cultivated and skilled musician,
records that Its finished excellence
amazed him--he calls it "a noble sys-
i TEN of practice that had existed for
many centuries, strengthening the
opinion that the Irish were, at a very
early period, superior, both in the
composition and performance of
music. In fact Hempson's rendering
OF the very old. aboriginal music or
| the country .. comprise as great
a range of execution as has ever been
devised by the most modern improv-
ers.''
Hemsten's teacher was Bridget o.
Cahan. "In those old times" as he
said. women as well as men We're
taught the Irish harp and every old
family had harps in plenty" His fav-
ortiz airs were "Coolinn "The Dawn