244
AN GAOḊAL.
IN UNITATE SALUS.
Let the traitor stand aside
From our cause,
And the foolish bigot hide
From our cause
None but trusty men and tried,
By their manhood glorified,
Shall be with us, side by side,
For our cause
Equal rights and Equal laws:
Send the cry to the sky,
Till it circles round the world:
Irish lands for Irish hands,
And dissension outward hurled
Raise it higher, day by day,
Let no timid fancies sway,
Let no thinking have its way,
By no slavish fear affrighted;
And we'll see a better time,
Free of fraud, and force, and crime,
If our brothers in each clime
Are all lovingly united.
II
Who were the men who fought and bled
For our cause
Who dyed our green field's shamrocks red
For our cause
Who faced our foes with fearless tread,
Showed no servile, drooping head,
Though their guns should shoot the dead
Never swerved and never fled.
But gave them blow for blow, and said:
For our cause;
We'll have equal rights and laws.
Nor shall we within our sea
Bend a craven's supple knee
But we will struggle for our right
And obtain our liberty!
Men they were, in open day,
Who knelt at different shrines to pray,
Our proven, purest, best were they.
Their hopes and lives were plighted;
Staunch to Ireland to the last,
Firm as oaks in winters blast,
With hers their fate freely cast,
They nailed their colours to the mast,
Flung contention to the past,
And lived and died united !
III
Through the lives our heroes gave,
For our cause,
On the mountain-ridge and wave,
For our cause ;
Through the tortures of the slave,
Through the best blood of the brave,
Through each martyr's sacred grave
For our cause,
We'll have equal rights and laws;
And have homes of our own,
And a Senate of our choice,
If we stand for our land
With united heart and voice !
O’er our memories, wild and strong,
Let eight hundred years of wrong
And their hatred sweep along,
And our peaceful prayers are slighted:
Now let us sue as men should do —
Fearless, firm, unwavering, true,
And show the world at last this view:
That Irelands sons are all united!
New York, July 14th, '83.
Editor of the GAEL,
Dear Sir: At a recent uptown festive gath¬
ering of Irishmen in this city the subject of Irish
books, journals, &c. was discussed first incident-
ally until at last it occupied the attention of the
whole party. Among the papers whose contents
were freely commented upon the "Gaelic Journal"
of Dublin and "Gael" of Brooklyn received extend-
ed notice and comment. The party were up in
sides for their favorite journals. One of them
coolly asserted that the "Gaelic Journal" of Dub-
lin has not redeemed its promise by enlarging on
its Irish matter in its contents and that it does not
come regularly to its subscribers, while another
spoke in its praise and expected better things when
that society settled down to work. One downright
enthusiast said that the Gael of Brooklyn is the
best Irish paper out yet, that it has lived longer,
and was the first to lead the way and as it is now
here among us it ought to be supported. This
was the signal for the liveliest discussion yet; one
of the party said that there was nothing in its con-
tents deserving of support, neither did he think
think there was anything bright about the editor.
Here he was pushed to give his reasons for saying
so, and also a strong pressure was brought to bear
on him to show why he did not write something
himself to that paper, since its present contents
did not suit his taste: but he said he should not
write any letter to that paper and if he did it would
be such a one as its owner would not dare to print.
At this point of the discussion he was told that
if he had the courage of his convictions he ought
to write at once to the Gael and wait the result.
He did so, signing his name Gubane Sier.
It is needless to say that the friends of the Gael
are highly elated over the pluck of the editor who
has the letter inserted word for word in the July
number with a long commentary and an invitation
to any others who keep such letters by them to
send them on. This is highly satisfactory to near-
ly all of them, the only drawback to this gratifica-
tion is the omission of Mr. Edmond O'Keefe's name
in the letter, the gentleman mentioned with the
Editor, and who was looked to as not only able to
stand the brunt of a criticism but also capable of
inditing an answer in as good and correct Irish as
the Gubane Sier himself, and who has been a reg-
ular teacher of Irish classes at different schools
for some years back. It is hoped however, that
he will be heard from in this connection. The
Gubane is taken aback by the promptness and
push of the Editor, whom he took to be a different
man; he is not dismayed however, but will be likely
to write something else before long, from what I
hear.
I regret that I cannot read the Irish of your
journal thoroughly yet, but as you carry on an ed-
cational department for beginners, I would like
you to send it to my address. I enclose one dol-
lar.
Yours resp.
James O'Connor
