﻿932
AN GAODHAL.
Air maidin lá 'r mhárach dubhairt an
chailleach leis, "Chaill mé bireán annsan
stábla dhá-fhichead bliadhain ó shoin, téidh
agus fághidh dham é." Chuaidh sé do'n
stábla agus thosuigh sé dh'a ghlanadh. Ní
rabh sé a chur greim amach nach rabh a dhá
oiread teacht asteach. Thug sé an o¬
bair suas, agus thuidh sé síos brónach go
leor.
Thainic inghean na caillighe chuige agus
d'fhiafruigh dhe creud a bhí air. D'innis
sé dhi, agus ann sin tharraing sí píce a¬
mach agus, le casadh do láimhe, bhí an
stábla glanta. Ann sin thug sí an bir¬
eán dhó agus dubhairt, "Ná h-innis dom'
mháthair go n-deárnadh mé 'n nidh seo
dhuit."
Bhí cailleach na bh-fiacla fada ar an
m-baile, ach a nuair i thainic si air ais
'san trathnóna, thug an mac righ an bireán
dhi. "Go deimhin is maith an buachaill
thú," ar san chailleach, téidh do'n stábla
agus luidh air phonann 'naice leis an láir
dhonn." Níor bh' fhada go d-tainic inghean
na caillighe chuige, agus dubhairt, "Is olc
an leabuidh tá agad." "Ní'l neart air"
ar san mac righ "Tá go deimhin," ar
san cailín. Ann sin chuaidh sí do'n láir
dhonn agus tharraing leabuidh bhreágh chlú¬
mhaich as a cluais agus shocruidh sí do'n
mhac righ í. Ann sin thug sí dhó mairtfheoil
agus caoirfheoil, agus fíon, agus dubh¬
airt leis, "Bhí súgach." D'ith sé 's d'ól
sé a sháith. D'imthighdear go teach an righ.
Bhí fáilte mhór aig an righ roimh a mhac.
An lá 'r na mhárach phós an mac righ in¬
ghean na caillighe. Bhí bainfheis aca air
feadh seacht n-oidhche agus seacht lá.
Let all the friends of the Gaelic cause
get as many as possible to join the
Gaelic League, and thus be the means
of making thousands of Gaelic scholars
MOTHERS ! Don't Fail To Procure Mrs.
Winlow's SOOTHING SYRUP For Your Chil¬
dren While Cutting Teeth,
It soothes the child, softens the gums, allays
all pain, cures wind colic, and is the best remedy
for diarrhoea.
TWENTY FIVE CENTS a BOTTLE.
BIGOTRY.
The refusal of the Commissioners of Irish Nat¬
ional (?) Education to accede to Father Walsh's
request to place the Imitation of Christ on the list
of class books is characteristic of English rule in
Ireland.
St Vincent's. Cork, December, 26. 1889.
Secretary National Education.
Sir, — I send you by this post a copy of the
"Imitation of Christ” in Irish and ask you to be
good enough to lay it before the Commissioners
of National Education together with my applica¬
tion to have it placed on the List of books sanction¬
ed by them for the use of schools. Quite recently
a recommendation was made by the Principal of
St. Patrick's Training College, Drumcondra, in his
report to the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin to ap¬
point a professor of Irish in that college. It is in
view of this appointment that I ask the Commiss¬
ioners to place the Irish Imitation on their List of
books.
The 'Imitation" was translated into Irish by a
Father O’Sullivan of Cork. He was the best Irish
speaker of the century and one of the first Irish
scholars. His translation is one of the best, if not in¬
deed the very best, in the Irish language. It is
full of idiomatic phrases, and I venture to say that
there is no book from the study of which the Teach¬
ers learning Irish will as readily learn a thorough
knowledge of the language and its idioms.
Since the 2nd Edition was published the Nation¬
al Teachers have had an opportunity of getting
the work and from letters which I have received I
find that they are loud in their praises of it
It may be urged as an objection to placing the
book on the Commissioners List that it is a religi¬
ous book. In reply I beg leave to say that Protes¬
tants as well as Catholics use the “Imitation of
Christ.” And as to the Irish translation of it I find
that here in Munster Protestants, who take an in¬
terest in the Irish language, have been using my
edition of the “Imitation." I believe the Irish Bi¬
ble is one of the books used for examination in the
Royal University. Then with regard to this objec¬
tion I beg to remind the Commissioners that I only
ask to have the “Irish Imitation,” sanctioned as a
class book for St. Patrick's Training College. I shall
be glad if the Commissioners moreover see their
way to approve the book for use in the National
schools. It is to be remembered that where Irish
is being taught there is only one class of children,
namely Catholic children.
There is from another point of view no more sui¬
table book for a class book in a Catholic Training
College. The work that has generally been used
as a reading book, namely, the Pursuit of Diarmad
and Grainne, is one to which exception may be tak¬
en as a classbook. The text is somewhat objection¬
able in many parts and the Glossary is full of err¬
ors. The "Imitation of Christ” is, on the other
hand, I need not say, unobjectionable and its text
all through full of elegant and idiomatic language.
What I respectfully request, then, of the Comm¬
issioners is to place the "Irish Imitation" on their
List of books and have a certain amount of mat¬
ter selected from it for examination equal to the
portion of Diarmuid and Grainne which is required
from the Teachers who wish to obtain a certificate
to teach Irish.
I remain yours very sincerely,
P. A. WALSH, C. M.
