810
AN GAODHAL.
Russell this time. He has addressed to me in the
Irish-American, an open letter finding fault with
an expression in the Irish sermons now being pub¬
lished in the Gaelic Journal, and this open letter,
for more than a week ere I saw it, was being ex¬
hibited in a certain literary institution in Dublin
by one of the officials there — an official who has
for a long time been holding forth that nobody but
fish women now speak Irish. This doctrine is be¬
ing preached for a purpose, and Mr. Russell's let¬
ter has been gladly laid hold on to help this pur¬
pose; whether Mr. Russell so intended it, I will
not take upon myself to say.
A person may say in English, "this is the man
whom I got the book from," or "this is the man
from whom I got the book." Writers as a rule
prefer the first form of expression, and employ it
and, on the other hand, grammarians condemn it,
Similarly there are two ways of saying in Irish.
"She went to sell honey," chuaidh si chum mil
do dhiol, or chuaidh si chum meala do dhiol.
Four years ago, in November, 1883, Mr. Russell
attacked the Gaelic Journal on this point, assert¬
ing that the former expression was wrong. I was
about taking the editorship in hands at that time,
and I showed him that there were equally good
authorities for both expressions; for instance, Mr.
Williams, of Dungarvan, for one, and Father Don¬
levy for the other; I pointed out that one of the
expressions was ungrammatical, and quoted O'¬
Donovan's grammar to this effect: but O'Donavan
added as I had done, that either form might be
used. This reply I gave in the Journal at p. 141,
No. 17: and as Mr. Russell had been always say¬
ing how thankful he would be to any person that
would point out any corrections required in his
writings, I thought he was in earnest, and drew his
attention to some ten places or so in his last letter
that would be the better of a little looking after.
The note in which I pointed out his errors, I will
give by-and-by, and you will see that it was imposs¬
ible to point out errors in milder language. The ot¬
her blunders in his letter Mr. Russell passed over,
and during the four years that have since elapsed,
he has devoted all his attention to reading the Irish
Bible, Donlevy's Catechism, the Lucerna Fidelium
&c. &c., looking out for authorities to show that
chum meala do dhiol and kindred expressions
are the only correct ones. In this, of course, he
was justified, if he believed himself right; but he
was not justified in stepping outside the truth.
For instance, he makes O'Donovan say that this
form of expression is the correct one, whereas, as
was said, O'Donovan laid down as a rule quite the
contrary. Mr. Russell, no doubt, fenced very clev¬
erly, to throw dust into the eyes of people who are
not Irish scholars, and, unfortunately Irish schol¬
ars are very few. But, after it is is a wonder how
he had the courage to write the following, —
"Most writers of Irish grammars have laid it
down as a rule that chum governs the genitive.
O'Donovan, Joyce and Windisch (and they are
considered the best), certainly say so; they say no¬
thing about exceptions to this rule, and it is to be
presumed there are no exceptions." And in anoth¬
er place he says of the rule, "that no one but some
one of little learning and great 'brass' has ever dar¬
ed to dispute it.
On the other hand I assert, in the first place,
that no writer on Irish grammar ever implied, di¬
rectly or indirectly, that chum governs the geni¬
tive case of a noun which goes before the tran¬
sitive verb in the infinitive mood, as in the phrase
given above, chum meala do dhiol; and all the
contention, be it remembered, is about such ex¬
pressions only — though Mr. Russell so expressed
himself as to put this distinction out of sight.
In the next place, I assert that Mr. O'Donovan,
says quite the contrary of what Mr. Russell would
have us believe. At p. 385 of his Irish Grammar
O'Donovan says, "Sometimes when the prefixed
object of the infinitive mood is preceded by a prep¬
osition, some writers make it the dative or ablative
governed by the preposition, as Gan fheirg do
dheanamh, not to be angry," — Keating Hist. p.
75; re faisneis firinnigh do dheanamh, to make
a true narration — Id. Ag iarraidh lochta agus
toibheime do thabhairt do Sean-Ghalluibh, attem¬
pting to heap disgrace and dishonor upon the Old
English, — Id. (Observe that lochta and toibheime
are genitives. — Ed, "Gaelic Journal.")
(This letter from Mr Fleming is too long for
one issue. It will be continued in our next.)
Lincoln, Kas., Apr. 30 1888
M. J. Logan,
Dear Sir — Please find enclosed
a poor effort of mine under the title "The Sham¬
rock of Tara." The piece was suggested by my
accidentally coming across a piece of "Bloody
Shamrock" brought from the "Royal Hill."
Should you find sufficient merit in the verses,
please give them a spot in your "GAEL," feeling
sure when you do so that the "Old Land" is dear
to the writer as when 7 years ago, he quit her sa¬
cred soil.
May every blessing follow your endeavors to
maintain our race in their exile, as Irishmen, pure
and true.
Sincerely your countryman,
Francis C. Downey.
THE SHAMROCK OF TARA.
Once beneath the wooing beam
Of the sun, and moonlight's gleam,
Naught on Erinn's breast was seen,
But our heaven-chosen green.
Green the leaves on every side,
Emerald Shamrocks Erinn's pride,
Through the verdure radiant show
In the sunset's crimson glow.
Since on Tara's regal breast,
Slaughtered thousands sank to rest,
Mid the battle struggling grim
War cries fierce, their requiem hymn,
Since that dread and fatal day,
When the fallen Celtӕ lay,
As the autumn leaves around,
On the torn and trampled ground.
Is't the blushing tide of eve,
Lingering strays, nor cares to leave
Where in shock of battle rent,
Celtic hearts their life stream spent,
Now the Shamrock's drooping head
Darkly shows a crimson red?
In the blood of hero's dyed
It mourning weeps their fallen pride.
Years on years have come and flown,
Decades into centuries grown,
Great and wondrous beings gone
To th' oblivion of the tomb.
Yet that day on Tara's breast
In the past shall never rest,
Time his page of history weaves
'Midst the shamrock's crimson leaves.
