THE IRISH E M O C R A T

(Incorporating "Irish Freedom") New Series No. 79 JULY, 1951 Price 3d.

D e V a l e r a h e a d s i " v e i l e d c o a l i t i o n ^ MACBRIDE CHAMPS AT BROWNE "TREACHERY"

"Business as n s u a P ' - s a y s PAUL O'HIGGINS Our Political Correspondent

fits available for investment we may see on a small scale the development of the more commercially profitable raw materi-als in Ireland.

FOLLOW McGINTY ON BACK PAGE § § HE TIPPED $EVEN WINNERS § ^ at a profit of £4-7-7 § C B U T , R E M E M B E R , W H E N Y O U W I N M O N E Y , T H A N K S T O K

H I S S E L E C T I O N S , T H E " D E M O C R A T " H A S |

C A F I G H T I N G F U N D § SAILING TICKETS SEE MIDDLE PAGE

Irish family Gentleman-

U O W Polish gentleman-hooligans n tried to terrorise the wife of a young Tipperary man wfrtrie family was broken up by British capitalist rent laws, was told to an "Irish Demo-crat" reporter in Willesden.

"Do not publish my name," he urged the "Democrat," "or I will lose my ia»t chance of accommodation." The young m a n lives In one furnished

room for which he pays 30/- a week. Quit t

A year ago. when h is wile brought an addit ion to t h e family, t h e landlady gave

broken up by British laws hooligans procure evictions ' I R I S H D E M O C R A T ' R E P O R T E R

t h e m not ice to quit on the spot. W i t h tea rs in h e r l and lady ' s eyes she begged t h e m to leave quiet ly and not take the case to t h e r en t t r ibuna l . Not so green as t o be moved by the crocodile tears of this race of blood-suckers, they went to the t r ibunal , who gave t h e m n ine months ' securi ty of t enu re ar.d reduced the rent to 22'6 a week.

So w h a t did the landlady do? Like a good cap i ta l i s t she took her cap i t a l else--where. S h e sold the premises to a Pol ish doctor, a n d he proved fully c a p a b l e 01" m a k i n g use of Bri ta in 's laws—one s e t for the r ich, a n o t h e r for the poor. He anr

nounced t h a t he needed t h e room fo r his pract ice. *

To Court Doctors are important men, « n d 1

table citizens, even though capable of Miring t h t 1 When the iriihtftan, worker was as g o g i a l i i move, th» f o i l

•But t o help h i m to 1 he brought his sleek Polish friends along to fr ighten the. wife, followed the husband for a while, but elded after sp i te hesitation, jUg'-'tio attacking tffrijmBy.'ltot fee

(Continued on N * Ma)

A F T E R THE DULLEST ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN HISTORY, ' D E V ' W A S M RE-ELECTED TAOISEACH BY 74 VOTES TO 62, THE THREE INDEPEND-ENTS WHO LEFT CLANN NA POBLACHTA VOTED AGAINST THEIR FORMER

Cork Supports F i a n n a Fa l l

From J. SAVAGE JN the general election Cork has definitely

rejected the inter-party Government by the victory of Fianna Fail in securing three out of the five seats in the City constituency. Mr. James Hickey (Labour) scraped through for the last seat.

This, of Gourse, was due to the Propor-tional Representation s y s t e m , otherwise F ianna Fail would have gained a fu r the r seat. It was near im-possible to canvas for Labour as the elec-

7 tors could not see any difference between voting fo r - then i and vottog for„thpm ar

tat'ttr«e4M«#$]en 1 1

and 'when It pi took part In "the Coalition and when It put forward as Labour an ex-Fine Oael, T. D. Anthony, who voted for the flogging Bill in 1922.

They failed to put forward any progressive policy except lip service to poverty, slums and unemployment with no solution to these problems. They made it clear t h a t they accepted capitalism as the term Labour did not mean anything to the workers.

The Cork workers deposed Fine Oael. but consider Labour no better. If Labour put forward a Socialist policy independent of all parties, the result would have gained them victory.

"REPUBLICAN" Secondly, F i a n n a Fail , t h e "Republ ican

Pa r ty" more conscious ' t h a n F ine Gael , of t h e people's rooted ant i - imper ia l i sm is concerned to make a s h a m pre tence of t h e ma in t enance of neu t ra l i ty by a t once fo r ins tance s t a r t ing a t r a in ing scheme fo r Civil Defence aga ins t a t o m i c bombs a g a i n s t which, in fac t , for. t h e people in a

. given lpyal a rea . , t he re is pract ical ly no m e a n s of defence.

On alt major Issues Fianna Fkil is at One with Fine Gael and-the small parties, Fiknna TOM xtoepted Marshall Aid fully aware of the political String*; attached. The. Fianna Fail organ, the 'Stmffljy Press' has welcomed the projected suhrey of Irish industrial resources by the 1 Urflred States profit-making concern International Basic Economic Corporation. The 1l^fll*s« z I t this survey is to Investigate pois&ie areas for profitable investment of United States

-oapttafc*' ~ -"' -^w^irv i i f*r In its same issue ( June 10th, 1951) the

'Sunday Press ' welcomed t h e idea pro-jected by Theodore Koslow, financial edi-tor of t he Uni ted S ta t e s I n t e r n a t i o n a l News Service, t h a t in order t o ob ta in cheap labour a n d cheap raw ma te r i a l s Uni ted S ta t e s firms should t r a n s f e r opera-tions to I re land.

In a late message to the "Irish Demo-crat" (see leader, Page Three),-Mr. Paul O'Higgins describes the position in Dub-lin as "Business as usual."

Some Achi l l fa rmers do not look far for tur f , but their land is in Rundale and widely scattered.

DUBLIN, 22 June Dev is back in office. T h e c h a n g e f r o m

Costello to De Valera makes n o im-p o r t a n t d i f ference to the welfare of t h e I r i sh people. De Valera's p rog ramme con-ta ins l i t t le t h a t differs f rom the policy of t h e previous Government . T h e decision t h a t t h e S tore Street Bus S ta t ion sha l l be res tored to i t s proper purpose can h a r d l y be t a k e n as indicative of any ser ious change .

On two points only a more serious dif-ference can be seen. Firstly, Fianna Fall drawing its funds and support from the new Irish industrialists is likely to heip them in improving transport services and incidentally profits, by developing Irish shipbuilding and Irish motor-vehicle con-struction. Representing groups with pro-

Connolly's old friend arrested American Imperialism has arrested James

Connolly's old friend and beth Gurley Flynn, of the America-Irish, sympathies.

Details are not yet to hand of the charge* to be preferred, but it is expected they will resuroble those which kept Jim Larkln In JaB for "from two to ten years!" with a "flexible sentence." The charge then waa. "criminal anarchy."

Protest resolutions should be poured into the American Embassy in London or Dublin. Release Mrs. Flynn at once.

CHIEF. The new Government can only survive with the tacit consent of the Opposition

groupings and 'Dev' is in control of what is in effect a thinly veiled Coalition — a 'black' inter-party Government.

SOME PEOPLE ABE LUCKY! (See Page Four)

Mr. Sean McBride, whose political ineptitude in his handling of the Browne affair brought about Mr. Costelte's downfall, rages impotently against his former supporter.

But n o i m p o r t a n t policy c h a n g e s a re expected. T h e r e may be cer ta in c h a n g e s of e m p h a s i s bu t Coalition policy will con-t inue, h a v i n g in any event been largely modelled on t h a t of F i a n n a Fail .

2 THE IRISH DEMOCRAT July, 1951

Felon-setting fever afflicts A.P. League * W E W I L L S T A N D F I R M ' - K i l r o v . k i U o i i m i i n s

D E T E R M I N A T I O N of the Anti-partition League leadership, the "official Parliamentarians" of the present day, never to suffer any undue inconvenience for Ireland, is expressed in their

attempts to exclude the followers of Connolly from the League. This can mean only one thing, namely, that they have abandoned completely the republic of 1916 and are prepared for a "settle-ment" half in, half out of the Empire.

T h e t w o splendid I r ishmen, K i l c o m m i n s and K i l r o y , genera l l y acknow-

ledged t h e born leaders of the y o u n g e r Irish in M a n c h e s t e r , have been

subjected to a campaign of misrepresentat ion and b l a c k m a i l . T o the credit

of the Manchester ant i -par t i t ion is ts let it be said, they are o v e r w h e l m i n g l y

in f a v o u r of these t w o men r e m a i n i n g in the League. Some have tr ied to

persuade them to g ive up their m i l i t a n t republ ican pr incip les in order not

to d e p r i v e the Manchester Irish of t h e i r leadership. But leadership not

founded on republ ican principles w o u l d not help.

T h e on ly solution is for all ant i -par t i t ion is ts who hold republ ican views

to join the Connol ly Association a n d fight to reta in the i r membership of

the ant i -par t i t ion League . Ignore t h e ban ! The A .P .L . is composed of Irish-

men and thei r na t ive instincts w i l l assert themselves against the splitters.

The ban w i l l become a dead letter .

K I L R O Y W R I T E S : ^ S one of the people affected by the

decision of the recent Anti-Parti-tion of Ireland League Conference at Sheffield which bars members of the Connolly Association from League membership in future I would like to give my reasons for deciding to s tand by the Connolly Association and let the League continue to pursue Its senst less decline Into inevitable ob-scurity.

1 did not wish to leave the League. As Hoo. Secretary of Moss Side branch for a considerable period, I did my best when and where I could to further the interests of the League. Now the e l i te of the League shake their h e a d s saaiy, say we are unfortunately being misled along t he wrong path, and t ha t m u c h to their regret they will have to d i s -pense wi th us. One or two of the l ad i e s a re actual ly going to pray fo r us, hop ing we would see the error of o u r ways. I will not commen t on the l a t -ter offer . It is a k ind thought one w a y or t h e o ther and t h e ladies p robao ly m e a n well

However it is very interest ing to n o i e that in conjunction wi th tne decis ion of the Conference, a number of t h e Irish bishops are warning prospect ive emigrants to avoid contact wi th t h e Connolly Clubs, on coming to IjJruain and'making the usual groundless asser-tion that we are being financed by t h e Communist Pa r ty of Britain. Even t h e ultra-cautious Radio Eireann m a d e passing reference to t h e League's in-tention to expell us. Apparently a lot of people are start ing to "sit up and take notice." Their attempts to be-little us or isolate us will have a boom-erang effect. It is invaluable propa-ganda t<J us. The very recent example In the Eire elections of the re-election of Dr. Browne, his fellow deputies w h o resigned with him and Mr. Peadar Cowan, together wi th near ^elimination of the irresponsible Mr. McBriae. shows clearly that tjie Irish people do not always do specifically what t h e y are told by those who profess to know everything that Is good for them. It is a heal thy sign to see the people vot ing according to the dictates of their own conscience.

MV reasons for a certain loss of con-fidence In the League's future are twofold. Por a considerable period now there has been certain sinister aspect about the oMlMct of Ireland's Inter-national and External affairs M u c h mora sinister than the occupation of Northern Ireland by the British un-palatable as tJ^is may seem to a lot of peoplie. Ttier* were rumours a n d counter rumours about a "Deal on Par-tition." whwfoy 14 rettBT(l for the hand-ing over of t M S ix Counties Ire land would bacwtne a war-tMUte and unmis -takable aircraft carrier for the aggres -prepe ration* of American big followers. We these rumours External Affairs an" "iron cur-

t a in" Of silence a r o u n d these negotia-tions. But more than once the Min-ister of External Affairs has publicly declared abroad that it was only the fact of Partition which kept us out of the Atlantic Pa£t.

This alone gives rise to grave sus-picion that- these "shady deals" were at least contemplated. This outrageous duping of the Irish people Is, I reiterate the most serious and sinister aspect of contemporary Irish politics. It does not appear to matter to the late Min-ister for External Affairs that the cul-tural monuments of the centuries, the Celtic culture and art, the irreplace-able shrines and monastries—in fact, everything which Irishmen hold dear could be wiped away for ever in one day or one n ight if Ireland became the atom bomb base of the West. I hope charitably minded Irish ladies, who pray for those who have "gone astray" will pray for Ireland's protection against t he machinat ions of men such as this. T h e Partition question, grave mat te r it undoubted ly is, paies to in-significance beside t h e prospect of tne complete loss of our her i tage and all iha t is dear to us.

MY second reason covers a broader field but I will t ry to narrow it

down to t h e main issues. We usually looked to t h e Irish Governmen t for support and guidance for our efforts over here, and I personally and I sup-pose many others, o f ten wondered why this support and guidance despite so many eloquent speeches at home and abroad was never forthcoming to any worthwhile extent. Radio Eireann was always discreet in its references to the Anti-Partition League and part of the Mansion House fund was LOANED to us to help us along. We usually had to pay the expenses of speakers from Ire-land, who came across here to address public meet ings .

I often wondered if these Govern-ment leaders were really in earnest about the ending of Partition and I camc to the conclusion (I hope I'm wrong) that there was a large 'bloc' of vested interests, big businessmen and a number of the Heirarchy who really do not want to see the abolition of the Border and use all their secret influ-ence to make sure It does not go. They are doing fine as things are How much this bloc' influences the Government one can only surmise. That the bloc' exists is undeniable. I h a d a number of letters from. Dublin Catholics recently following my letter to the 'Irish Times.'

I would be really ashamed to quote from some of them but they asserted in no uncertain terms their dislike for any influx of Northern Protestants with their birth-control and evil ways generally and they thanked God the Bishops were the greatest partition-ists! and hoped Partition would never end. Those letters and subsequent letters from more broadminded people—and a commentary article In the "Catholic Standard" were certainly an education to me. Allied to this we have the recent happenings in Ireland, now so. widely known as the "Dr. Browne affair." Here we've had. blatant Interference with the working of the elected Oov-

MAY HAYES "See me again."—Page Eight.

ernment and its Ministers on the Mother and Child Scheme; a classic of reaction if ever there was one and one which did irreparable harm to the Anti-Partition cause. How the Orange lenders must have chuckled. Then we had Dr. Browne receiving an admonition from his leader, Mr. McBride. for appearing in public in a photograph with the Protestant Arch-bishop. We have had the recent un-signed letter read in Dublin Churches at Mass, suggesting that those who voted for the Worker's League candi-date were commiting a mortal sin. (What brash, superstitious hypocrisy?) This we find is another encroachment

on the constitutional right of the people to vote for whom they piease. Then we have another Bishop warning s t u d e n t s agains t entrance to Trinity College a n d warning t h e m of the aca-demic a n d scientific knowledge they would be likely to come by 111 t U^re.

J^HTS, to my mind, a l l ooints to the fac t t h a t I r e l and (Eire) as yet, is

too politically i m m a t u r e to absorb Nor the rn Ire land. M a n y people think about ge t t ing N o r t h e r n I re land "in." But how many t h ink really deeply about wha t WOULD h a p p e n were sne to come "in." Would the narrow-mindedness all be conf ined to one side? T h e " I r i sh Press" a n d t h e " I r i sh Inde-p e n d e n t " would, n a t u r a l l y become the Na t iona l organ for t hese P ro te s t an t s (o express themselves un less they were forced to cont inue wi th a "Digoted" press of thei r own. Would the Ir isn papers be prepared to a i r t he orange gr ievance and publish t h e i r let ters to the press. Would R a d i o E i reann aitow an occasional b roadcas t of a P ro ies tan i service

Would the Nor the rn Pro tes tan t s have the benefits of B r i t a in s Welfare S t a t e t a k e n f rom t h e m to be replaced by someth ing "spi r i tua l ly" ii not materially better . O n e couid ask u t housand similar ques t ions and they all bear th ink ing upon.

Until the "Holy Roman Ca thode State" tag is removed from the Govern-ment and the reaction of feudalism and apathy eliminates unti l progress, eco-nomical and otherwise outstrips t ha t of the North, until the Maria Duce and Plat fanatics are sent to psychiatrists atvd subsequently keep away from the public. Eire is too politically immature to absorb Northern Ireland much as we realise the gravity of the Injustice of Partition. Most present day Irish writers and intellectuals tend to follow this train of thougfet. Eventually matky people who still follow the League dic-tatorship blindly and laugh (or regis-ter more violent emotion) at t l * Con-nolly Association will find this out for themselves. Unti l ' they do we must work within the Connolly Association to counter reaction a n d Injustice when-ever and wherever we can

MAY HAYES WRITES:

•yHE news that the Anti-Partition of Ireland League, at its recent con-

ference, decided to exclude Connolly Association members from the League is just another manifestation of its inability to form a real militant united movement in Britain.

O a r t r agedy af te r a n o t h e r h a s befa l len the League, always due to t h e reac t ionary leadership . Since its revival in Br i t a in in 1R46. it h a s been cont inual ly expell ing a n d excluding people—people like Cap t . Henry Harr i son , n. lifelong f igh te r (and it is a Ions; l i fe and what a f ight ) f o r Ir ish uni ty ar.d m a n y well-known Repub l i cans of la te r years.

I jo ined the League in Feb rua ry , 1947, was a m e m b e r of K i lbu rn a n d H a m m e r -smi th branches , la ter b e c a m e a f o u n a e r m e m o e r of the P a d d i n g t o n b r a n c h a n d v/as its secretary unt i l December , 1949, when it was broken up through t he in ter -fe rence of what I t e rm enemies of I r i sh un i ty—members of the League. I was also a member of the National Executive a n d for a shor t time vice-chairman of the London Area Council. Whenever a n y headway was made, then there was an-other witch-hunt. First it was Com-munists, then it was Protestants, now it is the Connolly Association. Whose turn next? 'What if the Knights of Coldmbia are replaced by Orangemen — there's plenty of them in Britain—won ' t it be the Catholics?

Mr. H u g h Minform stated some time ago that the enemies of Partit ion are the Nationalists, Republicans, Communists and Socialists. The Anti-Partition League should make answer. "Yes, Mr. Minford, you are quite right, they are all members of our movement. What a fr ight Minford would get. Now I expect he is laughing up his sleeve."

HENRY HARRISON WRITES: 4JIR,—In reply to your enquiry, I must avow ^ my opinion that the A nti-Partition League'* baa on the Connolly Association is bad politics and worse patriotism. You simply cannot build an organisation by heresy-hunting and excommunications and private denunciations by secret agents. Any-one who in good faith wants to end Partition should be free to join in the work of ending Partition.

Personally, I am an old-time Parnelitte Nationalist. I am not a Communist nor, quite a different thing, am I a Connolly Socialist. I am not even a member of the Anti-Partition League, from which I resigned because of its futility and mismanagement. I believe that the cause of Irish reunion has been long since effectively betrayed through the outward and visible signs of this may not appear until a war or near-war situation oocurs. Then, when It Is too late, our people may understand.

Yours faithfully, HENRY HARRISON.

M A N a a n m H A S B K I T R I

B I R M I N G H A M IN the neck-and-neck race for best provin-

cial sales, Manchester "Irish Democrat" sellers have now topped Birmingham by the small margin or 20 coplcs. This is generally held to be due to the magnificent stand made by Klloommlns and Kilroy in defence of Connolly's principles.

But Johnny Orlffen, not to be out-done, has called a meeting in Bull Ring on June 22nd. and Intends to follow It up by a scries of bigger meetings. Dundee, under Peter MacManus's able leadership. Is third—but where are Liverpool and Olasgow? - Will these classical Irish centres remain content to be "also-rans"? We think not.

July, 1951 THE IRISH DEMOCRAT

THE IRISH DEMOCRAT All Correspondence to

The Editor DESMOND GREAVES

at 13 Lambs Conduit Passage,

London, W.C.I RATE—Twelve Months 4/6

S i x Months 2/3

DAMN YOUR CONCESSIONS

CEW will be deceived into thinking • that De Valera's return will mean a new epoch of social and national advance. The pensioners of Fianna Fail will, of course, begin their whis-pering campaigns and it will be said in the pubs and saloons that De Valera is at heart as revolutionary as ever, iti this or that fine point he is prefer-able to somebody or somebody else, that on good authority after some-thing has happened he is going to do the devil and all . . . we can make a prophecy. Things will proceed as heretofore.

"Ah! But he'll keep the country neutral as he did before," cry his en-thusiastic followers.

We wonder, will he ? In the last war it was spontaneous

movement of the people for neutral-ity, the demonstrations at the doors of th£ churches on that first day, that kept Eire out. Did anybody who be-longed to the Iri&h Army ever have illusions as to which side the Twenty-Six Counties was on ? If so, let them try to recall if they held a single exercise based on the assumption of a BRITISH aggression.

The great efforts of the Fianna Fall propagandists now will be to damp down the Independent Labour and Republican movement (so thoroughly split by the Coalition which nobody will mourn) with the promise of neutral i ty and keeping out of the Atlantic Pact. On this basis the capitalists hope that they will make money out of war without being Involved In It. In reality this money will be the price for abandoning the Six Counties—and If war did come, who honestly believes it could involv* the North without the South? Will "preparations for neutrality" be the cloak for "preparations for war?"

When the Coalition cried "End partition and go into the war pact I" the apologists Justified ft by pointing to the "fight" against partition. Now when that will be abandoned, its abandonment will be justi-fied by "keeping us out of war."

Republicans and Socialists will inscribe on their banner the old, old maxim, "DAMN YOUR CONCESSIONS — WE WANT OUR COUNTRY."

What says the * Dismal Science? 9

FLANN CAMPBELL ON RICH AND POOR IN IRELAND T O the superficial observer Eire to-day may seem more prosperous than

at any t ime since the T r e a t y . Wea l th in its umccaii ricln• f o r m may be seen in many Irish towns; and Dubl in par t icu la r ly , w i t h its smart restaurants, chromium-p la ted pubs, shining A m e r i c a n cars, and wel l - f i l led l u x u r y shops shows al l the ou tward signs of solid bourgeois aff luence (so long as you keep to the m a i n streets and middle-class residential areas) . To wa tch the smar t ly - tweeded farmers ' wives at Leopardstown Races or to observe a wel l - to-do D u b l i n businessman eat ing steaks in Jury 's H o t e l is to realise how t r i u m p h a n t l y the Catholic middle-class has a r r ived in Eire .

It has been a long and stony road from the few barren acres of bogland or the miser-able huckster's shop which was usually all the native Irish could hope for in the 18th century down to the lush pastures of Meath or Guiney's emporiums of O'Connell Street which are so typical of the middle-class to-day, but the Catholic bourgeoisie have com-pleted the journey at last, and show every sign of complacency at their achievement.

At first sight there seems a solid economic basis for this new-found prosperity. Irish farmers, by far the biggest group in the country, are making more money than ever before. For every £100 they got pre-war they now get between £250 and £300. Industrial production has risen about 40 per cent, since 1938, and more people are employed in manu-facturing than at any other time in Irish history.

Profits have soared, and the total national income, in monetary terms, is more than twice as high as pre-war. Unemployment is down f rom a pre-war average of about 90,000 to a post-war average of about 70,000.

However, despite this apparent ly favour-able picture, of economic progress during re-cent years, some 'Very 'awkward questions rfemain to be" answered. Has, total f^ rm pro-duction increased as well as prices? How is this new monetary wealth distributed? Will the high prices and high profits continue indefinitely?

A more careful analysis of Irish economic trends suggests that outputs of farm pro-ducts has hardly risen at aU, that the gap between rich and poor is steadily widening again, and that the whole rickety structure of high prices, increasing profits and luxury-living for the middleclass is built on very shaky foundations.

MANUFACTURING industry has admit-tedly raised output about two-fifths

above the 1938-39 level, but this has been, achieved mainly on the basis of a re-stock-ing post-war boom which cannot last much longer. Already the high prices and short-ages of essential raw materials resulting from American stockpiling is causing grave diffi-culties in industry. The number of workers employed in manufacturing—about 200,000 —is only a small proportion of what could be employed in a fully - developed Irish economy.

Official figures show that total output of foodstuffs—which occupies half Eire's popu-lation, comprises one-third of the national income, and nine-tenths of the exports—is only one or two per cent, above pre-war, and tha t figure was no greater t h a n in 1900. Irish farmers cannot be proud of the statement

in 1943 of the Secretary of Ir ish Agricultural Organisation Society that ". . . output has remained more or less stat ionary since the beginning of the century."

Fur ther , unemployment has not been "solved." The unemployed have been merely forced to emigrate.

ALL the evidence points to the conclusion tha t it has not been the poorer section

of the community—workers , small farmers, petty shopkeepers, clerical employees and the like—who have been gaining ground during the last five years. On the contrary, it seems clear f rom official figures tha t it has has been the middle-class—large farmers, business men, bankers, and merchants—who have been steadily improving thei r position under the beneficent rule of F i anna Fail and Fine Gael.

Company profits rose from £ 1 2 millions in 1938 to £33 millions in 1949 according to the recent Government White Paper on National Income. Income Tax returns in-dicate tha t between 1946-7 and 1948-9 profits rose 29 per cent., and when t h e figures for 1950 are published they are likely to show an even bigger increase. Many privately-owned companies which,publish no accounts as well as large fanners have done particu-larly well for themselves out of the post-war inflation.

We can be sure that the 4,200 people with average Incomes of £3,300 per year who paid super-tax in 1946-47 and the 6,000 farmers who own fa rms of 200 acres or more in Eire will not worry if they have to pay £30 for a suit or 15/- for a lunch.

It is these few thousand wealthy people who dominate agricultural, industrial and commercial life in Eire; and whether they pall strings for Fianna Fail or Fine Gael they ultimately control these two major parties, and through them the political life of the country. They include representatives of the old Protestant Ascendancy as well as the rising Catholic bourgeoisie.

TYPICAL specimens of this wealthy Irish ruling-class are thle Lord Glenavy and

the Mr. T. V. Murphy, relative of the notori-ous William Martin Murphy who led the employers' fight against J im Larkin in 1913. They are both rich and powerful men with large interests in banking, Insurance, news-papers, t ransport and housing property. Lord Glenavy is director of the B a n k of Ireland, Great Northern Railway, Centra l Bank, B. and I. S team Packet Co., Hibernian Fire and General Insurance Co., National City Bank and Property, Loan <& Investment Co, Mr. Murphy is director of the Hibernian Bank, Independent Newspapers Ltd., publishers of the "Irish Independent," "Evening Herald," "Sunday Independent" and "Weekly Irish

FLANN CAMPBELL

Independent," Laurence A. Waldron & Co. (stockbrokers), National Credit Co., and and Property, Loan & Investment Co. Ltd.

When the Protestant Lord Glenavy and the Catholic Mr. Murphy meet in the board-room of the Property, Loan & Investment Co. they are not likely to argue about theo-logy. The intricacies of high finance and profit-making will occupy their minds more than religion.

BUT what of the poor? What of the mass of working people in town and country?

Here the picture is not so rosy. Rising prices and rising profits have brought great gains to those with goods to sell, but have brought nothing but hardship to those whose only commodity is their labour power.

The recent White Paper on Social Security revealed that half the employed population in Eire were getting under £3 10s. per week —and this at a time when probably at least £ 7 per week is needed to keep a man, his wife and three children in reasonable decency, let alone comfort. Scores of thou-sands of farm labourers get only 65/- per week. Women's-* wages are eeanctaJiously low with nearly two-thirds of all women em-ployed £n industry "arid" services getting under £ 3 per week in 1948. In that year 7,000 girls were working in industry and services for under 30/- per week. And wages have' not risen much since then.

It is not difficult to imagine in what squalor live the 70,000 unemployed, when a single man draws only 22/6 per week, and a man with a wife and two children 857-per week. Admittedly, some of the highly-skilled industrial workers, the "aristocracy of labour," have gained somewhat from the post-war boom in Industry (their rates are sometimes high or higher than the London, rates) but they only comprise a small sec-tion. about 21,000, out of a total Industri working population of 124,000—and In i cases their wages are bumped up by periods of overtime. The small (shopkeepers and farmers, poorly-paid clerical and profes-sional workers, such as teachers, are in many cases worse off than these skilled workers.

PEARSE'S and Connolly's dream of M Ireland where "the sovereign pemL

would be "lorda aad mastere" has not j become a reality. The Republic of Mr. tello may have been legally waving of flags and windy s politicians in O'Connell St , bat t h e 1 He ot Easter Week, which proclaimed" right of the people «f Ireland to the m ship of Ireland" and "equal righto U i t opportunities for all its citizens" still to be won.

A HEW On August 1st the Connolly Association may be able to appoint a Full-time Organiser

B U T I T D E P E N D S DM Y O T ! - 1 ' • " • f . •

t - • -' We appeal to every reader to send jr* £ 1 , 1 0 / - , 5 / -

WE w e e d *MM>

f ' m

I I >» rt- •

V > * ' . A.'-!!.,"''.,

I V ,

Impressions of the Mayo Gaeltacht • _ . , i , ^ i J 1-,,-ii'n t n i i i ' A l i i n n ^ V» it»c i t o • i n rr 1 f

C V E R Y m o r n i n g in spr ing and ear ly s u m m e r , the bus-loads of emigrants

leave A c h i l l for W e s t p o r t , whence they t rave l by train to Dub l in and

e m b a r k for the fields of W a l e s and Scot land, or the reeking germ- laden

a i r of London and the b ig provincial towns. T h e hospital at Castlerea

bears test imony to the n u m b e r whose hea l th is pe rmanent ly in ju red by the

sudden subjection to industr ia l condi t ions—dir t , noise, an impover ished

diet to wh ich the Bri t ish people have become g r a d u a l l y inured over genera-

tions, and worst of al l , cont inuous exposure to disease.

G r e a t play is made of the fac t tha t for t h e first t ime in a hundred yea r s the popu-la t ion of I re land has gone up. But this is expressed solely in the g rowth of Dublin. T h e dra in f r o m Achill is seasonal . The men come back in the a u t u m n or early win te r and r ema in till the i r po ta toes a re set and p e r h a p s till the tur f is cut—-even till the sheep are sheared. Hence Achili's populat ion shows a lower decline t h a n some places. Bu i f rom the more inacces-sible places in Erris, t he one-way traffic goes on While the need to preserve the I r i sh l anguage is announced on all sides, t h e populat ion of the G a e l t a c h t dwindles and within it the use of I r i sh as steadily declines.

IT so h a p p e n s tha t since Br i t i sh mili-ta r i sm drove the insuppress ible I r i sh

to "Hell or Connaugh t . " t h e Gae l t ach t a n d the "Congested Dis t r ic t s" have been almost synonymous. The first place t aken over bv the C.D.B. was Cla re Island, in the niou'.li ol Clew Bay. G e r a l d B t l f o u r built a rai lway f rom Achill Sound to West port wi th the object of offer ing ihe people "II>il or America." but they srvmed to p r e f e r s taying w h e r e they were.

No e ;Ui;\o can thr ive on a n unsound recncni ic bare, and t h e fight against ar>&!.'ciz94.:on is meaningless unless u s mot ive force is unders tood pcrnr.'.neni reduct ion of nopula t icn by emigra t ion to B r i t a i n and America, or m i g r a t i o n to Dub-1IP. and I n :nnorary or a n n u a l cmigral!o:i wi th its invvi 'able angl icizing inliuence. A m a n who spends half t h e year in Eng-land, and whose chi ldren will GO the S::me will not feel an intense u rge ihat his chi ldren will use the I r i sh l anguage for more t han small- talk.

In north-vv°st Mayo, the people have a n a t u r a l in 'el l igence, p e r h a p s t raceable to the absence of capi tal is t division of labour, and an ex t rao rd ina ry b r e a d t h of outlook which is the one solitary a d v a n t a g e de-rived f rom the pooling of experience f rom the many pa r t s they go to. Such a popu-lat ion is menia l ly capable of genera t ing a cul tura l life of a s t anda rd aga ins t which Bri t ish capital is t (and Wesi -Br i t i sh capi-tal ist) pseudo-culture would be shown up in its puny s ta ture . But Gae l ic Leaguers and supporters of nat ive ins t i tu t ions mus t examine the economic basis or all thei r efforts will count for n o t h i n g . I T is l i t ' le use spending en joyab le hoii-' riavs at Tourmakeady while Tourma-

keady's I r i sh speakers me l t away. Like-wise it is t he craziest t h i n g on e a r t h to t each "book I r i sh" to the ch i l d r en of Ir ish-speaking pa ren t s , and give t h e m slaps when they pronounce the words as thei r pa ren t s do. De Valera I r i s h is no t the sole form. In Mayo the dia lec t resembles more t han of Ulster. T h e s implif icat ion of spelling, th rowing away syllables pro-nounced in the nor th , h a s a l r eady men-aced the basis of r h y t h m in poetry and is t h e cause of many a c o n t e n t i o n in the home. In the end the p a r e n t s a n d chi ldren communica te in Engl ish because the leacbers ' I r ish does not cor respond to t ha t t radi t ional ly spoken. I t is impossible to save Ir ish nat ional ly by th rowing away t h e Gae l tach t . T h e rule shou ld be made t h a t all t eachers should be na t ives of the dis t r ic ts they t each in a n d should have a high enough s t anda rd of educat ion to adopt the G e r m a n pr inciple—educated G e r m a n s npeak the s t a n d a r d G e r m a n of Prussia , but are also very p roud of their own dialects which vary as much f rom t h e s t a n d a r d as do the f o r m s of I r ish f rom 'book-Ir'sh.' These dialects a re never con-sidered 'wrong. '

The n a t u r a l pass ing on of language from f a t h e r to son is of course insepar-able f r o m work carried ou t in common, the activities of t h e social un i t to which they belong.

The tendency is for t h e development of capitalism to extend the Engl ish l anguage a t the expense of Irish. T h e dealers who buy the comparatively small surpluses of the small farms come from the East and

business in English. Thus English is language of the fair, in all the larger

itres. id . capitalism is developing rapidly. At ent the twenty-six covin tied enJoy-a temporary and pr^ariotis prosperity to their participating in a war-boom at wasting any money on armaments. ' who knew the west before the war miss the startling difference! Where the thatched houses Where are the

g W U l i ( I i M H T l p l i j y ^ ' g a w y - a n c r " "fanners without the energy to repair

the i r hedges or walls, the air of pr imit ive-ncss a n d dejection?

T h e y have disappeared. The n u m b e r of asses l ias declined. T h e number of ca rs h a s r isen. The turf is collected in Huge lorr ies which tear up the poorer roads. B u t these in t u r n are giving way to s t rong m a c a d a m roads. T h e t r ac to r has pene-t r a t e d west of Newport . The m i g r a n t s have in t roduced m o d e m methods of hay -m a k i n g l e a r n t in Br i t a in ; the h igh pr ice ob ta inab le for their surp lus produce h a s

by

C h a r l e s D r c i i n a n

A

proved a n incen' ive to increase it. a n d those wi th the slightly larger ho ld ings speedily seize on any new deve lopments wh ich a re applicable.

G R E A T obstacle to development is the rundale system which prevai ls in

m a n y places. A man may have his hold-ing s epa ra t ed into several small pieces, a n d mus t be continually crossing h i s ne ighbours ' land. If he does d a m a g e t h e ne ighbour will scarcely complain. Fo r he in i u rn is crossing o ther people's land . T h e L a n d Commission f rom time to t ime consol idates holdings by 's t r iping ' t h e land. But few f a rmer s can be led to be-lieve t h a t they have gained by the deal. T h e y have one consolidated holding which they do not know in r e t u r n for the scat-tered holdings which t hey unders tood. As a t e s t imony tc the decreas ing popula t ion most vil lages—the original mean ing of the word ' town-land. ' he re r e t a ins its force— h a v e a lmos t as many u n t e n a n t e d houses m a s t a t e of ruin as they have occupied ones. I n some cases the same t e n a n t s have moved into a new house and aban -doned ' h e old. But more usually t hey bui l t cheek by jowl wi th the old one a n d used it as an out-house. T h e result is t h a t by slow degrees the runda le system breaks u p of its own accord, a n d holdings t e n d to increase in size, as f a r m e r s acquire l and cont iguous to their exis t ing holdings.

A S E R I O U S result of declining popula -1 ' t ion ' t h i s does not of course apply to all Gae l t ach t areas) is t ha t the f ami ly ceases to be a n a t u r a l un i t of co-opera-t ion. Take a bog on the Dublin moun-ta ins . F a t h e r may wield the s iane; young Pa t r i ck Joseph will load the sods on a whee lbar row and sp read them. But where all bu t one (usually the m a n of the house) h a s depar ted before t h e cut t ing season, th i s division of labour is impossible. T h e turf is cut and laid on t h e bank. T h e n the worker mus t track back to the f a r m to look a f ' e r the animals . A special j ou rney will be m a d e for spreading. According to t h e c i rcumstances the smal ler n u m b e r s r e m a i n i n g are a con t inua l cause of more h a v i n g to go away—thanks to decl ining efficiency following declining popuia l ion. In o ' h e r words the idea of "absolute con-ges t ion" is a falacy.

In m u c h of the very s tony ground of t h e f a r west the plough is unknown. I m a g i n e p l an t ing enough potatoes for a f ami ly - -wi th a spade. Similarly, reaping is car r ied out wi th t h e scythe.

In one village there was a f lour ishing f i sh ing industry . T h e men used cu r r achs which they drew up a n d beached. They a lso used larger vessels which required several men to draw up. So few famil ies possessed enough men in the fishing sea-son, t h a t t he fish were abandoned to the seals a n d o t te rs which swarm around the coas t .

, r | i H E solut ion? Cer ta inly there is a prob-lem he re which can be solved without

going a n inch outside t radi t ional I r i sh concept ions . The solut ion Is simply—co-opera t ion . W h a t is more, very many of t h e people know it a l ready, bu t jus t a t t he present , while money can be earned in Eng land , a n d while pr ices for the odd calf , smal l bullock, or few pounds of wool a re good, they take the line of least res i s tance and a r e con ten t to "get by." For they lack t h e means of developing co-operation on a suff ic ient scale, and t h e G o v e r n m e n t will not sink t h e capital. When the ar t i f ic ia l bubble of t h e present agricultural boom bursts, either because America and Bri-ta rn force I re land to car ry a share of t h e war p repara t ions , or penal ise her for re-fusing to do so, thet i , the demand will arise. ^ Individua^cagitajijsjjs .J&e. Jpfteph Swee-

' ney " a r e 'developing industr ies , such a s shark- f l sh ing . The old co-operative fish-

u e p v i s e s (ships held ":n coor 'i have been replaced by a n u m b e r ot privately owned small t r awle r s where for the most part the owner is very close to the men employed, and indeed one of them. B o m na Mona. ha s in t roduced m a c h i n e tur f -wuininp.

At Brilycroy on one mach ine live men produce 16.0^0 sods a day and receive 2, 1 per thousand each . Compare th i s with a s lanc-cuner . who will do 40 y a r d s of bank in a daw Even at 20 sods to the yard he would only produce 800—that is a qua i i e r of the mach ine r a t e per man .

But if he sold h is tu r f , his labour would not be requited at t he r a t e of 4 - an hour. The Mayo Council knows th is a n d advo-cates the product ion of turf by the in fact unpaid labour of f a r m e r s who cut a sur-plus to the i r r equ i rement . T h u s side by side arc two f o r m s of product ion, one capitalist as it were in jec ted in to the sur-rounding peasant economy by the Gov-e rnment or individual cap i ta l i s t s ; the

ta t ively and hesi ta t ingly f r o m t i m e to t ime—were put into effect, t he cap i t a l so used would enr ich the total l i fe ol t he district a n d preserve the G a e l t a c l n .

One una ! no in 1 . for those who fuel tha t these ideas a re not "Socialist" e n o u g h . I r e l a n d is now a land of peasan t p ropr i -etors. I n some few places a n n u i t i e s h a v e been vi r tual ly paid off and l and is he ld m abso lu te ownership. Wi th in t h e next twen ty years t h e number of abso lu t e own-ers will s teadi ly increase. N a t i o n a l i s a t i o n of the l and may be the cry for a c o u n t r y like B r i t a i n where the l and is he ld by bloodsuckers who stole it f r o m t h e an -cestors of t he Bri t ish people. I n I r e l a n d t he r e is only one road f r o m p r i v a t e own-e r sh ip by s m a l l f a rmer s to Social is t f a r m -ing. T h a t road is co-operation, a n d t h e advocacy of such measures of co -opera t ion as a re possible now must inevi tably ass is t t he t r ans i t i on which mus t t ake p lace l a t e r And t h a t is why the capi ta l i s t G o v e r n -m e n t s don ' t like it, and we should .

other in effect feudal , t he scooping up of the f a rmer s ' surp lus a t s lave-labour prices, •^hough the re is a ready marke t the small f a rmer is still being robbed—and this goes for both turf a n d h is f a r m produce. '"INHERE would seem to be no reason why ' G o v e r n m e n t ac t ion should not in-

clude the e n c o u r a g e m e n t of co-operative production. It is a m a t t e r ot in te res t t h a t in I re land no specialised fue l industry arose, comparab le w i th t h e Br i t i sh coal-mining indus t ry , pa r t ly because turf-win-ning remained a n ag r i cu l tu ra l operation, carried out wi th (sl ightly modi f i ed ' agri-cultural implement s . T h e mechanis ing of bogs as well a s giving employmen t will tend to create a special fuel indus t ry man-ner by workers. T h i s will be a gain to the Labour Movement . I J l i T there is l i t t le to r ecommend krep-

ing such workers in cons t an t com-petition with the cut-price surp lus of in-dividual f a r m e r s too sca t t e red to organise themselves. If in e ach cen t re there was a pool of t u r f - cu t t i ng m a c h i n e r y the ent ire fuel r equ i rements of a town land could be provided in a few days, and dependence of tne weather reduced to a m i n i m u m . The users of the co-operat ive mach ine ry should be ent i t led to sell thei r su rp lus collec-tively a! a price which brought them its full value. Qui te modest mechan ica l aids would be usefu l to begin with.

The same appl ies to reaping. In many fields mach ines could be used. T h e ent ire harvesMng of a t own land could be carried out in a few days providing macninery was central ised locally, serviced and main-tained by the s t a t e of the county council and charged sui tably to the f a r m e r s co-operatively using it. In most townlanus. some young m a n would be kept a t h o m t to look a f t e r it.

Similar pr inciples apply to the devel-opment of fishing and the provision of equipment, boats . Jetties, winches and so so; and to l and rec lamat ion . Much valu-able land could be reclaimed f r o m the sea, crops moreover could in cer ta in cases be raised f rom u n c u t bog, without in jury to the prospects of c u t t i n g it la ter All such projects require capi ta l . " l l f H I L E tha t capital is in jec tcd in f rom

** the outs ide t h r o u g h m e a n s whiah aim to exploit t h e resources of t h e district, for larger pr ivate , or s t a t e profi t , t hen tlie

/esu l t . wiU ^e merely to dislodge the people apd destroy G a e l t a c h t . If the by no means new idea—it was advocated by Geo. RuasglL,iakan i m n w * r e c j w U n - a a d w e l l . worked out by Professor Jo seph Johns ton in many wri t ings, a n d even a t t e m p t e d ten-

TVflLL any Irishmen or women who are ™ going to the World Youth Festival in

Berlin, please contact Mr. Bill Hardy, 167 Shirland Road, Maida Vale, W.9 as soon as possible as he is organising a London-Irish contingent. Bill wishes to show the delegates from other nations that Ireland has her own folk songs, music and national costume.

Join the London-Irish unit for Beriin now.

* * *

Miss Bet ty G r a n t . 206 T u r n h a m Road , Har row, a working class housewife whose hobby is s tudying history, Ls t ry ing to find out wha t pa r t the Dublin W o r k e r s played

•in the " H a n d s Off Russ ia" m o v e m e n t in 1920. T h e full story is to be f o u n d in t h e a n n u a l r e p o r ' s of the I r i sh L a b o u r P a r t y and T.U.C. for 1920, 1921 T h e f a m o u s I r i sh r a i l w a y m e r ' s strike was e n c o u r a g e d by t h e "Jolly George" incident-

Meet Val, a Jamaican, in whose home

MY REPLY TO O'FAOLAIX " | " H E mora l state of our island must

beyond doubt be a grave one to just i fy the t h u n d e r and l ightn ing un-loosed by M r . O 'Fao la in against things u n - A m e r i c a n tak ing root amongst us. T h e r e is not, it seems, a single a i l m e n t f r o m which the country is not a f f l ic ted—ranging f r o m suspicion of the A m e r i c a of the mi l -l ionaires, aversion to declar ing w a r on Russians, Chinese and others to be-lieve it or not, " M a r x i s t dialectics."

The country, according to Mr. O'Faolain, is literally overrun with the latter, which accounts for the spate of bad poetry flooding the market in recent times. "The Marxist and rationalist dialectic of our day has fur-ther infected every one of us . . . killing all poetry and mystery of life," says Mr. O'Faolain.

I t certainly tai ls for an exercise in some brand of "dialectics" to fa thom how the dis-tinguished au thor discovered un-America in our midst. For a stranger coming to these parts would surely get the impression tha t the country and its inhabi tants were as Americanised, as INlarshallised, as European-ised, as civilised, as the best of them.

Take a few facts, or the surface appear-ances behind which lurk the "automatic un-American" realities which so distress Mr. OFaolain. There is the Press. Out of nine daily papers in the two capitals. Dublin and Belfast, I defy even a Senator MacCarthy, let alone a Sean O'Faolain. to as much as breathe a breath of suspicion against their Americanism. Do they not .six days in every week laud the "wars of liberation" being con-ducted in such places as Korea, Britain 's "Commonwealth" outpost of Malaya and in France's Viet Nam? They most assuredly do. The Press ol our island is thus as high above suspicion as was reputedly the- wife ol the great Roman. r F H E N there arc our two Parliaments. I n J - the one, located in my native Ulster, not as much as a dog has dared to bark a n anti-Americanism there, automatic or pre-arranged, let alone to make a growl or a

B Y S E A N M U R R A Y

snar l . As for the Uail. a h igh degree of duiereniial unanimity to our American bene-factors has now been reached in that Assembly, Capt. Cowan notwithstanding. What more could one ask the Dublin Govern-men t to do—unless to break oil diplomatic relations with Russia, China and the other lands ol the Infidel, join formally the Atlan-tic Pact and order a general mobilisation.

Thus the two custodians of the country's conscience, t h e Press and Parliament, are officially as "Las t American" as the best noses of old Shoneen Suburbia were ever "West British."

There is also the radio. As easy for the camel to get through the needle's eye as for even a whisper of un-American or anti-American heresy to invade the hallowed pre-

SEAN O'FAOLAIN, in a recent article in the "Bell" magazine, let loose a violent at tack on wha t he called "Autoanti-Americanism" widespread in Ireland. The article was written in answer to a letter in the Dublin Press f rom Miss Louie Bennet t , Leader of the Ir ish Women Workers' Union, opposing the Americans' use of Marshall Aid to collar Ireland economically and politically for war purposes. Sean Murray's reply arrived toe late for publication in "The Bell."

eincls of the B.B.C. or Athlonc. And nothing could surely be more thoroughgoing in espousing the virtues of Western civilisation and other odds and ends now emblazoned on the banners of the Wall Street bankers and their Government, than the Press organs and organisations of Clericalism.

Altogether, then, if one were to trust to appearances the country would look like a place reasonably safe for Western civilisa-tion. and singularly unpolluted with those whose psychic aberrations in mat te r s politi-cal and social which have gripped so many millions of mank ind outside the American orbit. TL>UT there are leaders of t rade unions and

' kindred spirits in our midst. Alas, it here seems as if worship of things American

is not at all 100 per tciil'. For it h a s hap-pened that one such leading personage in the Irish trade union movement has actu-ally had the hardihood, not only to harbour dangerous thoughts, but to pr int t hem into the bargain. Verily, Miss Benne t t has, it seems, revealed the Achilles heel, hear t and head of that Anglo-American I re land, which the Press propaganda and the official reverential poses ol public representatives make such a gallant effort to conceal. With her colleagues of the Labour movement , how-ever, marshallised into stony silence. Miss Bennet t ' s action is like someone kicking up a deafening noise in a Trappist monastery.

Was it, therefore, necessary to unloose a blizzard on a solitary voice f rom the official movement of Labour questioning American righteousness?

s

No doubt it was; for the gulf between ap-pearance and reality was probably never wider than in the Ireland of to-day. Though officially wearing the Marshall cloak, the country plainly hasn' t the slightest intention of l if t ing a hand, let alone a musket, to fight § a war for Anglo-American imperialism. It ^ can see the spider's web being spun for its a entanglement in a particularly dirty cause. X An iniquitous social system is dying, and it -puts its hope of salvation in the m a d gamble of a new world war and an a tom bomb. I T is not difficult for people to sense what

1 is afoot when the objectives of the chief pa r tne r s in the ugly business, as well as the pa r t s allotted to each of them, are openly proclaimed. The President of t he National Industr ia l Conference Board of the U.S.A. during the war stated the case with Yankee candour :

"America is embarked on a career of im-perialism in world affairs and in every other aspect of her life. England will be-come a junior par tner in a new Anglo-Saxon imperialism." Churchill put the English side of the pic-ture to Roosevelt:

and A I B C U T

"We know tha t you constitute our only hope. You know tha t we know tha t with-out America the Empire won't s tand." It will take more than a few million dollars

of a lms to lure the Irish poeple, or the people § of any other country for that mat te r , into r tha t mucky business. S $

mlh Qcrrard Curran i town there are many Irish. Studying to be a surveyor, father an Inland Revenue offi-c i a l , Val has been to Dublin. He says the I r i s h girls are the prettiest in the world and that Jamaican dances are not unlike I r i s h dances.

* * * Packy M c F a r l a n e , who a t the age of 17

i came tc E n g l a n d as a profess ional boxer and in one week de fea t ed th ree oppon-

e n t s : one of w h o m was the f a m o u s Dick iCorbett. Packy ' s f a t h e r is a well-known 'Dublin b o o k m a k e r who originally came from Lei t r im. His ambi t ion is to open a gymnasium in London. He can be as-sured of the ful l suppor t of our spor ts writers.

* * * Congratulations to Mrs. Denis

on the birth of a daughter. * * *

Walshe

After t he dismissal of Nurse Quinn of Gahvay f rom Goodihayes Menta l Hospital.

THE TWO NEW NAMES t r p W O new names were added to the growing

1 list of reader* of the "Irish Democra t" as a result of a Donegal reader 's init iat ive in sending us the names and addresses of friends.

On Page Four we refer to a letter from another reader, Frank Reill.v, of Sydney, who promises to introduce the "Democrat" to his friends, while from the U.S.A. we have ob-tained during the past three months twenty new subscribers. This is due mainly to the efforts of Mrs. Kelly and Mr. G. O'Reilly.

How many of our regular readers could help us in this way but have not thought of doing so. We appeal strongly to them to start straight away and bring the " Irish Democrat" to the attention of their friends.

We must have an Increase in our sales if we are to avoid raising the price of the "Democrat." Most daily and weekly news-papers have Increased their prices recently, thougfc tfkefr -resources ane far greater than ours. We are not subsidised or financed from any party source whatever, and we depend entirely upon our sales and the contributions of our r e f e r s .

We do not want to raise the price of the ' W i t f w r t « m » M l < i - H t » i « i t y : (D

Ordering six or more copies far sale to friends or workmates; (2) Making a present

•if a year's subscription to a friend or rcla-tive; and (3) Sending us the name and addresses of possible readers, so that we may fmward them sample copies.

let every reader in Ireland, Scotland, Mritaln, Australia, U.S.A., Canada, win at least (j/ie new reader for the "Irish Demo-r r a t " —BILL BURKE.

FABIANS DISCUSS CONNOLLY

1 UOSMOND GREAVES, Editor of the "Irish Democrat," recently addressed the

'trinity College, Dublin, Fabian Society on life and teachings of James Connolly.

Miss Dorothy Macardle, author of the rirrntly republished "Irish Republic," classic «i>rk of Irish Republicanism, was In the <'l>air. Principal speakers were Mr. Desmond f v i n , author of "James Connolly," "The Itising," and other writings, and Mr. Eoln <> Mahoney, to whose work In England in *"llaboration with the Connolly Association •"•is largely due the release of the republican P'i oners. Nora Connolly O'Brien, eldest ''•'lighter of the patriot, sent apologies for enforced absence.

all grades of staff (most of whom are I r i sh ) met to pro tes t aga ins t the callous-ness and i n h u m a n i t y of the Adminis t ra-t ion. After work ing seven years a t Good-m a y e s Nurse Quinn contracted tubercu-losis following a period of s t renuous work in bad condi t ions . She had been working f o u r m o n t h s on Insulin Shock Therapy , a du ty which involves strain a n d heavy re-sponsibili ty.

She was t r ans fe r r ed to a sana tor ium where she received t rea tment . On her re-t u m to Goodmayes , Miss Qu inn was con-valescent for six months. W h e n she was l i t for l ight d u t y she was given a month ' s notice. Shocked and angered by this t reat -ment Miss Q u i n n put the m a t t e r before h e r Union, t h e Confederat ion of Heai th Services. Owing to mass pressure from r a n k and file members the Confedera t ion moved into ac t ion .

T h e y compelled the hospital adminis-t r a t ion to pos tpone dismissal for three m o n t h s T h e hospital m a n a g e m e n t then suggested t h a 1 Nurse Quinn should go and work in a T B. Sanator ium, they thus

- avoided f u r t h e r responsibility in the mat-te ' ' of he r illness. Nurse Quinn is deter-mined to fight to stay a t Goodmayes, whe^e she h a s many fr iends, and in the service of whose pat ients she h a s devoted t h e best yea rs of her life.

T h e Socialist Medical Association is t a k i n g a keen interes t in th is case, Dr. Somerville Has t ings having promised to ra ise the m a t t e r in the House of Com-mons.

SAILING TICKETS From mid-June onwards sailing tickets

are requirod on a number of services be-tween Britain and Ireland. It is not pos-sible for us to publish full particulars, which can be obtained from any railway station, the following points should be noted by Intending traveller*.

The last date on which sailing tickets are required is September 15th. You should be safe by any route after that date. The d a t a when you must have a saMtng ticket for all sai l ings from Helyhead to Bun Laoghalre are tfith July to 13th AugMt, except that between 7th and 9th August when you may be able to travel without a sailing ticket. 6alllng tickets are obtain-

able from the Marine Superintendent, Holyhead, Anglesea.

On the Heysham-Belfast route sailing tickets are required on Friday and Satur-day nights only from July 6th to August 18th-inclusive, plus Thursday, July 26th. After 14th July no sailing tickets are re-quired when travelling from Stranrear to Lame but they are required for the return journey on July 27th and 28th.

On the Fishguard-Rosslare route sailing tickets are required every night from Juiy 20th to August 4th, outside that period on Friday nights only on 13th July, 10th and 17th August.

GAOIS MARK TWAIN A G seo a m ' dh ia idh aistr iu ar ghista

^ as " M o r e T r a m p s Abroad," leabhar do scriobh M a r k T w a i n . Cua i r t do thug se ar N e w Zea land ata i gceist :—

" A n n s o i W a n g a n u i ta cupla leacht aisteach cu imhne. Togadh ceann aca in omos do fhearaibh geal-chneis 'do m a r b h a d h ag cosaint an dligthe agus an smachta ar an bhfanataidheacht agus ar an mbarbardhacht.' Is Sasa-nigh sinn-ne, muinntir na Stat n-Aontuighte, do reir teangan, do reir creidimh, do reir cinidh, do reir priomh-chursai ar gcorais rialtais, agus do reir priomti-chursai ar sibhi-altachta. Ta suit agam, d'a bhrigh sin, ar son onoir an chinidh gur cuireadh an focal 'fanataidheacht' isteach tre neamh-aird, agus go scrios-far amach e. Ma breactar an focal ar leacht i Thermopylae, no ar Bun-ker Hill, agus ma leightear aris e—''do marbhadh ag cosaint an dlighe ar an bhfanataidheacht' — trugfear cad is fior-blirigh do'n bhfocal, agus a mbaineann de bhotunaciit leis sa chas so. Is tir-ghradh tir-ghradh; nil aon

by M. D'ANDUN dul as an meid sin. Ni feidir an gradh tire sin do thruailliu tre e ghlaodhach as a ainm agus 'an fhanataidheacht' do thabhairt air. Ni feidir e thrailliu ar bhealach ar bith. Cc gur dearmad adhbhal-mhor poilitiochta an tir-ghradh, ni ion-truaillighte e d'a bhrigh sin; cursai sior-onoracha sior-uaisle iseadh cursai an tir-ghradtha. Ta moladh tuillte ag no fearaibh calma geal-chneis do marbhadh sa chogadh i gcoinne na Maoris. Acht an focal ud 'fanataidheacht,' deineann se prais-each de gach a ndearnadar; de dheas-caibh an fliocail sin, ntheasfadh duine gur cailleadh iad ag troid igcoinnibh daoscar - dhaoine neamh - fhiuntack. Acht nior dhaoscar-dhaoine no Maoris chor ar bith. A mhalairt ar fad a bhi ionnta. Fir dionbhala a namhad do b'eadh iad; go calma ttiroideadar ar son a dteaghlach, agus go crodha thugadar aghaidh ar an mbas.

" Ni feiduir uathbhas an leacht eile do cheartu aclit ar aon bhealach amhain—le di-onaimit. Baoth-bhotunacht ata ann o thus deire. Leacht iseadh. e do tlio^ fir geal-chneis mar chomhartha onora do Maoris do marbh-adh i n-arm na bhfear engeal-chnels t(cqiUne a mulnntire fein ins a n Maori-chotedh. • ndil-chuimhne ar na fir chalma do marbhadh 14 adh Bealtaine, 1864,' etc. I n a dhaidh sin breactar sias ainmneacha flchead Maoris no mar sin. No feic e seo do taidhbhrigheadh dham. Ta an leacht ami gan aon, ago. Chonnaic me lem' sbuile cinn e, " Ta muineadh ann do'n aos off ata aff eiriu suas; iarann se ortha an fheall-bheart agus an chealg do chleachtadh. Se an uuiineadh e in a tharnochtacht granna, 'Treig do Mi rat naisiunta, marbhuigh do mhuinntir fein, cuir a dtighthe tre theine, truailligh do naisiiin-tachta—tugaimid omos do do leitheidi.'"

Dorothy Macardle's classic work

the

IRISH REPUBLIC is now re-issued at

15/- M

!<hi fi

Obtainable at Booksellers or through the 'Irish Democrat* ... i fmpi . - • i j, v:; -jt&Qffs,^ Book Department, 16/- post free >

;'»> V i! -±

w u i . fetw

<Ui: Ki <

6 THE IRISH DEMOCRAT July, 1351

OIL AN EMPIRE FALLING? Exclusive to the "Irish Democrat"

b y S . A h r a m s k y

T H E events in Persia have shown British ® Imperialism and have aroused the greatest

interest in the world. Big demonstrations have taken place in

Teheran, Abadan and other Persian cities, demanding from the Persian Government the speediest implementation of the nationalisa-tion law passed by the Majlis—the Persian Parliament.

The reques t of the Pers ian G o v e r n m e n t that the Anglo- I ran ium Oil Company pays 75 pe r cent , of the profi ts made s ince March to the Pe r s i an G o v e r n m e n t and the rest be banked in a mu tua l l y a g r e e d bank unt i l the ques t ion of compensat ion w a s se t t led , was t u rned down by t he Brit ish G o v e r n m e n t and the Anglo- I ran ian Oil Company.

While the G o v e r n m e n t ' s policy is f a r f r o m clear, an ugly a n d dangerous si tua-tion may seriously develop unless the Br i t i sh Gove rnmen t accedes to the re-quest of t he Pe r s i an author i t ies and re-cognises the Tightness of the Pers ian people to na t iona l i se their industries. ' " T H E only th ing t h a t h a s stopped so fa r

' t h e Br i t i sh Gove rnmen t f rom send-ing up to now t roops is the Soviet-Persian ag reemen t of 1921 which lays down t h a t t he presence of fo re ign troops in Pers ian te r r i to ry will be t r ea t ed by the Soviet as a direct t h r ea t to its f ront ie r and the Soviet Gove rnmen t has t h e r ight to move in troops and keep thefn theVe unti l t h e fore ign troops a re removed f rom Pers ian terr i tory.

What is all this about, asks the be-wildered reader of the press? What right has the British Government in a country a few thousand miles away? Irrespective of what the British Government might describe It i s essential that everybody should be familiar with some of the back-ground.

For near ly a century British influence in Persia has been predominant but parti-cularly has British Influence grown t o great dimensions since oil was discovered.

T h e Br i t i sh forced a corrupt a n d weak P e r s i a n Government to g r a n t a conces-sion for 99 years to exploit oil resources to a famous Bri t ish oil explorer , Mr. D'Arcy.

T h i s was in 1901. In the beg inn ing , oii was produced in small quan t i t i e s but in 1913 the Brit ish G o v e r n m e n t rea l i s ing the vas t potent ial i t ies of the oil resources ac-q u i r e d 55 per cent of t h e s h a r e s by in-ves t i ng the comparat ive ly small sum of e leven million pounds , ' t he res t of the s h a r e s being owned by B u r m a Oil Co.—an assoc ia te firm of Shell-Mex a n d by other p r i v a t e investors. If we take 1913 as the f i r s t year tha t yielded considerable results in oil we shall see an in te res t ing rise in oil—

1913 1929 1939 1949

248,000 tons 5,549.000 tons

10,329.000 tons 31,750,000 tons

A glance will show how enormously pro-duc t ion has risen. If 1913 equals 100, then 1949 is 128 t imes more. Not a b a d increase on such a small sum of money pu t in.

L O O K now at t he profi ts acc rued to the e r n m e n t . P rom 1948 to 1950 a lone nearly £225 million pounds were made . T h e Per-s i a n Government received oniy 20 per cen t of tha t , namely, £45 mill ion pounds.

FAMILY BROKEN UP the wife's pram into the street, smashed their wash-basin, and cut off their light. The police came in answer to their com-plaints, but merely "warned" the Poles.

The baby took ill. Did the Polish doctor attend to it? Not he. The Irishman's own doctor was stopped on the stairs and warned not to go near the family.

The court decided that a doctor was a doctor and an eviction order was served on the family. -

This means that the security given by a rent tribunal can be upset in a court of law, and that the laws supposedly de-signed to protect the tenants are counter-acted by strong laws setting this protec-tion aside.

Labour Helps

The Middlesex County Housing Dept., after the A.E.T7., local Labour Councillors and even the local Labour M.P. had in-terested themselves in the case, sent the family to Rowton House in Crispian St. The new "guests" had to be out at 7 a.m. and in again at 7 p.m. They spent the days tramping the streets, trying to change the baby's napkins in underground stations, begging cafe owners to heat milk.

After a week of this "life," the County Council sent them to the Church Army hostel at Marble Arch, which though free from the worst objections of Crispian St. was scarcely "home from Jwme."'

Ill order to prove beyond a shadow of that It is the Socialists and Com-

who are out to smash the family, st council transferred the wife

—Continued from Page One

Rats and Arms Of those famil ies who have accommoda-

t ion itself, many live in r a t - i n f e s t ed dens w h i c h the council is powerless to improve.

I n one case a worker took two ra t s he h a d caugh t up to the officials but was told t h e y could do n o t h i n g to house h im pro-per ly .

Workers at a Willesden fac to ry invited t h e housing m a n a g e r to add res s their A.E.U. branch. T h e official expla ined the m a t t e r simply and t r u t h f u l l y :

"There would be no housing problem If there were no armaments pro-gramme," he said. But why should capitalism build houses

to be knocked down for people who are to be killqfJ: when it can squeeze every fartMng out of them by keeping them homefdss and slaving them making useless tanks and bombs?

T h e Anglo- I ran ian Oil Co. controls a n a rea of 100,000 square miles—neariy fou r t imes t h e size of Eire. I t acted as a s t a t e wi th in a s t a t e with i ts police, and mi l i t a ry d e t a c h m e n t s . T h e Governmen t in T e h e r a n —the capi ta l—was a mere servant of t h e Company . If any dissat isfact ion occurred a n d the Pe r s i an Governmen t wanted more independence in i ts act ion then t h e S o u t h e r n t r ibes were set agains t t he Cen-t ra l au thor i t i e s and the Gove rnmen t gave in. T h e Br i t i sh were m a s t e r of the g a m e of "divide a n d rule." as is shown by t h e I r i sh example. In 1933 when the Pe r s i an G o v e r n m e n t showed some slight f o r m of independence the Br i t i sh Author i t i e s forced the. Pers ians to ^ign a new t r ea ty renewing the concession to 1993.

How did the Pers ian people fa re? T h e Br i t i sh G o v e r n m e n t is pa in t ing an idyllic p ic ture of the wonders they have done for the workers in the oil fields. Mr. Robens , t he Minis ter of Labour said " the fac t was t h a t Pers ia and t h e Pers ian people h a d derived enormous benefi ts f rom the opera-t ions of the oil company." It seems t h a t while Mr. Robens a n d the Labour Gov-e r n m e n t may succeed in misleading cer-ta in sections of the populat ion of B r i t a i n the Pers ian workers know better .

HPHE represen ta t ive of the Pers ian Gov-e r n m e n t at t he In t e rna t iona l Labour

Confe rence s ta ted last November t h a t t h e oil workers receive s ta rva t ion wages. " T h e basic wages" of 40 wals a day (officially approximate ly 7/-, unofficially wor th only 3/6) the official budget says t h a t a f a m -ily of four mus t have a m i n i m u m of 40 g r a m s of m e a t or fish a day per person and 12 g r a m s of cheese. Th i s "royal m e a l " adds up to 77 wals. Hence you get a h igh degree of unde r -nour i shmen t and disease is widespread. Persia h a s the h ighes t in-f a n t mor ta l i ty in the world—500 per 1,000. In the whole of Persia only 77,315 ch i ld ren receive educat ion. Th i s out of a popula-tion of 17 million people.

It is hardly surprising that the Persian people were getting impatient with this beneficient Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. In 1946 a strike in the oil town of Abadan lasted over three weeks. This was a taste of what is coming. The British authorities did not like the growing strength of the workers, and pressure was exerted on the Shah and the Persian Government to sup-press the Tudeh party—the most orga-nised party of the workers, A pretext was found in 1948 and since then the Tuden

has been illegal, driven underground, but succeeded in maintaining its organisation and cohesion. | ) E C E N T L Y , in April th i s year, 17,000

workers went on s t r ike a t A b a a a n — this in a count ry where s t r ikes a re fo r -bidden by law. The str ike lasted over a for tn igh t . T h e r e were s y m p a t h y s t r ikes in the n o r t h in the textiles a r e a of I s f a h a n and t a k i n g even the Civil Service t h r e a t -ened to s t r ike as a solidari ty s ign wi th the oil workers Over 20,000 s t u d e n t s marched in T e h e r a n on April 22nd. In May over 70,000 demons t r a t ed in T e h e r a n . Mar t ia l Law and arrests , even shoot ings , did,.not f r i g h t e n the worker^ of Pers ia .

The c a m p a i g n fo r ' na t iona l i sa t ion of t h e oil in Pers ia h a s received t h e widest sup-port of t h e m a s s of the people. Tire Pe r -sian G o v e r n m e n t — a l t h o u g h composed of r ight w ing e lements—have not openly come out aga ins t the wishes of the people, and no G o v e r n m e n t will be able to s t ay a day m office t h a t will flout t he decis ion to na t iona l i se the oil.

The people of Persia are on the move, determined to sever their dependence on imperialism, and are also determined to sweep away all obstacles which are still in their way. 765,000 have signed the Peace petition: one must bear in mind that tha peace campaign is semi-illegal and has to be carried on under difficult circum-stances. ' p H E P e r s i a n people do n o t wish to have " t he i r coun t ry formed in to a war base

agains t t h e Soviet Union, which would throw the i r country into a wilderness. F o r imperial ism, Bri t ish a n d American. Pe r -sia is " t h e gateway to the rest of t h e Middle E a s t " and Capta in Liddell H a r t , the well-known Bri t ish mil i tary expe r t , says " i ts impor t ance lies in it being t h e way of a p p r o a c h by land or air to R u s -sia's oil fields in the Caucasus a n d h e r new indus t r i a l p lan ts in the Urals."

How the Br i t i sh Gove rnmen t cares f o r the f u t u r e of Persia can be seen a g a i n f rom C a p t a i n Liddell Har t who wri tes, in the case of war, the Brit ish to put a b r a k e on the Russ ians , must use demolit ion o n the roads t h r o u g h the mounta ins .

First exploit the resources of the coun-try, then ruin it by demolition.

The Persian people are determined to prevent this from happening.

T h e suppor t of every people m u s t be given to t h e m in th i s fight for Inde-pendence.

t to be glad It was not Norfolk, unfortunate Irish famille« the husband sits in Willes-

80/- a week for his room. In i g w i A r the >y>gip».

.and 33/8 for the accom-tfce wife and child. After that

'Hi '

'C V '.J?", t V '̂J t ^ :> Defy the splitters' gag operation

TT is utterly wrong and shameful that 1 the splitting activities of the lead-ers of the Anti-Partition League should be allowed to continue. The latest gag-ging operation, the expulsion of the Connolly Association members, is a grim warning that those who have manoeuvred themselves into the con-trei of the League are preparing an

tehery which will appal and ' the membership when It Is

' carried out. The last pretence that they stand for an INDEPENDENT united Ireland has been abandoned. They fear that If the

followers ri Connolly remain within tra rats, the enMhary ran* MM Me members, who are sound and patriotic W ^ i f i P and wop^n, will gather

III lire M t o f j t o s a c MtOhlSh th« fmany cirri

round militant republicans like Kll-commins and Kilroy, who would thus be able to save the movement from ex-tinction.

Yet the original leaders were not even able to draw up a constitution for the Ahti-Partitlon League, and had to get Pat Dooley to do it for them. Me drew up a broad democratic constitu-tion which was the admiration of simi-the world ever, and

r e a f l t a * h i m by oa-and nartpwmg and see-the provisions h« hacMnfro-a r t r a Cotmellf / I It wMtt than a ve*oe crying m the Tt^y treated

llamentary noli.

Party treated Larry Gin-There Is only one way to defeat the the ban. Let the steady influx Of Antl-the ban. Let the steady Influx of Arttl-Partitlon League members Into the Connolly Association grow anjl con-tinue. Stay in the League. Defy at-tempts to put ydti out. Appeal ta the members' good sense as Irish patriots to refuse to put the ban-me-Republi-cans resolution Into e f l e e t As May Hayes says on anqt

5 §

§ § 5 § § 5 §

Without the worti put into the first It was the C o r u m ESM2; it « M t aria haw hJik t B n separatist who jttfa& f

for" his l them the .way tha jr r"vrri~JrT J" 1 " T T W W 1 — T- i W0 . » rwmmmm ^

July, 1951 THE IRISH DEMOCRAT 7

THE ARTS IN ULSTER Review of new symposium by ANDREW BOYD

This month we publish two articles which examine cul-

| turel development in rela-tion to politics and social progress in Ireland. We invite further contributions to discussion of this import-

ant subject.

Threat to Irish Culture

by PAUL DEANE JT^VERI free nation has its own distinct F j contribution to make to world culture. However, to-day the economic and cultural predominance of certain large nat ions is such tha t the specific national cultures of smaller peoples are threatened with imminent de-struction. If present trends continue, the whole pa t te rn of Irish culture and outlook will be almost indistinguishable from tha t in Britain and America. American cars, American pop-corn and British manufac-tures are not alone responsible for this, but also the fact that the intellectual food of our people comes increasingly from foreign sources.

The cultural revival in Ireland, associated with the Gaelic League and the Abbey Thea t re ijn the period 1890 to 1920, failed to fulfil its promise under the Free State and under De Valera. It failed because of the continued uninterrupted economic domina-tion of Ireland by England. As long as Ire-land was not free to direct her own economic destiny in the best interests of her people, her own culture was subordinated to foreign importations, which on the free market were able to outstrip the native product.

HERITAGE To-day some groups in Ireland are plaster-

ing the walls with the call "Ban English publications." One might well ask the pur-pose of such a ban, so long as we continue to be flooded with cheap American "publica-tions and with British and American films. While it is interesting to note that the sen-sational Italian film, "Bitter Rice," has been shown in Dublin, while the much greater film, "Bioycle Thieves," has not, the truth remains that the solution lies not in the negative course of banning such importa-tions, but in the positive development of our own books and films—of our own culture.

What is valuable in our own culture? Firstly, there is our Gaelic heritage which imparts a distinctive flavour and quality. Our problem is to preserve this in its living form, namely in the peasants of the Gaelic-speaking areas. Unfortunately we are de-stroying this part of our heritage. Wantonly, we fail to see that the revival of Irish among English speaking children is a ludicrous sub-stitute for the preservation of the living ex-ponents of Gaelic culture.

Our native governments in some areas have done less for these people than the old Congested Districts Board, which indeed did very little. The necessity of emigration, whether permanently or seasonally, in order to live; the absence of markets in Gaelic-speaking areas; the appalling conditions of life we are leading to the disruption of life in these areas, and the adoption of the Eng-lish language, if not customs of mind, in order to live.

Some bright boys have suggested tha t we preserve our Gaelic heritage through the establishment of a library of gramophone records. What records can replace the living exponents of a culture?

SOLUTION The solution is simple but, in official terms,

no doubt Impractical. In our Irish-speaking areas, through the establishment of decent living conditions and the opportunity of con-genial employment, the people must be able to earn the living in the medium of their native tongue. Rural life must be reformed so that the womenfolk In particular are freed of their traditional burden of drudgery, drudgery of a type which makes every daugh-ter vow tha t her mother's lot shall not be hers, a vow which usually ends In emigra-tion, r a the r than in a resolution to stay and fight for better things. The provision of dance-hall*, recreational facilities, more papers and magazines in Irish, and even the construction of a radio station undei-local control, would enable the Gaelic speaker to lead a life in which his culture would be free to develop.

There is no simple solution to this prob-lem of securing a flourishing national cul-ture. Much can be done by arousing public awareness. Oiir writer* and artists nittut turn more to the people for help ahd inspira-tion. Our people can prc*Wht the market-without which our cultural wdrkera must starve or conform to another pattern.

The Stat* could play an important pari ia the protection (H o w threatened onlUirr and it* f u t a r o 4evelopment. Project* inch a* a National f k e a t r e and Concert Hail majr. only be acbtarrd through the c*-operkU«n of In-dividual initiative with the State and other public bodies, particularly trade unions.

| ' LSTER has been assessed geologi-cally and historical ly, pol i t ical ly

a n d economical ly—and s t ra teg ica l ly by ambi t ious imper ia l i s ts and Irish hucks t e r poli t icians; and now under the impe tus of C.E.M.A. and Dame Dehra P a r k e r ' comes a su rvey of Uls te r ' s a r t s ( T h e Ar ts in U ls ter , Har -rapp, 10 /6 ) . It is a sympos ium cover-ing a rch i tec tu re , d rama , pa in t ing and scu lp ture , prose, poet ry and music, w i th an in t roduct ion bv S a m H a n n a Bell .

Most of the contributors to this symposium realise that something is hindering cultural development in Ulster. John Hewitt, who writes on painting and sculptre, admits that "apar t from one or two talented emigrants, art is ts of Ulster descent are scarcely known outside the province." And Nevin Foster on music says that "Ulster so far as recent and present-day composers are concerned, cannot claim any figure to whom the term great could unhesitatingly be applied."

Only Denis O D Hanna, who surveys Ul-ster's architecture, comes anywhere near re-cognising the reason for this poverty of the ar ts in Northern Ireland. He sees the na-tional difficulty created by parti t ion and thinking in terms of the whole nation he writes:

"To-day Ireland is again developing an idiom of her own. Her task is to become a modern European country prepared to recog-nise tha t her cultural contribution must In-clude tha t of native and settler alike for by now all these ingredients go to make up Ireland."

• * •

he said that the aim of Ulster writers should be to realise Ulster to the rest of Ireland, not to erect a barrier between it and the other three provinces. Therefore, it is some-what pitiful to find Mr. John Boyd, who con-tributes the section on Ulster prose, writing that "it would be surprising indeed If the contribution of such a small and isolated province (my italics, A.B. > was a large and important contribution; and the t ru th is that we have not yet produced a dramatis t of the stature of Shaw, a poet of the s ta ture of Yeats, a novelist of the stature of Joyce."

But Shaw and Yeats and Joyce had a breadth of vision immeasurably greater than that of any present-day Ulster writer.

Unsettled conditions within the six coun-ties tend to make Ulster writers timid in their selection of subjects. The bitter and unreasonable ideological and political con-flict between Catholics and Protestants is left safely alone. They keep on the careful side—especially the short story writers—and confine themselves to the rural anecdote.

Sam Hanna Bell sees this preoccupation with the countryside. He quotes from John Hewitt who criticises Ulster writers for their "wee f a rm at the hill foot, the cabin by the moss-side. Yet, mind you (continues Hewitt) the writers are most of them townsmen. Never the feeling of a wet day in Royal Avenue, the t r am tickets stuck like wet leaves to the pavement."

Or if we wanted to be even more realist— never the feeling of a wet day in the ship-yards or the workers clinging on very t iny footholds to the rat t l ing red trams tha t bump their way up the Queen's Road every even-ing taking thirty-five minutes for a journey tha t could be walked in less than half t ha t time.

' T H E Ulster Theatre also suffers from the -L regionalism. David Kennedy tells us that as f a r back as 1902 in the days of the Ulster Branch of the Irish Literary Theat re "this regionalist att i tude was explicitly stated in their quarterly journal, "Ulad." To-day, the leader of the Ulster Theat re (the model to which they all look) is Mr. St. John Er-vine who makes no a t tempt to conceal his hat red of nationalist Ireland.

" I t is surely significant," writes Prof. Estvn Evans in this year 's Festival Guide to Northern Ireland, " tha t Ulster claims to have invented the kitchen comedy, still the staple form of drama In the province."

Ulster's drama, even in these days of the Abbey's decline, is eclipsed by the fame of tha t renowned Dublin theatre. And the Abbey became world famous because it was pa r t of the Irish people's struggle for inde-pendence. But "Ulster regionalism has failed to inspire great music or an impassioned lit-erature such as so often heralded political determination" because the Six Counties is an artificial state which cannot be justified historically, politically, or culturally. It re-mains in existence only because it suits the strategy of British imperialism and the vested interests of Ulster capitalism to keep it partitioned from the rest of Ireland.

And the ridiculous position exists where John Hewitt, poet and critic, can say that the crude and gaudy paintings of William of Orange, the present British Royal Family, or the late Lord Carson, which are often seen on the gable ends of houses, are an ex-pression of folk art, and Estyn Evans can record that the music of flute and drum bands on the Twelfth of July is more popular than traditional Ulster songs.

T > U T thp fusion of the cultures of native * ' and settler—if we can find no, better term than "settler"' for Protestant Irishmen —is exactly what the Ulster Unionist Coun-cil does not want, because having established and consolidated their rule with bombs and bigotry the Ulster Tories now desire to con-struct for their six-county statelet a separ-ate culture, a facade that would make them look different from the other twenty-six counties of Ireland.

Hence the encouragement given to their historian, Hugh Shearman and the literary audacity of their quixotic champion, St. John Ervine, that urbane playwright who would "biff" everyone who is not orange and true blue.

Now the latest announcement is that the Stormont government has guaranteed finan-cial support to a C.E.M.A. project for form-ing an Ulster repertory company. But if the at t i tude of mind behind this offer is the same as that which actuates the Unionists to demand control of the Northern Ireland re-gion of the B.B.C. because some of the pro-grammes on the air are too Irish in content, and do not put strongly enough the Union-ist case, then it would not help to create an independent theatre that would reflect and interpret all that is best In Ulster life.

The Ulster Unionists are so self-conscious about their political position, which they con-tinually strive to justify, that any offers of financial help. In any sphere whatsoever, cannot be without political motive, and be-ing Ulster business men and capitalists they know only too well the meaning of "he who pays the piper calls the tune."

rAMES Connolly warned aga ins t . t he sec-tarian partition of Irish culture when

r i O U U ) or dare any one of our .Ulster ^ Writers do for Belfast what Walter Greenwood did for Salford? Greenwood built his novel, "Love on the Dole," on the death of a worker during a clash with the police In the days of economic depression. In the unemployed struggles in 1932, two Belfast workers lost their lives.

But Sam Henna Bell would object to this because he thinks there is "nothing so tire-some as the individual who sees a novel in every sociological history." But surely the creation of a novel from some historical event depends on the courage, the ability and above all, the social consciousness of the novelist.

Anne Crone's novel, "Bridle Steen," a realistic and thoughtful study of the as yet irreconcilable conflict between the two Chris-tian religions in Fermanagh is briefly des-cribed by Mr. John Boyd as the upbringing of a girl in rural society.

Jane Austen brought up many girls in rural society but they had not to face the problems that perplexed Bridie Steen. Bridie Steen's was no ordinary upbringing of a country girl, but Mr. Boyd quotes Lord Dun-sany "who thinks it is not one of the great novels of our time," and leaves it at that. Yet "Bridie Steen" has been compared to Hardy's "Tess of the DUbervilles."

Boyd leaves also Donn Byrne, George Birmingham and Peader O'Donnell merely by putting down their names. He forgets to mention two of the best known historical novels on Ulster, "The Power of the Dog," a novel of Castlereagh in the aftermath of '88 and "The Northern Iron," which is the story of Jemmy Hope's part in the rebellion.

Boaks and Peftpfc LAST month we had news of *>* appeal

for wprld peace issued by welH writers. This month world-famous r have put out a similar appeal. P among them is Sir Arnold tijifct, MS*ter < King's MUdck, and well K j r ^ " ' - — associations with Ireland, include Sir Adriah Boult, ahd Aloh Bush. Isn't it tl artists inside Irelahd to d with the cause of peace?

TTLSTERMEN in the news recently include ^ W. R. Rodgers, who has been elected

to the Irish Academy of Letters, to fill the place created by the death of Bernard Shaw, and Tyrone Guthrie, who has been made * ' director of the Old Vic.

LONDON art galleries are giving plenty of wall-space at the moment tQ Irish

painters. Louis de Brocquy has an exhibition at Gimpel Fils; Norah McGulnness at the Leicester Galleries, and five young MSh painters have just had a Joint exhibition at another West End gallery.

JOHN FORD, the director of "the Grapes of Wrath" and "The In/ormer," is on;

location in Connemara, making a film ot Maurice Walsh's "The Quiet Man.", him are Barry Fitzgerald, yictor and John Wayne. Ford, wbo was bom I O'Fienne, comes from Bligo stock. ^ ^ ^

My Mnepeiitty l IkJY father and motfter were Irish m And I am Irish too: I bought a wee Adil for ninepence

And it i s Iristft too. I'm up in the morning early

To meet the dawn of the day, And to the lintwhites' piping

The many's a tune I play.

ONE pleasant eve in June time I met a lochrie-man :

His face amf hands ware weazen, His height wis not a span.

He boor'd me far my ftdil . . . "You know." *ay* lie, "like yott,

My father and mother Were Irish, And I am IriM (do!"

IE took my W4e red ftdil, And ttttih » t i i t * It* turned

The Glaise In H whtfeffTe The Llotian In It m1»rn,_

Says he, "My lad, you're lucky

I wish't I was like you: You're liraky in your hlrth star,

Ahtf in your ftdil, too!"

L I E gave me back my ftdil, " m y fftfll % m alto. And stepping like a may boy

He jamped the Leargaldti Knowe. I never ttW hihf affdr1,

i M W h U ^ m t l e kloa; But wbilMu I think I hear him

AtftfMmtlng IM tha wind I

| u | Y father and mother wore Irish M A m i I am Irish too:

I t « Wee ftdifc ftr ntnepande,

H1

[7 i ! , 8 THE IRISH DEMOCRAT July, 1951

TIE *

IRISH LANGUAGE PRESS reviewed by

A BELFAST CORRESPONDENT A N examinat ion o f the Irish J a n -

guage p r e s s o f r e c e n t m o n t h s shows that I r ish- I re land in common wi th other sections of the community, is searching for a solution to the prob-lems which confront the country both in the internat ional and domestic spheres.

This is expressed most clearly, perhaps, in the columns of "Comhar." the monthly magazine published in Dublin by the "Cotnh-chaidreamh." an organisation for Irish-speaking students in the universities. ^

Recent issues have dealt with such ques-tions as Ireland's neutrality in a future war, pointing out that if Ireland was drawn into the American block and British and Ameri-can troops were stationed in the country as

BOXING by J. A. Doyle

THE LUCKIEST 1 N their annual Trinity Week tournament

the DuJ>lin University Boxing Club beat St. Mary's B.C., London, by seven bouts to one at the Trinity Gymnasium, Dublin.

The best bout of the evening was the middleweight contest between M. McCor-mack (Dublin University) and A. Atkinson (St. Mary's). These two boys went at it straight from the bell. The first two rounds produced plenty of good solid punching, but in the third round the Irish boy got home a telling straight left and following up with a flurry of punches put his opponent down for a count of eight.

Tha? only London ...win for the (.night was registered vjHMtfr Welterweight, J. Suther-land? Tii'ut u£ a hWllv trood ftght against P. Shanks to gain a well deserved victory.

Other results were: Feather: B. Browett (T.C.D.) bt Beauso-

leil. Lightweight: G. Kostick (T.C.D.) bt W. Murphy (St. Mary's). Welter: P. Shanks (T.C.D.) lost to L. Sutherland (St. Mary's). Light-middle: M. McCormack (T.C.D.) bt A. Atkinson (St. Mary's). Cruiser: J. Nisco (T.C.D.) bt P. Bradford (St. Mary's). Heavy: R. Clynch (T.C.D.) bt E. Whitburn (St. Mary's). Light: B. Murphy (T.C.D.) bt P. Pribram (St. Mary's). Some time ago I wrote in this column that

Jack Gardiner, the British Empire and Euro-pean heavyweight champion, was the luckiest champion ever, and how right I was. Gar-diner was indeed fortunate that his last fight was not a championship fight. I have never seen a champion so easily beaten. Should Jack Gardiner ever enter the ring with Johnny Williams, the Rugby boy will leave minus his boxing titles.

Most of my readers have heard of the fa-mous Donnelly's Hollow, situated at the Curragh, Co. Kildare. Here is the reason for It being famous:

DONNELLY AND COOPER COME all you true bred Irishmen, I hope you will 'draw near, And likewise pay attention to those few lines

I have here. It is as true a story as ever you did hear Of how Donnelly fought Cooper on the Cur-ragh, of Kildare. It was on the 3rd of June, brave boys, the

challenge was sent o'er From Britannia to old Grania to raise her son once more, To renew the satisfaction and the credit to recall, They are all ia deep distraction since Daniel conquered

Old Grania read the challenge and received it with a smile: "You'd better hasten to Kildare, my well beloved child; It'» therto you'll reign victorious as you often did before, And your deeds will shine most glorious around sweet Erin's shore." The challenge was accepted and those heroes did prepare To meet brave Captain Kelly on the Curragh of Kildare. Those Englishmen bet ten to one that day against poor Dan. Such odds as this could fte'er dismay the Mood of an Irishman.

J

Were When those two. bully off In the ring, war* then fully determined each other's

v f e a i M t k ' 1 ' n

tiae-they parried that t l n » ~ ,y i J I H H taoriu* h l m o w r n : I do»r, my child, t

a consequence, the gains achieved as a result ol the strtiLisir lor national independence and the revival ot the language would be lost.

Americanism A leading article in the January issue of

the same journal entitled "The American Danger," expressed alarm at the growing American influence on all aspects of Irish life and called for a firm stand against fur-ther American penetration.

On the question of Partition, the line is taken that the people in the Twenty-six Counties must return to the policy of Tone and the United Irishmen and make an ap-peal to the progressive-minded people of the North.

All sections of the Irish language Press are united in demanding that the Government assist in the establishment of an Irish film industry. This would help to some extent to combat the flooding of the county with American "culture" and war propaganda through the medium of the cinema. A news reel company was actually established a short time ago and made several first-class news reels but found difficulty in having these displayed as most of the cinemas in Ireland are controlled by British monopolies; conse-quently it went out of business.

It was the Dr. Browne case, however, which emphasised the progressive tendency

of the Irish language press more than any-thing. The weekly paper. "Indiu." owing perhaps to the fact that it receives a gran! from the Government, did not comment sharply on the case but gave guarded edi-torial support to Dr. Browne in a leading article in last month's issue. Another writer in the same issue points out that if the Re-publicans had heeded the Bi.^hop in the past, that there would be no Republic in Ireland to-day.

Controversy This editorial is. however, under heavy

fire in the correspondence columns of this month's issue. Apparently, a resolution passed at a meeting of the committee respon-sible for the publication of the magazine, stating the views expressed, did not repre-sent completely the views ol the committee. I t is stated editorially however that the Busi-ness Committee of the magazine examined the editorial and decided by a heavy major-ity to stand by it.

These cross-currents and conflicts of opin-ion show that sections of the middle class are searching for a progressive solution to the problems which face Ireland in the pre-sent tense international situation and that there is a basis for a national anti-imperial-ist front mobilised around a broad popular programme of resistance to imperialist and domestic reaction.

NEXT MONTH y jfriebricb Hsngels's

"History of Ireland 9

WILL BE CONTINUED I C A C I N © McGinty

«*jNMW* *>-*»>

k l c G I N T Y , in our M a y issue, ad-vised our readers to fol low the

fo l lowing 12 horses over the distance he set out. Here is an abstract f rom his co lumn of our M a y issue

"After weeks of sifting information I have compiled a dossier of the following 12 horses which will, I think, show a profit if backed every time they run. I have a feeling we will be well in at the end of

(Continued from Preceding Column) The second round that Cooper fought he knocked down Donnelly, And Dan likewise, being of true game, he rose most furiously. Eight active then was Cooper, lie knocked Donnelly down again. Those Englishmen they gave three ehecrs, saying: "The battle is all in vain."

Long life to brave Miss Kelly, 'tis recorded on the plain. She boldly stepped into the ring, saying, "Dan, what do you mean?" "Well done," says she, "brave Donnelly, my Irish boy, machree! My whole estate I have laid out on you, brave DonneJUy."

Then Donnelly rose up again and meeting wtth great might. To stagnate those nobles all, he continued on the flfltf. , Tho' Cooper stood in his own defence, exer-tkm proved in vain, For be seen receired a temple blow that hurled him o'er the rails.

Y4u sons of proud Britannia, your (toasting w * rwjtU. Since Hjifligrr by Dan Donnelly has met his

In etrven rounds he got nine knock-downs, " •"' • h broken Jaw-bone, 'SMke . h a n f e " Mid the, "brave Donnelly,

the twttfc is all our own." — Sent by Mrs. J. Tobln, Montenotte,

Cork.

the season and hope you punters will re-member the "Irifeh Democrat" Fighting Fund:— Keepatwoatwo, Tancred, Fair Seller, Chief

Justice. Ki Ming, Saved, Abadan, Backtor, Par Avon. North Carolina, Prince Hamlet, Chinese Cracker.

Here is a record of how they ran : — NORTH CAROLINA, won 5 to 1 FAIR SELLER, won 1 to 5 TANCRED, won 15 to 8 NORTH CAROLINA, won 10 to I FAIR SELLER, won 5 to 5 SAVED, won 4 to 6 CHINESE CRACKER, won 7 to 4 KEEPATWOATWO, 2nd 11 to 4 FAIR SELLER, 2nd 6 to 4 KI MING, 2nd 3 to 1 CHINESE CRACKER, 2nd . . . . 10 to 1 FAIR SELLER, 3rd 3 to 1 PAR AVON, 3rd 5 to 2 | BACKTOR, 3rd 9 to 2 1

Those selected also included a Big Win and Place Double, North Carolina 10-1 and Tancred 15-8. Also a place double, Backtor and Fair Seller and Chinese Cracker and Fair Seller. From May to June 22nd we show a clear profit of £41 7s. 7d.

Here are my 12 to follow for July and August:—

Backtor

Keppatwoatwo

Saved. Arctic Prince Lively Bloom Prima vera Fiery Torch Abftdan Par Avon Sybil'* Nephew B i r U u m f o Royal Enterance.

SEE ME AGAir t I ' T K T H E K increase in pr in t ing costs :

111 \I) \( III s AND HIAKTAOHKS. T h e capi ta l i s t p a p e r s do not have In worry .

They increase t h e cost to t h e i r advert isers as well as ra i s ing the price to t h e reader . No such safe ty valve for t h e 'Democra t . ' Only as t h e l a s t r e s o r t would we in-crease the pr ice to our r eaders .

We are the only paper to remain at the old price. But expenses must he met and can only be done with your support. Kvei v single copy must be sold, and we earnestly ask our read> > send generously to our Fighting Fund, ot •> wise the paper is in danger.

Our special notice on Page Three that our Organiser may be appointed on August 1st is a matter for your special attention. Please do send TO-DAY every penny you can afford.

P. Cuddy 2/6; Mrs. Dokes 2/-; S. Konayne 2 -; M. Fogarty 4 -; P. Kilroy 2/-; M. Gray ,£1; B. Burke 2/6; P. McLaughlin £1; American Sympathiser £ 2 ; West London £8-16-0; G. Fitzgerald 2/-; Margt. Larmour 2/6; American Sympathiser =£1-8-4.

MAY HAYES

G . A . A , I W E X F O R D , by beat ing Dubl in 6.9 " to 4.6 in the Leinster Senior

Hur l ing semi-final at K i lkenny , quali-fied to meet Laoighis in the final at Croke P a r k on Ju ly 15th.

Dublin's big fau l t lay in its forward line, which th rew a w a y certain points in their effort to score goals. T h e unyielding W e x f o r d defence fought hard and held the Dubl in forwards out in the second hal f . This was a very disappointing t ie and did not come up to the standard of the Laoighis-Ki lkenny t ie.

Dublin were beaten both in the air and on the ground, this induced them to switch round their forward line. O'Neill went to centre field and Allen into the forward line, but this, however, failed to make any differ-ence to a game that Wexford was winning hands dow n.

On their performance against Kilkenny the men of Laoighis should give Wexford a hard game. Personally, I think Laoighis, showing the same form as they did against the Kil-kenny team, should win.

At the same venue the Dublin minor liur-lers qualified to meet Kilkenny in the linal by defeating Wexford by 4.4 to 2.3.

-by-DESMOND

BARRY The Boys of Wexford were a beaten team at the start of the second half, and were easily outclassed by the Dublin side. Tipperary, fielding only seven of their all-Ireland team, easily beat Clare's best team in the final of the Thomond Shield by 5.13 to 3.4. Tipp's policy of taking their oppor-tunity of scoring points and not going all out for the major score certainly paid dividends. This too, was noticeable in their tie against Galway at Mitcham during the WhitSirti holidays. Cavan defeated Down by 2.9 to 0.7 in the first round of the Ulster Senior football championships. It was only in the second half that the Cavan men really played like a team. I am doubtful, however, if this team will regain the Ulster championship. Down missed many chances by dawdling when scores seemed likely and on their display deserved to lose. TIh» title-holders, Armagh, had a fairly easy win over Tyrone whom they beat 1.3 to 2.3 in their opening round of the Ulster football championship. Other results were:— Ulster football championships, Antrim 1.6, Donegal 1.3. Ulster Junior Hurling cham-pionship, Down 6.4, Cavan 4.2. Ulster Minor football championship, Fermanagh 2.7, MoMghan 0.7.

Printed by Ripley Printing Society Ltd. (T.U.), Ripley, Derbys., and published by the Editor at 13 Lambs Conduit Passage, London, W.C.I. *

MMW