294
AN GAODHAL
by the bright rays of freedom. Then our grand
old tongue will again flourish as in ancient times.
I regret that I cannot write to you in Irish. I
can read the language but am not yet able to write
it with accuracy. This, I hope to be able to do be¬
fore very long. I was particularly pleased to learn
by the last number of your much-prized and ever
welcome Gael, that you are hopeful for the future.
Every Irishman in America ought to be a sub¬
scriber.
I wish I had time to take up the work of form¬
ing a school of Gaelic here in Guelph. It would
succeed. There are Irishmen here qualified for
the work in all but the will to do so. If circum¬
stances favor me I will yet push it.
I have the honor to be,
Yours sincerely,
Denis Nunan. M. D.
P.S. If you find time please drop me a line as I
shall be anxious to know that this reaches you in
safety.
D. N.
Port Ludlow, W. T.
M. J. Logan,
Dear Sir ;
I have received the Gael for which you will
please accept my thanks. Irish is I believe, the
language I first learned to lisp at my mother's knee
in an Irish cabin. I appreciate your efforts in try¬
ing to save the dear old tongue for future genera¬
tions, and, although I am afraid it is too late to do
me any good I enclose you 60c. as my subscription.
The trouble with me is that I am pretty well a¬
long in years, and I do not know much about eith¬
er English or Irish, thanks to my connection in
early life with landlordism. I attended school a¬
bout six months of my life, during a part of which
time I had to go after school hours about a mile,
and foot turf, although the school I attended was
a mile in the opposite direction from my home
thus making four miles that I had to travel daily
during the turf season at a tender age, and
anybody that ever footed turf knows how hard it is
on the back of the person employed. Every mem¬
ber of our household were doing all they could to
live but all that could be done did not avail. The
family was broken up and scattered over the earth.
I found my way to America to be a "hewer of wood
and drawer of water" which my early opportuni¬
ties fitted me for.
I will here tell a story or rather try to tell, for I
cannot write it, that will touch many an Irish heart
for I am sure that many of them have had the
same experience. During the first part of my
brief term at school I learned my letters and in the
evenings I would take my primmer and "cross
country", in a style that would put Silas Weg to
shame, over the "Decline and Fall", and it nearly
always brought me a reward from my dear old
Granny who fondly believed there was a prodigy
in the family.
"Sin é, a stór, tabhair aire go do leabh¬
rán agus cuirfidh Dia an rath ort."
If you can make out the quotation I wish you
would put it in proper Irish in the Gael.
I hope you will excuse me for writing so much
about myself, but as my case is on¬
ly one in thousands upon thousands. It will show
the justice of English landlord rule in Ireland-
It first deprives us of an opportunity for an educa¬
tion, or at least it did so in my day, and then holds
us up to the scorn of mankind as ignorant, lazy nev¬
er-do-well kind of people. Is is any wonder that I
hate landlordism and English rule with all the in¬
tensity I am capable of?
F. Dunlavy.
THE GAELIC UNION.
On Saturday at 4 p.m. a meeting of the Gaelic
Union was held at the Mansion House to consider
the results of the deputation of the council to the
Chief Secretary on the previous Monday, and to
take such further measures in consequence thereof
as might be deemed expedient. This meeting was
also the ordinary monthly one convened for the
transaction of business on the first Saturday of ev¬
ery month. The Rev Maxwell H Close was in the
chair. There were also present — Rev. J. E. Nolan
O.D.C. Hon sec., Mr M. Cusack treas:, Messrs.
Morris, Morrin, Comyn, Fleming, and O'Mulrenin.
Subsequently the Right Hon. C Dawson, Lord
Mayor of Dublin, having arrived, the Rev Mr Close
vacated the chair for his lordship. Minutes of pre¬
vious monthly business and weekly Irish conver¬
sational meetings having been read and confirmed,
the Rev Dr Egan, of the University College, Steph¬
en's green was proposed by the Rev. J. E. Nolan
and seconded by Mr. J Fleming as member of the
council, and voted in. Then the following gentle¬
men were elected in like manner as members of the
council — Mr Staunton, of the Cork Gaelic Union;
Rev Mr Mulcahy, and Mr. W. H. Hennessy. The
last gentleman is a well-known Irish scholar, and
was formerly member of council. Father Mulca¬
hy, and Mr. Staunton also know Irish well.
It was then proposed and seconded and carried
with the concurrence of the Lord Mayor that the
future business meetings should be held weekly
instead of monthly as heretofore, and at the Man¬
sion House at 4 pm Saturdays. This motion was
necessitated by the great pressure of work which
has lately come upon the Gaelic Union. In view
of this pressure it was proposed, seconded and car¬
ried that a second Hon Sec. be appointed to assist
the Rev J. E. Nolan, and the member of council
chosen was Mr O'Mulrenin. It was then determin¬
ed that a circular on the subject of teaching Irish
in the National schools should be printed and for¬
warded to the Irish members of Parliament.
Having accomplished the above ordinary business
