AN GAODHAL.
329
lieve the Gaelic Union of the small debt it had in¬
curred. He hoped that not only would the ladies
of Ireland organise a bazaar on Patrick's Day in
aid of the fund, but that the Freeman's Journal
would open its columns for subscriptions.
Dr Casey, in seconding the motion, said he learn¬
ed Irish in his boyhood, before he spoke English, and
he learned English, Greek and Latin through Irish.
The Rev Dr Haughton said the only cause of debt
had been the Gaelic Journal, for all other expenses
had been paid by the subscriptions of the members.
The motion was agreed to, and a subscription
was at once made.
Mr Webb was then called to the chair; and on
motion of Mr Cusack seconded by Rev J E Nolan,
thanks were voted to the Lord Mayor Elect for pre¬
siding, and the proceedings terminated.
IRISH MUSIC AND THE IRISH LANGUAGE
An entertainment of a most interesting and at¬
tractive character took place at the Rotunda last
night in the shape of a grand concert of Irish airs,
given as a complimentary benefit to Mr J O'Donnell
a gentleman who has recently been most success¬
ful in his efforts to popularise native music. The
room was well filled. Among those present were
the Right Hon the Lord Mayor, Mr T Sexton M P
the Rev Dr Haughton, FTCD; Mr W H O'Sul¬
livan, MP, Mr N Lynch M P, Rev M H Close M A
Prof Mulrenin M R, J M'Ghee, London; Mr M
Cusack, Rev J Nolan, ODC; &c. The conductor
was Mr Brendan J Rogers, and the instrumental¬
ists were Mr J O'Donnell, whose rendering of "O-
Donnell Aboo" on the cornet gained rounds of ap¬
plause, and Mr Owen Lloyd, who played the Irish
harp in a manner which showed him to be a mu¬
sician of a high order of talent. The ladies and
gentlemen who contributed the vocal part of the
programme are so well known in musical circles in
Dublin that merely to particularise the songs they
sang will be sufficient to indicate what a treat was
enjoyed by those who were at the Rotunda last
night. Mrs Flavelle sang "The Exile's Lament"
and "The Angels at the Window”, Mrs Moriarty
sang "Eileen Aroon" in Irish, with harp accom¬
paniament, "I saw from the Beach" with Mr B
M'Carthy, and "The Minstel Boy": Miss Wind¬
sor sang "Listen." Mr B M'Carthy sang "Oft in
the Stilly Night" with harp accompaniment, and
"'Tis a Charming Girl I Love. Mr J O'Farrell
sang "My Native Land", and "Oh, Breathe not His
Name: Mr B Leslie sang "Where's the slave so
lowly. Messrs M'Carthy and O'Farrell, Mrs Fla¬
velle and Mrs Ward sang "All the world around",
and "Erin the tear and the smile". The encores
were numerous and well-deserved.
In the interval between the first and second part
of the programme short addresses were delivered
by Mr Sexton and Dr Haughton.
New Year's Day,
St. Teresa's Clarendon St, Dublin.
To the Editor of the GAODHAL,
Sir,
In a paragraph of the Gaodhal Vol 3, page 278,
you say that the St Patrick's Prayer Book of which
you intend to present a copy to every dollar sub¬
scriber to the Gael, costs one shilling and six pence.
This is not quite correct as the book bound in the
style alluded to costs two shillings here. If ordered
from America it should cost the purchaser about
half a crown, expenses included so that a dollar
subscriber to the Gael would have both book and
periodical very cheap indeed. The confusion in
price is from my first subscriber's circular ask¬
ing for 13d for each copy, and finding this would
not pay the expenses 1 sent out another circular
raising the subscription to 18d, with the proviso
that as soon as the book would be published the
price would be raised. 'Tis the copies at the rais¬
ed price that you have negotiated for. The first
edition of 2,000 is all but exhausted.
At page 282 you say "A large number of our cor¬
respondents who organised classes complain that
it is so hard to keep them in working order". We
the Gaelic Union have similar circumstances to
contend with. I have not time to enter into details
but I would give the advice so cheaply administer¬
ed to us Irish by John Bull, "Self-reliance". My
experiene may be condensed to this; classes, asso¬
ciations and individuals working for the preserva¬
tion and cultivation of the Language, expect too
much from central executives. Individuals and
associations should work as if nobody else was
working for the cause but themselves; they should
be determined to succeed, passing over the foibles
and failures of the faltering and the weak. After
a while the latter will grow strong by the force of
example. Your journal could not contain even an
abridgement of the failures, refusals and worse that
I have to encounter in trying to advance the cause
and yet I go on, and on winning all along the line.
I work and the work tells where talk fails. If I
did not work how could I have got up, al¬
most alone, the public meeting of which I send you
the account as reported in the Freeman's Journal
which has been most generous of its space to the
Gaelic Union. The time spent in working up
the meeting I offer as an apology to many friends
of the movement, in America, readers of your jour¬
nal, for my not having attended to their correspond¬
ence promptly as I otherwise would have done.
I have more to say, but must stop short here,
as I have to be after a few minutes at the Mansion
House, to meet my brother officers of the Gaelic
Union at the new Lord Mayor's inaugural banquet.
Yours very sincerely
J. E. Nolan, O. D. C.
Beidh an Ghaedhilge faoi mheas fós!
Béidh meas air Ghaedhlic
go fóill.
