AN GAODHAL
347
air Éireannaibh a adbháil go d-tuigfidís
a d-teanga tíreamhla, ach buidheachas le
Dia, ta an spioraid neamh-thíreamhuil, ur
isioll, shuarach sin ag eulugh'd as intinn¬
ibh Éireannach, & tosuigheann siad uabhar
& luthgháir d' fhaghail i d-teangain, & i g-
ceol a d-tíre.
Ní cóir dúinn na daoine bochta & úmh¬
la chuaidh rómhainn do mhaslugh'dh & do loch¬
tugh'dh air shon a neamh-aire & a neamh-
shuim in a g-ceol & a d-teangain thíreamh¬
la; bhí siad i leath-shuan; bhí trioblóididhe
mhóra orthu; bhí siad air feadh geinealach
fada 'na d-traillibh bochta, & is teirc go
m-béidir leo a radh go m-budh leo a m-
beatha féin. 'Nuair i thimchiolluigheas an¬
fa & dorchadas loing an mháirneulaigh, ní
sheinneann sé órain ach déunann sé ur¬
nuighthe. 'Nuair eirigheas an ghrian agus
nuair i shuaimhnigheas an stoirm, tigeann
misneach in a chroidhe & briseann fuaim
na luthghaire 'gus na h-aereachda amach
as a bheul. Is fad ata anfa agus dor¬
chadas air aghaidh ar d-tíre, 's fada bhí sí
faoi neul agus faoi cheo, agus ní h-iong¬
nadh go n-déarna sí urnaighthe níos min¬
ce 'na órain. Ach anois ta na neulta 'g
eirighe, agus ta an ceo 'g scapadh; chídh¬
mid splanch an t-soluis ata teacht agus
tóigeannmuid suas ar ngutha agus ar
ngleusa i óran agus i g-ceol.
Ta Éireannaighe ann a mheasas gur
cuma cad í 'n teanga a labhrasmuid, a¬
gus cad é 'n ceol sheinneasmuid, — go d-
tig linn a bheith 'n ar n-Éireannuighibh fío¬
ra gan focal ach teanga an bhuaidhtheora
in ar m-beulaibh & ceol an bhuaidhtheora
d'a sheinm in ar bh-féisibh. Níor chuaidh i-
riamh asteach in intinn duine smuaine
níos breugaighe 'na an smuaine sin. 'Sé
sin i d'fhág sinn indiu 'nn ar m-blocmag¬
uibh do 'n domhan, le focal saoirse in ar
m-beulaibh & smuaintibh tráille in ar g-
croidhthibh. Creud a déarfas na cinidhea¬
cha eile linn, nuair a bheidheas sinn ag
gairm orthu sinn a shaoradh ó 'n g-cúmh¬
achd atá d'ar ngeur-leanamhuin & d' ar
milleadh, muna g-cleachtfaidh sinn ar g-
ceol & ar d-teanga féin? Nach n-déar¬
faidh siad gur cineál daoirseachda agus
leathtroime sinn, agus nach fiú sinn acht
do bheith 'n ar d-tráillibh go deo!
Cad as a d-tainic an neamh-chúram &
an fhaillighe seo air Éireannaibh timchioll
teanga agus ceol a d-tire? Cad fáth
i mí-mheasann mórán díobh na neithe seo
amháin as a bh-fuil fios ag daoinibh gur
cine fa leith iad agus go bh-fuil ceart ó
Dhia acu do bheith saor? Ta freagra na
g-ceisteadh seo le fághail in aon fhocal, i,
droch-mhúinteoiribh. Ma bhí doaine riamh
air an talamh do rinne a n-dithchioll dún-
mharbhadh do dheunadh air theangain, budh
shiad cuid de na daoinibh ar shiúbhal muin¬
tir na h-Éireann faoi na d-toil agus fa
na d-treorugh'dh air feadh ceud bliadhain,
agus a siúbhalann mórán díobh fós indiu;
ach d' inneoin gach nidh a rinneadar, ta
an Ghaedhilge beo fós, & beid sí anuair a
bheidheas ainmne na g-cinn a shaoil í mhar¬
bhadh caillte go léir ar aignibh fear.
Na deunamuis faillighe 'san obair mhór
seo do chuir sinn rómhainn; bidheadh mis¬
neach mhaith againn, óir tiocfaidh sí chum
chinn gan amhrus, & ní fad uainn an lá in
a m-beidh muintir na h-Éireann sa m-bai¬
le, agus Clanna na n-Gaodhal in gach tír
d'a bh-fuil siad scaptha, ag seinnim dán
na saoirse i d-teangain a sinnsear ag¬
us a d-tíre.
[The N. Y. Herald devoted two columns to the
report the next morning, printing the Gaelic near¬
ly as above.]
The following is a translation of Mr. O'Donnell's
address, as nearly literal as the structure of the
English language will allow :—
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, — We have
come here to-night to magnify and honor the lan¬
guage and the music of our country. We have
come here also to show the world that we possess
a language and a music as noble as those possess¬
ed by any other nation on earth. There was a
time when Irish men would be ashamed to admit
that they understood their National Language;
but, thank Heaven, that unnational, base and mis¬
erable spirit is passing away from Irish minds, and
they are beginning to feel pride and joy in the lan¬
guage and music of their country.
We must not blame or condemn too severely the
poor people of past generations, on account of their
carelessness and neglectfulness in the matter of
their national language and music ; they were
only half awake as to the importance of these things,
they were little better than slaves during long gen¬
erations ; they had great troubles to contend a-
gainst ; and they could scarcely say that their
lives were their own. When storm and darkness
