36
AN GAODHAL.
THE IRISH LANGUAGE
ACTION OF THE NATIONAL TEACH¬
ERS IN CONGRESS.
In connection with the Irish Na¬
tional Teachers Congress, recently
held in Galway, a public meeting
in support of the Irish Language
movement was held in the Tempe¬
rance Hall, Galway, the Most Rev.
Dr. McCormick, Bishop of Galway,
presiding. Those on the platform
were, Rev. Father Keeffe, Father
O'Connell, Father Lyons, O.P.; Br.
Lynch, Brother Benedict, Messrs.
O'Connell, Usher, Nestor, Douglas
Hyde, LL.D.; Hayes and Hegarty,
of Dublin. There was a crowded
attendance teachers, and the people
of Galway, who took the greatest
interest in the proceedings.
Bishop McCormick addressed the
meeting at some length, in Irish.
He referred to the extent to which
Irish is still spoken, and gave it as
his opinion, that its roots were deep
down in the hearts of the people
yet. He prayed God that it might
never disappear from the lips of
the people. He gave some striking
instances which occurred to him¬
self, with regard to the false shame
which still existed in some quarters
with regard to the Irish language;
and said this false shame should
be rooted out.
Mr. Russell then introduced re¬
solutions advocating the preserva¬
tion of the language.
Dr. Douglas Hyde said he had
come there to push forward the
great cause of the National lang¬
uage. Irish — not English — was the
great National language of Ireland
in the beginning of this century.
Some might think there was no
education in the Irish language;
but every intelligent man acknow¬
ledged that a man who spoke two
languages was a double man, be¬
cause he was not accustomed to
take words for sounds, or sounds
for ideas. A man who spoke two
languages had all ideas in his head,
and he cared nothing for sound,
(hear, hear). He was perfectly con¬
vinced that there was not in the
whole of Europe a more educated
or intelligent body of men than the
Irish speakers of the older genera¬
tion. They were superior to anyone
he had ever met. They were the
most perfect companions, and he
was sure that no Irish-speaking
young person would feel it tedious
to spend a whole summer's day in
company with an old Irish speaker.
But there was not a more slavish,
sottish, ignorant or degraded class
than the young boys and girls who
were growing up around these old
Irish speakers: they habitually
spoke Irish and English, and were
gradually losing the former. The
admirable beauty of this language
had attracted scholars from all
parts of Europe ; and, last year,
one gentleman — a Dane — went to
Arran to learn Irish, and after six
months he had a vocabulary of 300
words. Those who spoke Irish had
five times more ideas and power
than those who spoke English.
For beauty, the language of Ire¬
land could only be compared with
Greek. If the Greeks had not pre¬
served their language they would
not be to-day fighting in the cause
of justice and freedom. If some¬
thing was not done, and done quick¬
ly, their ancient, cultivated and
beautiful speech — the speech of
their heroes and scholars of old
days — would become as extinct as
Cornish, and after the death of ev¬
ery living speaker of it they would
see the scholars of Europe quarrel¬
ling like crows over its dead body.
In conclusion, he appealed to
them to aid in every way the eff¬
orts of the Gaelic League. He had
still a conviction that the half mil¬
