AN GAOḊAL.
477
joice that our country and our people are in a more
prosperous condition than they were years ago.
But we have a greater cause than all these to re¬
joice and congratulate each other that the old enem¬
y of our language, our creed and our country,
is humiliated before the world by Russia, (tremen¬
dous applause, and long life to you). The wheel
of fortune is turning for Ireland, and the wheel of
misfortune for England, (cheers). There is an old
saying that it is a dangerous predicament to be
placed between two fires; but it is not alone bet¬
ween two fires England is to-day — there are fires a¬
round her on all sides, fires above and beneath
her, the fire of the just indignation of God above
her ; fires of war all around her and the fire of — be¬
neath her, (cheers and laughter). She is now half
humbled, on one knee, but she should humble her¬
self on both knees and ask pardon of God for her
injustice to the Island of Saints and make restitu¬
tion for the past by giving up Ireland to the Irish,
leave them make their own laws, speak their own
language, as they did in their pristine glory, if
she wishes to escape this last fire, (applause).
If there is any other nation that should rejoice
and shake hands with Ireland at England's humi¬
liation it is America (applause). It was the same
old enemy that made it a penal crime to teach or
speak the Irish, the language of warriors, saint
and sages, the language in which the saints of old
communed with their God, the language which
many of you heard whispered into your infant ears
by fond and loving mothers long departd, the lan¬
guage the Philo Celtic Society is reviving in this
country — the language I speak to you and feel
proud to tell you that the old enemy of that lan¬
guage is humbled before the world to-day, (cheers
and more of that to her). It was the same old en¬
emy of civil and religious liberty that thought to
strangle, in its infancy, this young republic desti¬
ned by Almighty God to be an asylum and refuge
for the oppressed of the tyranical monarchs and
despots of all nations (applause). But, thank God
the Americans, with the assistance and support
of Irishmen, banished once and for ever the acc¬
ursed red coats from our shores, and I hope we
may see the day they will be banished from the
Emerald Isle, as Brian Boru banished the Danes,
or St. Patrick the snakes, into the sea, and that
Irishmen can speak their own language, make their
own laws, as they did of old ere the virgin soil of
Erin was polluted by the accursed tread of the
Saxon, (cheers, which continued several minutes).
I am thankful for the kind attention with which
you listened to me, We shall now commence the
evening's entertainent by the Philo Celtic chorus
singing O'Donnell Aboo.
About eighty of the members of the Society
then ascended the platform and, with orchestral
accompaniment, chorused
See Vol. I. page 60.
Gaelic Journal
No. 178 p. 836. 13
O'DONNELL ABOO!
Tá binn ġuṫ an aḋairc go glóraċ a géim¬
neaḋ,
'Gus gáir-ċaṫ a síneaḋ go h-árd air
an ngaoṫ;
Ṫar Loċ Suilliġ tá 'n treun-laoċ go
luaṫṁar a léimneaḋ,
Aig na sluaġṫa 'n gleann Ṡeaṁair i
deifriuġ' gan sgiṫ;
Síos ó gach sliaḃ go beo,
Treun ḟir naċ d-teiṫfiḋ gleo —
Brostaiġiḋ faoi ġlas-ḃrat ḃur n-gais¬
giḋ, Aoiḋ Ruaḋ;
Bannaċ 'gus Galóglaċ,
Deifriġiḋ go claon aig caṫ —
Suas fá ḃur n-díl-ṫír, Ui Ḋoṁnaill Abú
Feuċ Ua Néill, sgaiṫ na ḃ-flaṫ', ċum caḃ¬
air a ċlaonaḋ,
Le mór-ṡluaġ gaisgiḋe 'gus toġa na
ḃ-feaḋm;
Tá míle eaċ borb in a roiṁ-rann i sín¬
eaḋ,
Faoi na marcaiġiḃ ó'n g-cluan i ḃ-fuil
sruṫ Banna ann,
'S iomḋa an croiḋe ḃeiḋeas fann,
Faoi sgaṫ a ċulaiḋ-lann —
Beiḋ geur-ḃrón air náṁaid iad ḟéin
ḃí gan truaġ;
'Nuair cluinfear ar ngáir-ġleo,
Sgriaċ air an t-sinneán teo,
A brosduġ'ḋ ċum díoġaltais, Ui Ḋoṁ¬
naill Abú.
Tá'n faol-ċú i nDeas-Ṁuṁain aig aill¬
eaḋ go fraoċraċ,
'S an t-iolraċ gan eagla a sgriaċ air
an maġ:
Tá 'n sionnaċ air ṡráidiḃ a faire go
caoċraċ.
Ní 'l duine le bagairt air beo air an
ḃ-faiṫ;
Fáisg uile láṁ go teann,
Ṫuaḋ-ċaṫ 'gus faoḃraċ lann —
Tóig orṫa trom-ḋíoġaltas ceart ag¬
us luaḋ;
Beiḋ aca cráiḋteaċ sgeul,
Air ḋíl Clann na nGaoḋal,
