Norwich bulletin., 1921-10-31
Boston Speaker At MacSWiney Memorial

 en and a half centuries when England owned Ireland less than when Lloyd George asked the president of the lrlsn republic to go to London and talk things over, and this after General Col lins and his small army had licked the stuffings out of those demons Of He'll said William H. OBrien of Bos- ton, in an address before public mass meeting of 1000 or more people in the Davis theatre Sunday afternoon.
 Br. O'Brien, who is member oI the public utilities commission of Mas sachusetts, was the principal speaker at the mass meeting which was held under the auspices of Mayor MeCur tain council of the American Assocla- tion for the Recognition of the Irish Republic. The other speaker of the af- ternoon was Rev. William A Keete, rector of St. Marys parish who in the course of his address upheld the Irish nation in it's determined effort to drive the British from its shores. Father Keefe took the stand that if it was right for the colonies to drive the Brit ish from their shores back in IT'S 1t is equally right for Ireland to drive the British from it's shores in 1921.
 The meeting was held by Mayor Mo- Curtain council for the purpose of pay ing tribute to the memory of Lord Mayor McSwinney of Cork, who year ago, sacrificed his life by starvation while prisoner of the British to fur ther Ireland's cause for liberty.
 The musical part of the programme included vocal selections by Nicholas J. SpeIlman, Miss Sadie Driscoll and Edward T. Connolly. Mir. Spellman sang Tumble Down Shack and for an encore gave Acushla. Miss Driscoil's selection was Kathleen Mavourneen and she also responded to an encore. MT. Connolly sang as his selection How Ireland Got Its Name and as an en- core Where the River shannon Flows. Mrs. Connolly presided at the piano as accompanist.
 The meeting was called to order by Edward T. Burke as chairman and was opened with the singing of the Star Spangled Banner, MT. Connolly leading.
 Rev. w. A. keefe Speaks
 If it was right in the olden days of the colonies to proclaim to the old world that there colonies are and of right ought to be free and indepen- dent" it is equally proper that the countries of Ireland today make the same proclamation, these counties are md of right ought to be free and in- dependent said Rev. William A. Keefe in the course of his address.
 l If it was right for the people of the colonies to applaud Washington, it is equally right for the catholics protestants, hebrews and unbelievers of this country to applaud Terrence Mo | Swinney, he said. The danger is we are apt to think the fight is over. The spir- l it of Terrence McSwinney would. il 1 seems to, me, inspire us to be up and doing all the while.
 | Terrence McSwinney made the sac rifice in order that his country may enjoy the privileges of this country. We are told by holding meetings of this kind that we are sowing seeds of dis sention in this country, are spreading seeds of religious and political dis cord.
 We need no defense as to our Am. ericanism. If we are called upon to full fill the obligation in time of sacrific, we have the right to protest thing that are wrong in the reconstrutior days. In that spirit we present to Am erica our idea of this question, tn, question for which McSwinney anC others have given their lives.
 If it was right to drive the Britisl from our shores in 1776, it is right il the year of our Lord, 1921, that h, be driven from the land of our fore fathers. We stand here today to pro test the tyranny of Great Britain. W stand here to pay our tribute to Ter renee McSwinney.. We stand by hi tomb in spirit, just as Marshal Focl stood by the tomb of Washington il person yesterday. We will stand fas for the ideals for which Terrence Mo SWinney died. We will stand shoulde to shoulder and heart to heart wit President De Valera and proclaim | the world, that as the people of Ire land stand back of De Valera so do the people of America stand back C him and the principle, that these col onies are, and of right, ought to b free and Independent.
 Address by Mir. oBrien
 Following a solo by Miss Driscol
 Chairman Burke introduced MT. O'Bri en as the principle speaker.
 As an opening Shot MT. O'Brien said
 "It may be that there are some men i America so wonderfully brilliant in thei
 mental, development that they know nor about what Ireland wants, how sh
 wants it and when she wants 1t, but have somehow conceived the idea that th
 people of Ireland know more about than we do and that they are the one to decide.
 They establish their government ovl the blood of the martyrs of Haste week. whose memories are forever el shrined in the hearts of all liberty-lo, ing men and women the world over. La CT they endorsed that republic by u ,, most overwhelming majority ever cast the history of the world on any simil; :, proposition.
 V MT. o'Brien said he proposed to argl entirely from the American viewpoint . Among other things he said T am n . an Irishman. I am an American citize IT Of course I am proud of the race fro a which I sprang. Ireland is the only n
 
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