FROM THE ARCHIVES:The 50th anniversary in 1941 of Charles Steward Parnell's death was marked by a series of ceremonies culminating in this event. –
THE LAST of the ceremonies in honour of the 50th anniversary of the death of Parnell was held in Dublin yesterday, when a procession, representing public bodies, cities and towns, passed through the streets to the grave in Glasnevin Cemetery.
Here a military guard of honour was drawn up with reversed arms, wreaths were laid, the “Last Post” was sounded, and a caoine was played on the pipes by Mr. Louis Noble. A yew tree was planted at the graveside by Mr. T. Fleming, the tree having been brought from Avondale, County Wicklow, Parnell’s birthplace, now a forestry station of the Department of Lands, and presented by Mr. S. O’Beirne, of the Department.
A letter was received by the Commemoration Committee from Sir Basil Brooke, Minister of Agriculture, Northern Ireland, stating that it would not be possible for him to attend.
The procession through the city formed at St. Stephen’s Green, and marched through Grafton street and O’Connell street to the Parnell Monument. Here, while Sir John Maffey, representative of the British Government; the United States Minister, Mr. D. Gray; the secretaries of the German, French and Italian Legation, watched from windows, speeches in praise of Parnell were made to a very large crowd.
People lined the route of the march eight or ten deep and blocked the mouths of side streets. Hundreds of police and L.S.F. men were on duty regulating traffic.
Giolla Criost Ó Broin said Parnell had turned his back on the English aristocracy and his face to the people of Ireland. In Parnell’s opinion, the connection with England had been the most evil part of Ireland’s history, but in spite of that it was amazing what acrimony was wielded against him by the cleric and lay leaders of Ireland in that time. Parnell understood the faith and aims of Fenianism, and there was a strong philosophy of truth in his doctrine. If Parnell was alive to-day he would be fighting for the complete freedom of Ireland.
Senator C. M. Byrne said the work which Parnell had to do, to bring back an Irish Parliament and to plant an Irish people on Irish soil, was the hardest work in the Ireland of his time.
Gladstone had said Parnell was the most remarkable man he had ever met; Chamberlain had said that Parnell was like Napoleon; Mons. Dalton had said that to find his equal they would have to go back to Hugh O’Neill or Brian Boru, and Patrick Pearse had placed him with Wolfe Tone as one of the separatist fathers of the Irish nation. He aimed at winning the battle always and had played off one English party against another to get the largest measure of self-government he could. He had been satisfied with the obstructionist policy and had made it a science, so that his tactics aroused the enthusiasm of many people all over the world as well as the Irish.
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