Omaha daily bee., 1922-03-05
Building the Irish Free State

You'll be going 10 England p
said an lElshman on board my
steamer.
enc. Up and down Ireland 10
ind how Il feels to the Irish 10 be
Tree, and what the Irish are going tG
do with their freedom, iaF 4 series
Of articles. ! get of at 9aeenstown." I"
M Cobb, you mean. II Is the
port IN the Irish free state which
the British used TO eall Queenstown .
are you changing ali the names
~ Ireland, thsns Cork, Killarney,
Clare and Tipperafys"
why should wei They're Irish.
Were changing only the English
ones that mentian kings aud queens
-kingstawn and Queenstown. Crit
fifth and de Valera MAY disagree
about the wording Of the treaty with
reference 10 allegiance, but il's plain
that we do not have 10 recognize
kings or queens on the map oi the
new free state. We have a little
prejudice against kings and queens
out OF our experience"
Irish men and women, returning
from America, were impatient 10 set
foot on free Irish soil. Until that
moment the dream OF centuries had
not come true 10 them,
You came from Gods country,
and you are looking at Tree Ireland
free at last said a woman OF the
steerage as she held up her child 10
look at the shore.
IL was a great moment for her.
Americans not born in Ireland cam
not appreciate how great
"Are there any British soldiers
left in Ireland?" asked an lrishmsu
from Pittsburgh, who was on his
way to Galway. OF the customs OF
ficer oil the Irish free state. who had
come out from Cobb on the tender.
Just Like Other People.
"There are. You will see some OF
them walking about just like other
people
AREN'T they scared;"
Never bit. now. The war is
over. We've stopped fighting them.
They're in no danger at all. They're
going as fast as the ships will take
them. There were a lot OF them TO
go. They're as glad to go as we are
to have them go. You can never
think OF the British having wings,
but il they had, we would be want
ing them to fly, and they would be
wanting to fly
1t is from the people by the way
side that one gets the real story OF
Ireland today. They would not be
Irish il they did not know how 10
talk. An Irishman can tell more in
a sentence than some people can in
a book, He likes telling it to an
American.
Not a person / have met who did
not remind me that Ireland would
never have gained its freedom If it
had not been for America. Ireland is
one place on this side of the water
where America remains truly popular.
We shall be popular in Ireland for
a long time. for the Irish are not
forgetful people.
"That was done in the war two
months before the truce" said the
man who drove ME from Cobb to
Cork in an ancient "flivver" as he
nodded toward a bridge that had
been blown up.
"The war;" | thought. 1T must
be the armistice that he refers to-"
"Only few months ago? | asked.
"Yes, when the war was very hot
Just before the British gave in"
There | had touched the depths
which yield real understanding OF
Irish patriotism and ambition. The
war to him was not the late four
year struggle on the continent Of Eu-
rope. 1t was an age-old war; war
Of race against race for freedom: a
war eliminating in the guerilla tactics
of Sim Fein and an aroused British
and world opinion which won the
victory. To Ireland there never could
be but one cause and one war until
that cause was won.
Hu otuuyllS NdeAS.
Then l asked the driver. who was
about s., the question which is as
common in Ireland these days as
remarks about the weather.
"Are you studying Gaelic?'
81 am he replied. Two and three
hours a day, my head down under
the lamp light beside my childrens.
A fine language, the Irish language.
It's our language. It's shamed OF my
self, l am he said, when | say |
never knew word of Gaelic until
we had won our freedom
When | put the question to stout
Limerick woman who was bringing
her sheep to market, she replied; 81
tried it; but it took me so much time
Just to learn to count that | thought
better look after my work so as to
keep my children in school where
they will be learning Gaelic for me.
Though | cannot understand them |
warn them that mother is not the
woman to let them do all the talk
ing for the family"
Language is the soul OF nationality.
The Irish having won nationhood
their next thought is the restoration
of their national language. Back
country people who have received
spoken Gaelic at their mothers
knees and priests and scholars who