Omaha daily bee., 1919-07-16
Darrell Flggis and the Gaelic
From the Christian Science Monitor.
To anyone who knows Ireland, as al

To anyone who knows Ireland, as alone
she can be really known, from the inside the
interview with Darrell Figgis, the prominent
Sim Feiner, published in this paper, recently
must have come as a veritable breath from the
hills For those who do not know Ireland, it
afforded great opportunity to catch a real
glimpse of the real thing, and to gain some un-
Outstanding Of what the Irish problem really is.
Now, it is not, of course, from the face
value of Darrell Figgis' words that anything is
to be learned. The wonderful picture he drew
OF Ireland's present wrongs has no actual rela-
ton in fact, any more than the green uniforms
of the tragic outburst of 1916 had any rela-
ton to face. The words, however, of this con-
WINGED Sim Fener had very strong relation
to the facts as he loved to see them.
Blend like the rainbow that hangs in thy skies,
Erin, the tear and the smile in thine eyes,
Shining through sorrows stream,
Saddening through pleasures beam,
Thy suns with doubtful CLEAN,
Weep while they rise.
SO Thomas Moore described it all just a hun
dred years ago, and the Irish rebel has never
been able to Ireland, nor wanted to see
Ireland from any other point of view. Ireland
the downrodden, but never despairng; Ire
land bound in letters but ever seeking liberty
Ireland poor and despoiled, but ever defeating
her oppressor; these are pictures indeed worth
having and, above all, worth describing Com
pared with them, what attractions are there
in the dry-as-dust prosperity of Wyndham
land act the prosac activities of an agricul-
tural department. or the degrading success of
farmers cooperative society. Where one may
see the picture of a whole people yearning to
express itself in Gaelic. the language of its
fathers, but terrorized into silence by a merci-
less government, and only daring to utter the
loved tongue within the four walls of the mud
cabin. away out in the mists of the bog;
hax,a ~,
deliberately choose to have picture of two
shamefully prosperous farmers, for instance,
"enjiyin' the tark av it" at the crossroads in
very Irish rendition of the kings English?
"She wishes to speak her own tongue, but
is not free to do SO, because men are thrown
in the country DEGREES that business shall be
conducted in his tongue" So Darrell Figgis |
describes the situation. And cts wonderful
way he has. surely" as Mike Machinery might |
have said, and, indeed, undoubtedly would have
said And yet there are many, and they Irish
the "grahnd dramer" that is in man like OAR
rel Figgis feel constrained to tell the facts |
Stephen Gwynn is of them And what has
Stephen Gwynn to say about the Gaelic?
Since left Dublin he wrote recently in
The Observer of London, Gin FIVE days leisure
ly travel have not heard a word of Gaelic
spoken; but | have been in hourly converse
with the Ireland of today. In that Ireland the
easiest thing in life is to make friends; all you
need do is to come asking favor. Begging
for leave to boil kettle there, wanting
casual hand with some job about the boat, we
were on Ireland's hospitality the whole way;
and never in my life have known the country
side frlendler or more tranquil In a score of
stray conversations one met no trace of the
lever which very genuinely displays itself in
he audience at demonstration or discussion
n Dublin. Prosperity was evident; these peas
ants all poor people, yet. with the excep-
ion of one household, none could be called in
1igent; and the barefoot children in the boys
seemed we'll nourished and full of life
And so he goes on And yet Stephen Gwynn ,
S an Irishman of Irishmen, a member of Par 8
lament, and convinced home ruler. He is,
one of those 1rishnlen, and they are i
growing in number. who the $
on the one hand, of the "grahnd /
Kramer" and, on the other hand, of the drab ! !
and who seek earnestly for the mid
lie way. Stephen Gwynn can understand Oar t
fisherman, and he can see them both and their {
ike for what they are 1rishmen all, and as 7
rishmen all take them all to his heart, Tommy !
Moore may not have been a great poet but he =
ad "a great power of spashe surely" and {
ometimes he had true vision. And so he t
wrote this second verse and finished his poem f
erin, thy silent tear never snail cease, t
Grim thy anguid smile neer shall increase,
Till, like the ranbow's light, | p
Thy various tints unite, 1T
And form in heavens sight p
One arch of peace c