﻿204
AN GAOḊAL.
When evening's shadows fell,
From city shrines, from abbey piles,
From hermit's lonely cell,
It sped in winged accents forth.
From dawn to day’s last smile.
From lips of sages, saints, and kings,
Throughout our sacred Isle.
Ere Grecian fame, ere Latin name,
From infant state had sprung,
In manhood's strength that language stood,
The mighty Celtic Tongue!
The Celtic tongue ! — then must it die ?
Say, shall our language go?
No! by Ulfada's kingly soul!
By sainted Laurence, no!
No! by the shades of saints and chiefs,
Of holy name on high,
Whose deeds, as they have lived with it,
Must die when it shall die —
No by the memories of the Past
That round our ruin twine —
No! by our evening hope of suns
In coming days to shine.
It shall not go — it must not die —
The language of our sires ;
While Erin's glory glads our souls
Or freedom's name inspires,
That lingering ray from stars gone down —
Oh, let its light remain !
That last bright link with splendours flown —
Oh! snap it not in twain !
See
Bourke's
Easy Lessons
page 388.
Is there an Irishman who after reading the above
would not contribute a dollar a year to preserve his
race? Not one! Some may call themselves Irish
but their actions betray them. The language is the
race ; and the race brought the language to Ireland
Celts abound all over Europe, but the Gaelic branch
is the acknowledged, direct, heir, and those belong¬
ing to it will not permit it to dissolve into the gross
inferior elements which surround it.
THE GAELIC ALBUM — The matter for the Gaelic
Album has been prepared some time but the cost of
transferring the photos to blocks exceeds our cal¬
culations. From estimates furnished by engraving
artists we were led to believe that we could get the
photos blocked for a dollar each. We sent our own
photo to get a specimen of the work and style but
the block made of it was so common (such as that
used by newspapers) that we could not use them.
We returned the block to the engraver, giving him
an idea of what we wanted and telling him to have
our own done in that style, and asked for an esti¬
mat for doing 400 in the same style. He sent the
wood-cut, which we published, stating the cost of
that class would be $4 each. Having 400 photos
the Gael’s income could not afford $1,600. By and
by we expect to be able to do it. In the meantime
let our friends help us to hasten the day by circu¬
lating the Gael. We would be pleased to publish
single column cuts of active Gaels in the Gael now
and again if sent to us. Business people generally
have such cuts. They can send them.
Mr Gladstone's conciliatory policy has averted
the destruction of a large amount of life and prop¬
erty, but should the tory house of lords mar his
kind intentions, then the duty of Irishmen is plain.
It is to bombard England’s citadels — to do as Sal¬
isbury commended the Orangemen to do. In the
pursuance of this policy Irish-Americans should
give warning to the "Pat Grants," to hold off.
Loc Léin.
Fonn — "Bean an Ḟir Ruaḋ."
This has been supplied by, and is being publish¬
ed in compliment to, Mr. Michael Cusack of Aver¬
ill Park, N. Y., who is now 79 years of age.]
Do ṡiúḃlas a lán gan spás i d-tosaċ
mo ṡaoiġil,
O'n t-Sionánn go Ráṫ as cois bánta
daingiona an t-sléiḃ;
Ní feasaċ aon áit buḋ ḃreáġṫa ḃuḋ
ḋeise ná é,
An baile beag bán tá láiṁ le barra
[Loċ Léin.
Naċ aoiḃinn an áit 'nna ḃ-fásaiḋ tor¬
tuiġe go ṫúr,
An dair go ró ḃreáġ agus plána ar
ṁaġaiḃ na Múṁan;
Crann loingis as báid gan tráċt ar
ṗluma na aḃall,
A's gur ag rós an Ċaisleáin Ḃáin mná
ag seinim a d-tiuin.
A mbun torṫa na slóġ bíon spórt ag
saoiṫiḃ dá ḟeaḃas,
Bíon fíon agus beóir ar bórd aca a
m-bun torṫa a ngleann,
Bíon an fiaḋ aca ċum spóirt ċum ceoil
an druid ar an creaḃar,
An lon-duḃ san smólaċ go ceolṁar ar
ḃarraoi na g-crann.
Do ṡiúḃlas baoi Ḃéarra cois Eirne a's
as san t-soir ṫuaiḋ,
Cois Máinge gan ḃréig agus tréiṁse
a n-arm a dTuaṁúin;
Ní ḟeacais aon ḃall de 'n ṁéid sin ce
gur ḃ' ḟad' í mo ċuaird,
Ba ḃreáġṫa na Loch Léin mar a mbionn
an máġ ṡluaġ.
Gaels, send your journal home to the National
Teachers of your respective localities, it is causing
a furore of enthusiasm among the pupils wherever
sent.
Only 3 per cent, of the population
of the county Galway, Ireland, are non
Catholic, as shown by the last census.
Now that the people at home are about getting
some kind of home rule, we on this side who know
the necessity of the language to preserve Irishism,
should redouble our exertions in agitating the mat¬
ter that they may take the proper steps to rehabili¬
tate it. Uphold Father O’Growney. Agitate !
