Canada to Ireland,the visit of the "Duchess of Connaught's own,"by A. M. Drysdale.

Canada to Ireland

'7'i^C^.^Sl

K

T. FISHER UNWIN, Ltd.,
I, Adelphi Terrace, London.

1917.

PRICE TWOPENCE.

Walter Clinton Jackson Library

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

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Price 5 cents.

CANADA TO IRELAND

The Visit of the "Duchess of
Connaught's Own"

BY

A. M. DRYSDALE

T. FISHER UNWIN, Ltd.,
I, Adelphi Terrace, London.

1917.

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2010 with funding from

Lyrasis IVIembers and Sloan Foundation

http://www.archive.org/details/canadatoirelandtOOdrys

Colonel O'Donohue, Officer commanding the Irish
Canadians, with the Archbishop of Armagh, Primate
OF ALL Ireland

CANADA TO IRELAND

The Visit of the ''Duchess of
Connaught's Own"

Irishmen who have made their homes on the
American continent, and have subsequently
visited the country of their origin, flatter them-
selves that they have experienced something of
the traditional Irish hospitality ; and it is quite
true that no visitors are welcomed to Ireland
more cordially than the American and Canadian
sons of emigrants from the homeland. But after
the wonderful progress of the Duchess of
Connaught's Own Irish Canadian Rangers through
Ireland in the last days of January and the
opening days of February, it must be declared
that even an Irish emigrant had not learnt how
cordial his old countr}/ could be to him on his
return until he had donned the uniform which
associated him in the face of the world with the
cause of the Allies and the resistance of small
nationalities to the oppression of Germany.

The reception of Colonel O'Donohue, himself
the son of an emigrant from Clonakilty, near
Cork, and of his seven hundred officers and men,
all of them of Irish origin, was beyond all

3

CANADA TO IRELAND

precedent. Every town they visited met them with
at least two bands, and sometimes three, and for
a week they marched to the almost continuous
strains of "Come Back to Erin," "Let Erin
Remember," "The Wearing of the Green," "The
Minstrel Boy," "The Harp that once through
Tara's Halls," and, of course, "The Maple Leaf."
The rationing of the best-fed army in the world
was made to look poor by contrast with the
generous meals laid before the visitors not only
on public occasions of hospitality but in the
regimental barracks in which they were quar-
tered.

A Unanimous Welcome

"Is this a barracks or an hotel? " some of
them asked when, day after da}^ they found
their beds made for them and their water-pitchers
filled. One of the men boasted to the lieutenant
of his company : "I am waited on by an orderly
like any officer." These kindly attentions were
paid them b}^ the Irish regiments who happened
to find themselves in barracks with them, and
who wished to bear their share in the national
welcome. The Irish newspapers of all views
devoted many columns every da}^ to the record
of their proceedings, one of them publishing
the names of all the officers and men so that
their friends and kinsmen in Ireland should
learn of their presence in the battalion.

The Catholic Church, the Protestant Church,
all the public bodies within a wide neighbour-
hood of the towns visited, participated in the

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CANADA TO IRELAND

welcome. At Armagh, Cork, and Limerick, as
at Belfast, the girls pinned ribbons of orange and
green to the men's tunics, and demanded regi-
mental badges and buttons in return. Cork and
Limerick upheld the old tradition which credits
the South of Ireland with a yet more delicate
courtesy than that of the most courteous race in
the world, by entertaining the men at lunch
with their officers, and appointing to wait upon
them the ladies of the district who themselves
are used to being waited upon.

Cold Weather, but Warm Hearts

The detailed record of the tour must neces-
sarily be a repetition of the separate local
welcomes which in the end made up the Cead
Mile Failte of the nation. In the two days of
the Dublin visit the cold was arctic, and when
the Canadians paraded without overcoats their
endurance was much admired. All the same,
the people were much gratified to notice that
the great-coats were worn on the second day,
for such cold as prevailed could not be remem-
bered by the oldest citizens. The low tempera-
ture continued throughout the tour, but other-
wise the weather was favourable ; and though
snow-blocks were heard of in various parts of the
countr}^ the travels of the Irish Canadians did
not bring them into contact with anything of the
kind. Even if the cold had been severer, how-
ever, it would have been forgotten and forgiven
in gratitude for the splendidly warm welcome
extended to the visitors immediately on their

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CANADA TO IRELAND

arrival in the land of their fathers by Freeman's
Journal, the great organ of Nationalist Ireland.
This famous newspaper used such cordial expres-
sions as these : —

They have come to Ireland moved solely by that high
and enduring love of Ireland which has made of the Greater
Ireland a tower of strength and protection to us. Just as
they have put all to the hazard in the cause of what they
regard as the freedom of Europe, so they have come to the
old sod as to a shrine of the race for a blessing and God-speed.
There is no Irishman of any party who will not pay honour
to their self-devotion in the cause of what they beUeve to
be the right, and respond to the characteristic Irish feeling
that has brought them here upon their way. Their pre-
decessors at the front have covered Canada with glory. It
is part of our pride that so many of them were not merely
of Irish stock, but native to the soil. The Irish Canadian
Rangers will find on the little crosses in Flanders the name
of many an Irish-born, many a Dublin-born, lad. Like our
Irish regiments, this Canadian regiment is, in the words of
Mr. Asquith, the free-will offering of a free people. Canada's
soldiers are true soldiers of liberty, and as such they will be
welcomed from end to end of Ireland.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin

On the Friday morning — their first as a bat-
talion, if not their first as individuals, in the
Irish capital — the Rangers were visited at
Wellington Barracks by the Lord Mayor, Mr.
Gallagher, the High Sheriff, leading clergy (both
Protestant and Catholic), professors from the
universities, and representative citizens. On the
parade ground the Lord Mayor, one of the most

6

CANADA TO IRELAND

influential Nationalists of the city, addressed the
battalion, offering them a most cordial welcome,
in the course of which he said : —

It is a great gt-atification to me to see such a fine body of
men who have responded voluntarily to the call of duty
and donned the uniform of the King in order to defend
those rights and liberties which we so dearly love. I under-
stand you are Irish by birth or descent, and that you
embrace amongst your ranks men of all shades of religious
and political opinion. You have set a fine example of what
Irishmen can do if they only come together for one cause —
the cause of liberty and humanity.

The Colonel, whose handsome soldierly figure
— he is 6 ft. 4 in. — was greatly admired, though
not more greatly than his graceful little speeches
came to be, fittingly acknowledged the city's
welcome, modestly expressing the hope that
when the Irish Canadians reached the field of
battle— where he himself, by the way, has already
spent 15 months, though of that he said nothing —
their performances would not shame the land of
their origin — "dear old Ireland."

Through the Streets to Phcenix Park

Later in the day the battalion marched through
the greater part of the city to the world-famed
Phoenix Park to be reviewed by the Lord-Lieu-
tenant of Ireland and the Commander-in-Chief of
the Irish Forces. The streets were decorated, and
along the whole route there were crowds of
spectators who cheered again and again. Three
Irish. bands — one of them kilted, and \\dth sporans
of brilliant blue — supplied national music. The

CANADA TO IRELAND

pennant of the battalion, which was borne by
one of the lieutenants, was of St. Patrick's blue,
ornamented with golden shamrocks, and was
made for the battalion by the Duchess of
Connaught herself. Otherwise the procession was
one of khaki, which, though business-like, is not
spectacular. Yet the martial airs, the well-set-up
appearance of the sons and grandsons of Ireland,
and the thought of their long pilgrimage and its
noble object, stirred the popular heart, and
called forth many expressions of admiration and
blessing characteristic of a chivalrous race.
Dublin people were pleased to observe that the
battalion passed the Mansion House at the
salute — a rare compliment to the Lord Ma^^or.

In the Name of the King

At Phoenix Park, within picturesque view of
the snow-covered hills of Dublin and Wicklow,
the representative of the Irish Government re-
peated on behalf of the King and the nation the
welcome which the Lord Mayor had already
given on behalf of the citj^ The Lord-Lieutenant,
Lord Wimborne, in frock-coat suit and silk hat*
was as conspicuous among the uniformed military
as a United States President himself would have
been. With him there were Sir Bryan Mahon,
the Irish Commander-in-Chief, and many other
high officers ; and the spectators included the
Chief Secretary, the Lord Chancellor, and the
Under-Secretary. Lady Wimborne brought a
number of ladies with her from the Vice-

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CANADA TO IRELAND

regal Lodge. When the Lord-Lieutenant arrived
the Union Jack was unfurled at the saluting base,
and the bands played "God Save the King."
After an inspection of the lines, Lord Wimborne
addressed the battalion. Only a brief passage
need be quoted to indicate the v^^arm character
of his welcome : —

I can assure you that wherever you go in Ireland you
will receive a cordial welcome and greeting. Irishmen are
proud of the achievements of Irishmen across the seas, and
the spectacle which you present to-day of willing devotion
to a great cause is calculated to strike a chord of genuine
admiration and respect. All will wish you well in your
high endeavour of right against might, and will affectionately
follow your fortunes and the record of your deeds, which
I am confident will be worthy of the standard and tradition
of your race.

At the Lord-Lieutenant's luncheon to the
officers, the Under-Secretary had obtained a
promise from Colonel O'Donohue to send to
Dublin, as well as to Canada, a regular bulletin
of the battaUon's fortunes in the field — an under-
taking which gave great satisfaction throughout
Ireland when it became known.

On the second day of the visit to Dublin, a
luncheon, given by the Lord Mayor at the Mansion
Llouse, afforded three or four hundred of the
leading citizens — men of all parties and all
creeds — an opportunity of meeting the officers of
the Rangers. There has probabl}' never been so
thoroughly representative an assembly of Dublin
men before, and the proceedings were charac-
terized by unanimity and enthusiasm. Lord

9

CANADA TO IRELAND

Shauglinessy, whose son is the adjutant of the
battalion, wrote expressing the hope that the
return of the emigrants would be highly success-
ful. Mr. John Redmond, the Parliamentary
leader of the Irish people, who was lying ill in
his snow-bound home among the Wicklow hills,
and who had just been bereaved by death of
his daughter, sent a letter which was read amid
almost continuous applause. Its more important
passages were these :-r-

Ireland is very proud of the sons of the Irish race, who,
in every part of the Empire, have followed the lead which
Ireland herself gave. From the very commencement of the
war very many of my colleagues, and I myself, on scores of
public platforms, declared that Ireland's highest interest was
in the speedy and victorious ending of the war, and I myself
have never ceased from that day to this in pointing out where
Ireland's interest, honour, and duty lie in this struggle in
defence of civilization and liberty. The response of the
Irish race has been one of the most astonishing facts in
history, and has far exceeded the most sanguine expectations
entertained at the commencement of the war. From Ireland
itself, according to the latest official figures, 173,772 Irishmen
are ser^'ing in the Navy and Army, representing all classes
and creeds amongst our people. From careful inquiries
made through the churches in the North of England and
Scotland, from the casualty lists, and from other sources,
the calculation has been made on high authority that at
least 150,000 sons of the Irish race, most of them born in
Ireland itself, have joined the Colours in Great Britain. In
addition to this, I am informed on the highest authority
that from 20 per cent, to 25 per cent, of all the troops from
the oversea Dominions are men of Irish blood. The Irish
race, therefore, is represented in this war on the side of
liberty and humanity by at least half a million men, who

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The Irish Canadians marching through Limerick.

CANADA TO IRELAND

have N'oluntarily joined the Colours. Surely a proud and
astonishing record ! I wish the Irish Canadian Rangers the
best of good fortune. I know that they will go into battle
strengthened by contact with the ancient land of their
fathers, and that they will do honour to Canada and do
honour to Ireland.

The Unity of Ireland

The Lord Mayor, who had the Lord-Lieutenant
of Ireland on his right and Colonel O'Donohue
on his left, proposed the toast of welcome to the
Irish Canadian Rangers. He thanked the Prime
Minister, the Minister for War, and the Irish
Headquarters' Staff for having furthered the
desire of the battalion to visit Ireland. The
Irish blood of our guests, he said, was stirred
by the abominable treatment which that hitherto
happ3^, prosperous, and unoffending little nation
Belgium had received at the hands of the Hun,
merely because of her geographical suitability as
a speedy means of reaching Paris and Calais, and
ultimatel}) iheir own shores. They learned of the
unspeakable outrages which had been committed
on innocent women and children at the instiga-
tion of that arch-h37pocrite the Kaiser, and they
knew^ that the crimes which he had committed
against Christianity, civilization, and human
liberty in France and Belgium would be re-
enacted in Ireland if his legions ever reached
the country ; and so they sacrificed their material
interests and pleasures in life for the stern work
of war.

It is a most gratifying fact that the Rangers, differing as
they do in religious and political opinions, have united in a

II

CANADA TO IRELAND

common bond, and are prepared to lay down their lives, if
need be, in the sacred cause of humanity and liberty. May
we not discern in this union an omen of the future unity of
Irishmen in Ireland ? May we not look forward to the time
— not very distant, I trust — when our countrymen of all
shades of opinion will come together and devise such a plan
for the internal government of this country as will remove
all cause for those ancient prejudices and that distrust of
each other which have, alas ! wrought so much mischief in
the past and kept Irishmen asunder ?

Here there was great cheering, which was
renewed when the Lord Mayor proceeded to call
attention to the significance of the solidarity ol
the British Empire against "a malignant and
miscrupulous foe." The toast was warmly sup-
ported by the Lord-Lieutenant. His Excellency
informed the Irish Canadians that the company
assembled to welcome them was a very remark-
able one inasmuch as it comprised the most
distinguished citizens of Dublin without reference
to their political and religious difficulties.

North and South

A very eloquent speech, which has attracted
much attention because of its evidence that the
spirit of union is pervading Ireland, was made b\'
the Lord Chief Justice, Sir James Campbell,
Bart., who was formerty an Irish Unionist leader
in Parliament. Sir James Campbell, in the first
place, spoke of his old political opponent, Mr.
Redmond, with an unreserved generosity which
would have been unthinkable in Irish (or even
English) politics before the war. And, represent-
ing the Unionist North, he made approaches to

12

CANADA TO IRELAND

the Nationalist South which aroused the greatest
enthusiasm in Dublin. "May I," he exclaimed,
"express my own fervent hope and desire that
when the reconstruction of our Imperial system
is being considered, a fitting place may be found
in it for my own beloved country, and that, too,
notwithstanding recent events — nay, in the light
of them — that a position will be found for her
worthy of her history, worthy of the traditional
heroism of her sons on the field of battle, and at
the same time consistent with the obligations of
loyalty and patriotism." If for nothing else, the
Dublin luncheon will long be remembered for this
pronouncement and for the fact that it did not
evoke a single expression of dissent.

The Dublin hospitalities included also a
luncheon by the Lord-Lieutenant, a dinner by
the Attorney-General, a dinner by Lord Decies, a
smoking concert at the Mansion House, a smoking
concert at Wellington Barracks, and a matinee
performance at the Theatre Royal.

After a two hours' railway journey, the bat-
talion found themselves at Arm'agh on Sunday
morning in time for service at one or other of the
two beautiful cathedrals which distinguish this
most picturesque of old Irish cities. The whole
population met them at the railway station and
cheered them tumultuously. Some three or four
hundred of the battalion attended service in the
Protestant Cathedral, and the remaining three or
four hundred accompanied their Colonel to the
Catholic Cathedral, where High Mass was celebrated
in the presence of Cardinal Logue. At the close

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CANADA TO IRELAND

of the services the men resolved their reUgious
differences once more in their mingled companies
of Catholics and Protestants — a demonstration
of essential unity which did not pass without
fruitful comment.

Cardinal Logue announced that he had received a
number of religious emblems for the troops, which
he would give to their chaplain for distribution.

Cardinal Lqgue on the War

In the course of his sermon His Eminence
said he considered it an honour to have an oppor-
tunity of welcoming Colonel O'Donohue and the
officers and men of the Irish Canadian Rangers.
There were various reasons why they should
tender that welcome with enthusiasm and grati-
tude. In the first place, though living in the
great Dominion of Canada, with the ocean rolling
between them and the mother country, when the
cry went out for help from the centre of the
Empire they had nobly responded, and had come
there in their hundreds generously not alone
offering themselves to defend the honour and the
interest of the country — not only that, but to
contribute to the great boon they were longing
for, and all praying for, and that was the boon of
peace. They were longing for peace, but it must
be a just peace ; it must be a stable peace ; and
it must be a permanent peace — not a mere halting
time, with the nations on all sides occupied, as
the}' had been off and on for the last thirty or
forty years, in competing in shipbuilding and arma-
ments. A peace of that kind fell very little short

14

CANADA TO IRELAND

of the evils of war itself, for it was exhausting the
countries. They in Ireland were all grateful to
the Canadians for the noble example and devo-
tion they had shown in coming over to Europe
to defend what they all believed was a just
cause, in endeavouring to bring about a position
which would enable the politicians, when arms
had done their work, to establish a just, stable,
and permanent peace. There was another reason
why they welcomed them, which had a great
influence with the Irish people, and that was
because the Irish Canadian Rangers had a dis-
tinct Irish existence, and they from Canada were
the first outside of the divisions raised there in
Ireland to establish a real, genuine Irish regi-
ment, and to come forth to maintain the credit,
honour, and glory which their countrymen, scat-
tered through the other troops of the Dominions,
had already won. Reading over the list of
honours, they knew that large numbers of them
were Irishmen from the Dominions who knew how
to maintain and even to add to the fame which
Ireland ever possessed for bravery in the field of
battle. It was a happy thought that induced the
Irish Rangers to visit the home of their ancestors,
and especially to visit that old city of Armagh —
the cradle of the Irish faith — and he trusted that
the testimony they had given for the love of faith
and religion would bring a blessing upon them.
The Primate of the Irish Church, too, preached
a sermon of fervent patriotism, and at the close
of the service presented each soldier with a prayer-
card to be slipped inside his cap for safe keeping,

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CANADA TO IRELAND

The officers lunched with Cardinal Logue and had
tea with the Protestant Archbishop, and excellent
arrangements had been made for feeding the men.
Tn the afternoon, in the presence of a great crowd,
addresses of welcome were presented to the
battalion by the County Council and the Urban
Council, and later the populace fraternized wdth
the soldiers, decorating them with Irish colours,
and receiving memento badges in return.

Enthusiastic Belfast

As at Armagh, so at Belfast the chief magis-
trate, the Citizens' Reception Committee, and
the citizens themselves met the Irish Canadians
at the railway station, and accompanied them to
their barracks with bands and the most demon-
strative enthusiasm. The streets were lavishly'
beflagged, and all the workpeople appeared to
have taken a brief holiday. Women from the
factories threw showers of confetti upon the
battalion. An inspection by General Hacket-
Pain, C.B., commanding the Northern District,
was followed by a luncheon to the officers at the
City Hall, at which 400 leading citizens were
present, and there were speeches of cordial wel-
come by the Lord Mayor and the x\ttorney-
General for Ireland. The men had a great dinner
at the Ulster Hall, where each received also a
souvenir box of handkerchiefs. They were given
other presents as well, including a handsome
terrier dog, which they carried with them on the
rest of their tour, and will no doubt take to the
trenches of Flanders. The miscellaneous hospi-

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CANADA TO IRELAND

taliLies ul Belfast- — surely the must geiieiously
demonstrative city in the British Empire — in-
cluded an entertainment at the Hippodrome and
an evening smoking concert.

"After all," exclaimed Colonel O'Donohue,
when he was trying to acknowledge what he
accurately described as a wonderful welcome,
"after all, it is ouy fight, for we are part of the
Empire. That being so, I do not feel that any
great credit is due to us for coming and answering
the call — we could not have done anything else."

The long journey to Cork, which lasted all day,
was begun early on Tuesday morning ; but early
as it was, the ladies of Belfast were at the railway
station with tea, fruit, sandwiches, and news-
papers for every one of the 700 or 800 men of the
battalion ; and the Lord Mayor was on the plat-
form to say "Good-bye," and the band of the
Royal Irish Rifles to play repeatedly "Auld
Lang Syne."

In Parnell's City

Cork was reached in the dark, but a vast crowd
awaited the arrival of the crusaders who had
crossed the Atlantic to fight for a sentiment. The
Lord Mayor of Cork was accompanied on the rail-
way platform by most of the members of the
City Council, and there were also present the
Earl of Bandon, K.P., the Lord-Lieutenant of the
County, Major-General Doran, C.B., commanding
the Southern District, the Bishop of Cork, and
members of public bodies in the district. Not
onl}- was there a fitting official welcome for the

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CANADA TO IRELAND

battalion, but the streets were gorgeously be-
decked, as were also the fine ships in the harbour,
and the people were exceedingly cordial and
enthusiastic. There were three welcoming bands,
and all the music most likely to appeal to Irish-
men coming home for the first time was played.

Cork introduced her own particular notes into
the greeting of the Irish Canadians. In the first
place, she entertained them together, officers and
men, to one luncheon, and in the second she gave
her prominent ladies, led by the wife of the
Lord-Lieutenant of the County, the wife of the
Protestant Bishop, and the wife of the Lord
Mayor, to wait upon them. The luncheon, both
as a meal and as a spectacle— for the great City
Hall was hung with the colours of all the Allies —
was a brilliant success. The Lord Mayor, whose
popularity may be inferred from the fact that he
is just beginning his second term of office, made a
speech as notable in its way as that of the Lord
Mayor of Dublin, and though it was addressed to
a gathering representing all opinions in Ireland,
it was just as unanimously received.

The Message of Canada

"This great body of Irishmen," he said, "from the self-
governing Dominion of Canada have given up all comforts
of home and everything that makes life dear to them, and
they have banded themselves together and joined up, hand
in hand, Protestant and Catholic, and politicians of all shades
of opinion, to do what they conceive to be their duty, to
fight not alone for the Dominion of Canada that owns them,
bat for the land of their fathers. Personally, I look upon
this visit as a message from the great mass of our exiled

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CANADA TO IRELAND

countrymen who have helped to make the great self-governing
Dominion of Canada what it is to-day : one of the greatest
bulwarks of the Empire — a message beseeching us to pause
and sink our political and religious differences, and to unite
for the common good of our beloved country."

In the course of the proceedings, the Mayor
of Waterford, Mr. John Redmond's Parha-
mentary constituency, telegraphed a request
that Waterford should be associated with Cork in
the welcome ; and similar requests came from
the lord-lieutenants of the other counties of the
Munster Province.

An inspection by Major-General Doran in the
splendid South Mall of Cork — one of the finest
thoroughfares in the United Kingdom — gave the
citizens an opportunity of seeing the Irish
Canadian troops at their leisure ; and not only
were the side- walks and the windows crowded,
but the very roofs were occupied by spectators.

Mother and Son

The reception at Limerick the next day w^as
but that of Cork over again, only even more
cordial, if possible. Again, officers and men were
gratified by being entertained to lunch together,
and were deeply touched by the delicacy which
led the ladies of the district themselves to wait
upon them at table. The Lord Mayor said Canada
had always come nobly to the assistance of the
British Empire at need, and he was certain that
the Rangers would distinguish themselves in the
war as their fellow-countrymen had already done,
and that they would help to bring about that

19

CANADA TO IRELAND

lasting peace to which the world was looking
forward. On this occasion Colonel O'Donohue
asked Captain the Hon. J. W. Shaughnessy to
speak for the battalion, as Captain Shaughnessy
happened to be a County Limerick man. The
Captain, however, was not the only Limerick man
in the battalion, as the spectators in the street
had a little earlier had an opportunity of seeing
demonstrated. During the march from the railway
station an elderly woman, recognizing her son in
the ranks, ran forward and embraced him, and
he, who had perhaps not seen her for ^^^ears, burst
into tears.

A Happier Ireland

It was at Limerick that the tour closed. From
first to last, it had been a triumphant progress.
All parties bad united to make it a success. If
Ireland was delighted ^vith the fine quality of her
returned sons, they for their part were profoundly
gratified to find Ireland more prosperous, especi-
ally in the South, than their fathers had ever
known her, and buoyantly hopeful of an early
and happy settlement of her own domestic
problems, so akin to those of Canada, where they
have not been found to be insoluble.

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