492
AN GAODHAL
Is ní rabh mé dána air a dhul air m'aghaídh,
'Sda mheud a chriothnuigh mé 's do mheud¬
uigh m'eagla,
Níor leig an náire dam teitheadh uaidh;
Ach chuimhnigheas beart eile de chúmhachta
'n Árdrigh
Agus chuir mé caint air as ucht mo Dhia;
"Más spiorad mhalluighthe thú 'sgur ó 'n
toinn a tárlaigh
Mo leigeann slán go h-Eachan siar.
III
An siúd do labhair sé de bhriathra tláth
liom,
"Sgoith tú an gárda nár chlis ariamh,
Cúmhachta na bh-Flaithis a bhí g-comhnuidhe
láidir,
Agus congnadh an Árdrigh atá os ar g-
cionn."
Mheuduigh mo mhisneach & ladhduigh m'eagla
A's bí me caint leis no gur éirigh grian,
Ní'l ceist da'r chuir me nár thug sé fáir
orm,
'Sgo bh-fuil sé ndán agam le bárr mo
pheinn.
IV
"An tusa Jupiter de chúmhachta láidir,
A stiúras pláinéididhe an domhain faoi,
No an tusa Neptune ó 'n mhuir bháithte
A thóigeas bánbhruth & neartuigheas gaoi,
An tú Maggog no Polyphemus;
Tabhair damsa sgeula 'nois gan mhoill,
No an tú Orsún, réir mar léightear,
A bhí a bh-fad ann eigceill feur a g-coill,
V
No an tú Vulcan atá bruithte, dóithte
Agus a rinne árus in ifrionn shíos,
No an tú Hercules no Goll MhcMhóirne
No rabh tú cómhartha air dhéithe na bh-Fian,
An anam bocht thú tá 'g íoc do róchuir,
Cuir fullaing mór díot air mhoth ar bith
A thuit i bPeacadh le reacht na h-óige
'Snach ndeárnaidh an leórghníomh nuair
a chuaidh tú in aois?
By the Report the Dublin S. P. I. Language, it
appears that the number of pupils who successful¬
ly passed the examination in Irish in the National
Schools last year was 93 out of a total of 116 who
were examined. Though this is a small number
it is a vast improvement on the time when there
was none at all, and it ought to be an incentive to
renewed energy by those who have heretofore tak¬
en an active interest in the Gaelic Movement.
Those children who are now acquiring a learned
knowledge of the language will be the means of
preserving it, Why, then, should not we assist
them by circulating Gaelic literature? No man or
woman who does not now know the language will
be expected to make any great progress in learn¬
ing it, but it is expected that they would assist i
propagating it by supporting the movement.
It appears by the Report that up to this 288 pu¬
pils have been examined, with 179 passes. There
ought to be a good deal more considering that the
teachers get 10 shillings for each successful pupil.
However, it seems that the people generally are
taking a more lively interest in the matter and that
after a few years a large number of Irishmen, the
educated Irishmen, will be able to speak, read and
write their language.
The Council of the Society is doing an immense
deal of good work. It is trying to get grand juries,
Poor Law guardians, etc. to employ Irish-speaking
persons as officials in jails and work-houses in Ir¬
ish-speaking localities. In this connection Doctor
Sigerson, a member of the Council, interrogated
Mr. Pierce J. Joyce, Galway, thus, —
You reside in Galway, do you not ? Yes, I do.
You said you found no necessity for Irish-speak¬
ing warders? I said there was an Irish-speaking
warden in that prison, but it was our only prison
where Irish-speaking prisoners were sent to.
But you said, I think, that you had no occasion
for further Irish-speaking wardens ? No necessity.
Do you speak Irish yourself? No.
Then an Irish-speaking prisoner, unable to speak
English, could not make a complaint to you? No
except through an officer.
You have a large number of Irish-speaking peo¬
ple in that neighborhood, have you not? There
are a good many.
Any prisoners that may be committed from the
Isles of Arran or the islands of the West would be
sent to Galway? They would.
And they speak Irish almost exclusively, do they
not? Almost exclusively.
If the Irish-speaking warder were sick, you
would have no one in the prison able to converse
with them ? No, I would not.
And they would therefore be unable to make
their complaints to you? They would not be able
to make their domplaints to me. There was a se¬
cond warder some time ago who spoke Irish.
In Galway prison there are both males and fe¬
males confined, are there not ? Yes.
Are there not some women there who speak no¬
thing but Irish? Yes.
How are they to make their complaints heard ?
Through some of the officers.
If a woman has a disease, has she to address the
doctor through a male warder? The doctor would
be aware of the disease without the assistanca of
the male warden, I should fancy.
