The Irish standard., 1915-11-13

The town of Eu, with population
of about five thousand, is situated
in Normandy, a few miles from the
coast, and within easy reach of
Dieppe,-writes J.. O'Callaghan in the
Dublin Catholic Bulletin. William the
Conqueror took possession of the
town in 1919; the following year he
was married to Margaret of Flanders
in the church of Notre Dame at
Eu. In 1S43, Queen Victoria visited
Eu, being the guest of Louis Phi
lippe. But there are reasons other
than these that make the town of
more than ordinary interest to Irish
men who love the storied past. Its
beautiful and imposing church is
! known as the church of st. Laurence
O'Toole. 1t was built to receive
his relics, which are placed behind
the high altar. The people of the
town have a great devotion to the
illustrious Irish saint, and go in large
numbers to the church to hear the
panegyric preached on his feast-day,
Nov. IA.
Laurence O'Toole was born near
Castledermot, and, as Archbishop
Healy informs us, was baptized in
1880, at St. Brigid's famous shrine in
Kildare" At the age of ten he was
given as hostage to Diarmuid Mac
Murrough, who treated the boy
with great harshness But Gods ways
are not our ways, and in His provi
dence these early sufferings were tt
lay the foundation of his future sane
tity. After an interval of two years
some Of MacMurrogh's followers fel
into the hands of Maurice O'Tool'
who kept them in bondage until Mac
Murrogh agreed to give up the bo.
to the Abbot of Glendaloch. The ex
ample of the monks at Glendalocl
made deep impression upon Lau
renee; ere long he begged his fathe
to allow him to remain with them t.
devote his life to God. At the ag
: of twenty-five he was elected abbo
of the monastery. He must have bee
a man of more than ordinary sant
tity to have been chosen at that earl
age to rule over the great establish
ment that kept alive the tradition
of piety and learning bequeathed t
him by Saint Kelvin.
In 1851 the Archbishop of Dubli
died, and Laurence was chosen a
, his successor. In his new positio
he practiced all the virtues he ha
learned at Glendaloch. Like Sain
Charles Borromeo of later day, b
wore rough hair shirt beneath hi
episcopal robes; he tasted rigorou,
ly, never tasting meat, and he ofte
, prayed far into the night befor
the high altar of Christ Church. Hi
influence was soon manifest. Ne
3 churches sprang up in all parts {
the diocese; discipline was restore
o and many reforms were introduce
e The Danes who remained after tt
e battle of Clontarf were being VIC
+ over to Irish ways and to Iris
t piety. All over Ireland there was
9 revival of national life The scho
S of Armagh alone could boast
t three thousand scholars. There wei
s indeed many signs of a Seco1
r Spring. But Ireland, recovering fro
n the effects of the Danish invasio
h was now face to face with anoth
# danger. .....
" The Normans were in the Ian
8 Accustomed to military disciplil
It and clad in coats of mail, they h;
o been victorious on every battlefie
s in Europe, from the Alps to Il
a Baltic and from St. Georges Cha
e mel to the Mediterranean. They nee
r ed Ireland to round off their empir
8 They were tempted not by its power
II but by its wealth and its great M
e ural resources, for 1t was "a lar
l. very rich in plumber, and famed Fl
the good temperature of the air, IL