Am 30.
663
I found in Connaught the just, redundance
Of riches, milk in lavish abundance,
Hospitality, vigor, fame,
In Cruachan's * land of heroic name.
I found in the country of Connal the glorious
Bravest heroes, ever victorious;
Fair complexioned men and warlike,
Ireland's lights, the high the starlike!
I found in Ulster, from hill to glen,
Hardy warriors, resolute men:
Beauty that bloomed when youth was gone,
And strength transmitted from sire to son.
I found in the noble district of Boyle
(MS. here illegible.)
Brehons, || Erenachs, weapons bright,
And horsemen bold and sudden in flight.
I found in Leinster the smooth and sleek,
From Dublin to Slewmargy's, § peak;
Flourishing pastures, valor, health,
Long living worthies, commerce, wealth.
I found, besides, from Ara to Glea.
In the broad rich country of Ossorie,
Sweet fruits, good laws for all and each
Great chess players, men of truthful speech.
I found in Meath's fair principality,
Virtue, vigor and hospitality,
Candor, joyfulness, bravery, purity,
Ireland's bulwark and security.
I found strict morals in age and youth,
I found historians recording truth;
The things I sing of in verse unsmooth,
I found them all — I have written sooth *
† The two Meaths then formed a distinct province.
* Cruachan, or Croghan was the name of the royal
palace of Connaught.
‡ Tryconnell, the present Donegal.
|| Breton, — a law judge, Erenach — a ruler, an
archdeacon.
§ Slewmargy, a mountain in the Queen's county,
near the river Barrow.
* Bede assures us that the Irish were a harmless
and friendly people. To the many of the Angles
had been accustomed to resort in search of knowl¬
edge, and on all occasions had been received kind¬
ly and supported gratuitously. Alfrid lived in
spontaneous exile among the Scots (Irish) through
his desire of knowledge, and was called to the
throne of Northumbria after the decease of his
brother Egfrid in 685. — Lingard's England, vol.
i, chap. 3.
THE GAELIC JOURNAL.
We have just received the 24th number of the
Dublin Gaelic Journal, which completes vol. II.
This number of the Journal is highly interesting,
the translation of Caoch O'Leary, by Wm. Russell
of Oil City, Pa. being among the Gaelic contribu¬
tions to it.
The editor announces that the Gaelic Journal,
for the want of funds, cannot appear in the future
only quarterly and in a reduced form, containing
only half the matter which it now contains, and
that the subscription price will be reduced to half
a crown.
As those whom this not very cheering news may
reach, namely, the readers of the Gael, are doing
their duty towards the preserving of their mother
tongue by their generous support of it, we can
not urge them to go to the rescue of the Gaelic
Journal while the mass of their countrymen lie
dormant in its regard. But this we would say to,
and urge on the readers of the Gael. — For various
causes which we do not care to mention here, quite
a number report to us that when they canvass for
the Gael the parties canvassed excuse themselves
by saying this and by saying that regarding its
direction
Now, no such excuses obtain or have a footing in
relation to the Gaelic Journal. It is artistically
turned out, (not by novices, like the Gael) and
they cannot say with truth that bad Irish appears
in it. So let our readers try to get those who will
not support the Gael, subscribe for the Gaelic
Journal, and if they do not do so their excuse for
not getting the Geel will be apparent, i.e., the
matter of the 60 cents and their want of patriotism
The editor says that the Gaelic Journal has only
400 subscribers. Now the 3,000 readers of the Gael
under the new arrangment, ought to be able to
secure it 400 more. The address of the Treasur¬
er of the Gaelic Union is —
Rev. Maxwell H. Close, M. A., 40 Lower Baggot
St., Dublin, Ireland.
Let those sending their subscriptions thereto
write their names and addresses so plainly that
no mistakes can be made, infact to print them
with the pen. We sometimes get addresses and
we have to go to Rowell's Directory to deciph¬
er them: So that the illegible and defective add¬
resses are nearly always the source of disappoint¬
ment and annoyance. The cost of sending an or¬
der to Dublin is 30 cents — half the price of the
Journal. Now, to curtail the expense, those who
send us 70 cents we shall send their subscription
to Dublin, not that we are going to incur the ex¬
tra expense, but we expect to have a number of
subscriptions to send together, and of course the
Journal will go direct from Dublin to those order¬
ing it. These will be noted in the Gael as a public
record for the information of the subscriber and the
Union alike
We have no direct communication with
the Gaelic Union on this head, for we have reason
to believe, from our outspokenness, as our readers
must have noticed, that the Gaelic Union is angry
with us. We do not care for this. We have no
interest in the individuality of the Gaelic Union,
nor its immediate personnel. We work for the
preservation of the language of our country and of
our infancy. The members of the Gaelic Union
will pass away: it is our desire that the language
may remain for ever, and it is for this end we labor.
We should be only a mere hypocrite if we did not
support the Gaelic Journal — the first and only
Journal on Irish soil in the language of the nation,
because of any differences of opinion which may
exist between us and its managers.
It is the duty of every Irishman to aid in the
preservation of the language of his country, and he
is a hypocrite who would desist from doing so
through any flimsy cause.
The Brooklyn Philo Celtic Society, with its
friends through the country, support the Gael, and
if our New York societies worked with equal zeal
in the cause of the language they would support
the Geelic Journal themselves: This may be an¬
other cause for anger by our New York friends;
Even so, we cannot help it, it is our conviction
and we never shall "hide murder."
