AN GAOḊAL.
249
TRÍD INNIS FÁIL.
[Through Erin's Isle]
Fonn — Aiḃlín Crócar.
Tríd Innis-Fáil,
Aig rinc'ḋ in 'dáil
Trá ġluais Gráḋ 'gus Gaisge,
'Gus síġ 'n ġrín ġéir
Siuḃal leo 'sa ḃ-feur
'Sceiṫ ġaeṫe ó n-a ṫaisge;
Air feaḋ na slíġe
Tig feur ṫri-ḋlaoiġe
Faoi ḋrúċta dealra, faluiġṫe,
'Gus é ċo glas
Le smáróg deas
Tríḋ scáṫán cristil calcuiġṫe.
An t-seamróg, tá glas fíor-ḃuan an
t-seamróg!
De ḋuilleóg sgaiṫ,
Aig file 's flaiṫ
Fás Eire aṁáin an t-seamróg.
Aig Gaisge, aig ráḋ,
"'S dam tá faoi ḃláṫ,
Na seoide maiḋne craoḃaṁuil."
"Ní h-aṁla tá,"
Do ḟreagair Gráḋ,
"Le m' ḟearan-s' an dil' aoiḃeaṁuil."
Aċt dearċ 'sa ḃ-feur
Trí dlaoiġ 'n t-síġ ġeur,
'Gus ġair air feaḋ na spéire:
"Na sgoiltiḋ an bláṫ
Tá 'r triúr mar scáṫ,
Gráḋ, Gaisge 's Grean na h-Éire!"
O an t-seamróg, ta glas, sír-ḃuan,
an t-seamróg!
De ḋuilleog sgaiṫ,
Aig file 's flaiṫ,
Fás Éire aṁáin an t-seamróg!
Co dílis fíor,
Biḋeaḋ teann go síor
An ċuing an lá úd 'ċeangail,
'S air eite an ġaiṫ,
Na tuiteaḋ daṫ,
An doṁḃlais no a saṁuil!
Glanaḋ go h-eug
An gráḋ drís breug,
O 'n ngort tá faoi 'n a ṁaorsaċt,
'S ná tóig'ḋ go deo,
A ḃrat sa ngleó,
Gaisge 'n aġaiḋ na saorsaċt;
O an t-seamróġ, tá glas, sir-ḃuan,
an t-seamróg!
De ḋuilleog sgaiṫ
Aig file 's flaiṫ,
Fás Éire aṁain an t-seamróg!
We would wish to remind those pro-English sho¬
neens who turn up their noses and sneer at those
who are laboring to preserve and cultivate the time
honored language of Ireland that none but the low¬
er order of the Irish people spoke English two hun¬
dred years ago. The princes and nobles of Ireland
were well versed in their own language, the French
Latin, and Spanish; the English being looked on
at that time as a mere gibberish undeserving of cul¬
tivation. This was demonstrated in the article on
Prince O'Rourke in another page.
It was the low Irish who were obliged to go to ser¬
vice to the stranger to earn their living that intro¬
duced the English language in Ireland, and it is the
descendants of these same low Irish who are the
greatest curse to Ireland today. Through dire ne¬
cessity they lost their language and now they would
fain belittle it. Apply to those renegades the fa¬
ble of “The Fox Without a Tail", and you have
their full measure. It is the descendants of these
“Big House Scullions” who are glib with their
English. Picture to yourself the class of Italians
who come out here to earn their bread and who re¬
turn home after a few years full of English and
you have a parallel to the English speaking Irish¬
man of a century ago. Of course, English tyran¬
ny and usurpation reduced Irish nobles to such a
condition of serfdom that their descendants had to
go earn their living to strangers, but the above
were the introducers of the English language in
Ireland.
Go into the Gaelic class-rooms and you cannot
fail to observe the self-respecting demeanor of those
who compose the classes. In their countenances
may be read, England, you may bind our limbs
by brute force, but our tongue and mind, never!
The Easy Lessons will be continued in the next
issue of the Gael. The First Book is given in nos
7 and 8. The Second and Third will be given in
the succeeding numbers.
We have been much disappointed in getting
books from Dublin lately. We hope those order¬
ing them will have a little patience. If books
can't be had money will be returned.
The first copy of the New York
SUN was published on Sept. 3d., 1833.
by Ben. H. Day. The size of the pa¬
per was 18x10, and the "staff" con¬
sisted of “himself.” The weekly cir¬
culation of it now is 1,000,000 copies.
May the GAEL thus increase ?
