AN GAODHAL
119
WHERE IRISH IS SPOKEN.
Spots on the West Coast Where Pure Celtic is
Heard.
In many places on the west coast of Ireland and
on the Isle of Arran the pure Celtic is the only
language spoken, says the Chicago Tribune. John
O'Connor, the Irish envoy, who is stopping at the
Grand Pacific, is the authority for this statement.
The only English ever heard on the island and in
the west coast towns, he says, is spoken by the
priests and the police.
“When in prison in 1881 under the Coercion
laws,” said Mr. O'Connor yesterday, “I did not
know that such a condition existed. But I met a
fellow-prisoner named Coleman MacDougall, with
whom I was unable to converse. He did not app¬
ear to understand what I said to him. I asked the
guard what was the matter with the fellow, and
the answer was, 'He can talk nothing but Irish.'
It was true. MacDougall was 30 years old, had
lived on the Isle of Arran all his life and was not
able to speak a word of English or understand it.
There are thousands of others living along the
west coast of Ireland who cannot converse in any
other tongue than the Celtic.
In the seventeenth century the Irish language
was used as a language of commerce in the
trade between Ireland, France and Spain. And
it would have been a language of commerce
between the old country and those two nations to-
day had not William III. made it a crime to teach
the Irish language. King William made it on off¬
ense punishable by hanging to give instruction in
the Celtic language, and that law of course stifled
it."
We are indebted to Mr. Martin J. Henehan for
the foregoing news item. Mr. H. says, —
"I inclose you a scrap which I cut out of to-day's
Phila. Inquirer. Of course its subject is not news
to either you or me, but the reason of its drawing
my attention to it more than anything else, is the
fact of a representative (!) Irishman acknowledging
that he knew not what his fellow countryman was
saying when speaking to him in his own language,
and in order to know it he had to ask a minion of
the British Government to make it plain to him.
This I consider humiliating if not really sad."
[Yes, brother Henehan, it is humiliating to the
true Irishman, but it is the irony of fate which
legalizes his title to misrepresent Ireland. Gaels,
take Brother Henehan's course; scatter your jour¬
nal at home and abroad and the O'Connors will
not long misrepresent you. — Ed. G.]
A Chicago paper remarks that more persons will
travel “downwards” on account of newspaper ar¬
rearages than from any other cause, ie., if they
cannot go "up" until they pay the last farthing
We hope Gaels won't go down on that account.
We send a copy of this issue to the czar of Rus¬
sia to show his Majesty that the lrish press takes
no stock in British slander.
By the way, may not the Russians have as good
cause for expelling the Jews as the Americans
have for expelling the Chinese? See.
Non Irish-speaking Irishmen (!) cannot under¬
stand why Irishmen give so much time to the
Gaelic cause. Gentlemen, imagine for a moment
what would be your joy and how big you would
feel on seeing an independent Irish parliament in
College Green, — would you not feel the pride of
sovereignty? and not the despised tail of anybody's
kite ? — Picture such condition of things and you
shall know the why Irishmen devote so much time
and means to the preservation of their nationality.
No more photos for the Album received; howe¬
ver, those who may wish to send an already pre¬
pared single-column cut can do so.
We have a few Second and Third Irish books
on hand ; price 15 and 20 cents, respectively.
SEAN ABHRÁN.
Baile-áth-chliath,
an dára lá air fhichid de mhí an
mheithimh, 1891.
D'Eagaradóir an Ghaoidhil.
A Fhir Ghrádhmhar. — Fuair mé treibh¬
se geárr ó shoin abhrán ó Phádruig O'
Laoghaire, tá n-a mháistir sgoile anaice
Bheura, i g-Contae Chorcaigh, agus táim
d'a chur chugat Má's féidir leat slighe
do dhéanadh dhó ad' irisleabhar móirmhea¬
samhuil béidhead buidheach díot de chionn
é chlódhbhualadh. Le linn an t-abhrán so
d'fhághail uaidh, d'innis sé sgeul aisdeach
dam do thaithnfidh leat gan amhrus. Dú¬
bhairt sé, ag tracht thar an Gaodhal, "Is
sé sin an teachtaire do chuir i g-cuimhne
damh-sa an cheud lá riamh gur cheart do
gach Éirionnach teanga a thíre duthchais
d'fhoghluim roimhe canamhnaibh coimhthighea¬
cha. Inneosad duit cionnus do tharluigh
so dam. Lá dhá rabhas ag dul chum na
sgoile, bhuail gabha suas liom air an m¬
bealach, a bhí aithneadamhuil dom, & dubh¬
airt go m-beidheadh irisleabhar aige fám'
chomhair air mo theacht abhaile. Do choim¬
éad sé a fhocal, óir air ghabhail thar an
g-ceardcha, ghlaoidhaigh sé asteach orm, &
thug dam uibhir de'n Ghaodhal. Ó'n lá sin
amach thugas uair nó dhó ag foghluim
Gaoidhilge no gur tháinic liom é leigheadh
caoiseach mear."
Táim deimhneach gur chuir an Gaodhal
meisneach air mórán daoineadh chum eo¬
lais air d-teanga a sinnsear d'fághail.
Do chara bithdhílis,
Pádruig O'Briain.
Is sé so an t-abhrán :—
