The Irish standard., 1919-09-27

lHe uata pertaining to the country and
its people that may properly be con-
sldered to enter into the question of
her future status among the nations
of the world.
Geography-Ireland is an island in
the Atlantic Ocean, with an area of
32,525 square miles, it's greatest length
being 3O2 miles and greatest breadth
174 miles. Three large water areas
separate it from the Island of Great
Britain the North Channel, the Irish
Sea, and st. Georges Channel. 1t has
four provinces, Ulster Munster, Leins-
ter and Connaught, comprising 80
counties. Its coast is indented with
many spacious natural harbors and
inlets, eighteen of these harbors being
of sufficient depth and width to ac-
commodate the traffic of modern ocean
liners. 1t has many large rivers cap
able of producing abundant water pow
er for industrial purposes as we'll as
affording facilities for transportation
The soil is unusually fertile and is
we'll adapted to agriculture and pas
turage. The area of Ireland is three
times that of Belgium and two and
one-half times that of Holland.
Population-Before the famine of
1845 the population of Ireland was g.
196,597; in 1851, 6,574,27S; in 1861 it
was 5,798,564; in 1871, 5,412,377; in
1881, 5,174,S36; in 1891, 4,7O4,751; in
1901, 4,458,775; in 1911, 4,39O,219.
During the period of 20 years while
the population of Ireland decreased
nearly so per cent, that of England
and Wales rose from 1914, ,148 to &c.
cent; while that of Scotland rose from
2,62O,184 to 4,79O904, an increase of
nearly 200 per cent.
The population per square mile in
England is 618; Scotland, 1865, and
Ireland, 1856. 1t will be noted that
for the first time in history the popu-
lation of Scotland now exceeds that
of Ireland
History, Prior to the English Invasion.
Ireland was known in ancient times
by its various names of Ierna, Hiber-
mia and Innesfail Cor the Isle of Des-
tiny), Erin and Scotia, and was in
habited by people known as Mile
SLAMS who were of the Celtic race, and
probably came from Gaul through Bri-
tain to Ireland. They were governed
by kings, the record of whom is fairly
authentic to about 300 B. G. The peo-
pie were pagans, but not barbarians,
having attained fair degree of civil
ization, and progress in the arts. They
were governed largely by the Brethon
laws, which were not of legislative
character, but compilation of the de-
cisions of judges. In 432 they were
converted to Christianity under the
apostleship of the great st. Patrick.
From this time on to the English in
vasion in 1892 the most stirring events
in fhair hi ct ho1 fO In Vuifh fho
several invasions of the Danes, who
who were finally defeated by the he
roic King Brian Boru at Clontarf, A.
D. 1914. Internal quarrels among the
lesser chiefs of the provinces in the
succeeding century and half had the
effect of destroying the national unity
and left the country an easy prey for
the Saxon invaders, who appeared in
1169-7O-72 in the reign of Henry II, the
murderer of the celebrated Thomas A.
Beckett. An English pope, Adrian Nv,
seems somehow to have been persuad-
ed to issue bull, authorizing this
blood-defiled monarch to check "the
torrent of wickedness" in Ireland.
History Subsequent to the English
Invasion.
The keynote of the English policy
from the time of the entry of Strong
bow in 1172 may be summed up as SUBJ
jugation. devastation, confiscation and
determination of Ireland and the Irish
people, Henry introduced the feudal
system of the Normans, dividing the
country into fiefs, and sought to dis
place the older clan system. A sue
cession of conflicts ensued between
the native chiefs and their Norman
overlords, which continued with the
advantage varying from one side to
the other until the reign of Henry the
Eighth, in the first half of the six
teenth century As the CHAMPION of