346
AN GAOḊAL.
The N. Y. Sheanachus
The Gael extends its congratulations to the
New York Society for the Preservation of the Irish
Language on the success of its Musical Festival
and Seanachas. Steinway Hall was crowded —
Gilmore's orchestra furnished the accompaniment
and professor McSweeney directed the musical
exercises.
Hon Joseph F. Daly, Judge of the Court of
Common Pleas, presided and opened the proceed¬
ings with a short address, in which he said it was a
pleasure to him to preside over so great a gather¬
ing, brought together for such purpose as perpet¬
uating the Irish language, with its beautiful
poetry (applause). The interest of such an occa¬
sion was increased by the reflection that the a n¬
guage, not of one, but of two nations, was being
thus honored. Modern philologists had shown
that Irish Gaelic and Scotch Gaelic were identical.
The point used to be a matter of some dispute; it
was now absolutely certain; the only differences
that could be found were a few dialetic changes of
inflection In proof of the substantial similarity,
Judge Daly narrated an ancedote of the Irish insur¬
rection of 1798, which he said had been communi¬
cated to him by Mr. Thos O'Neill Russell, an ex¬
cellent Gaelic scholar. One of the Wexford insur¬
rectionists, named Byrne, after the suppression of
the revolt, became an outlaw, with a price upon
his head. He was chased over hill and moor un¬
til his strength was exhausted; at last he seized an
opportunity to visit his brother's house in the
neighborhood of Dublin. There he begged for
shelter and was taken in. But in some way the
news of his whereabouts reached the authorities
of Dublin Castle, and a sergeant and six men of a
Highland Scotch regiment were dispatched to cap¬
ture him. When these men reached the house
where the fugitive lay hidden, his brother received
them with true Irish hospitality. They were giv¬
en the best to eat and drink that the place afford¬
ed; and when they had had their fill, the sergeant
speaking to his men in Highland Gaelic, to avoid
being understood, as he thought, began to bewail
his fate in having to arrest their entertainer's bro¬
ther. "Why should I want to arrest this man,"
said the Sergeant, "for fighting in his country's
cause, as my own father did in 1745 ? I would
give much, if I had it, to be out of the whole busi¬
ness." The fugitive, lying in the garret, just above,
overheard these words, and an idea struck him.
He immediately presented himself to the sergeant,
whom he addressed in Irish, telling him he was the
man for whom he was searching. The sergent
understood him perfectly; the two fraternized, and
the evening was passed in genuine conviviality.
Next day the sergent and his men marched back
to the Castle, and reported that they could find no
Irish rebel at the house to which they were sent,
but only a Highlander, who spoke excellent High¬
land Scotch (applause). Perhaps they had not
felt so zealous in their quest the morning after their
carouse as they did when they marched out of the
Castle.
Judge Daly announced the musical exercises,
which opened with Moore's melody, Has Sorrow
Thy Young Days Shaded, which was excellently
rendered by the chorus of the Society.
Mr Joseph Cromien then sang Archbishop Mac¬
Hale's translation into Irish of Moore's, 'Tis Gone
And Forever, (Ta euliughthe go deo), being accom¬
panied on the piano by his little son, a youth of
about eleven years. The performance was hearti¬
ly applauded, and Mr Cromien being recalled by
continued plaudits, sang in response, in Irish, She
Is Far from the Land, (Is fad is o'n g crig), which
was equally well received.
Mr P S Monroe then sang Lady Dufferin's Em¬
igrant's Farewell; which was followed by Miss
Carrie Hun-King's singing The Bells of Shandon,
in a style that elicited a rapturous encore, to which
she responded by singing, They May Rail at This
Life, from Moore's Melodies.
Miss Maud Morgan then played on the harp The
Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls, and being
loudly encore played in response, the fine old I¬
rish melody, Were I a Clerk.
"The Green Hills of Holy Old Ireland, (music
by Prof. MacSwiney), was then excellently sung by
Mr J R McDonald; after which Mrs Belle Cole was
introduced, and was welcomed with the cordial ap¬
plause that always greets this favorite vocalist.
When silence was restored, Mrs Cole sang the beau¬
tiful old Irish Jacobite ballad, "Siubhal œ Run,"
giving the Gaelic refrain with a pathos that elici¬
ed the loudest applause at the end of each verse.
Being enthusiastically encored, Mrs Cole sang, in
Irish, William's translation of John K Casey's Ri¬
sing of the Moon (Eirighe na Galaighe), which
called forth another rapturous encore, in response
to which Mrs Cole sang Kitty of Coleraine. The
chorus of the Society then closed this portion of
the programme, by singing Stewart's "Greeting
from Ireland to America."
The second part of the programme was next o¬
pened by Mr Peter O'Donnell, in the following ad¬
dress in the Irish language :—
A Ṡaoi Uaċdaráin, a Ṁna-uaisle agus
a Ṡaoiṫe:
Ṫangamar innseo anoċt le móruġaḋ
agus le glóruġaḋ teanga agus ceol ar
d-tíre. Ṫangamar inseo mar an gceud¬
na le taisbeánaḋ do 'n doṁan go ḃfuil
teanga agus ceol againn ċó h-áluin ag¬
us ċó breáġ le aon teangain & le aon
ċeol atá ag aon ċine eile air an talaṁ
Do ḃí aimsir ann in a m-beiḋeaḋ naire
