Canon Doyle, P.P., Rector of Ramsgrange, Arthurstown, has recently sent a letter to the Bishop of Raphoe in which he criticizes the Irish party in the Commons, stating that they have brought nothing but shame and disgrace upon the country. The letter, dated February 11th, reveals that Canon Doyle had received a document addressed “to the Irish people” and signed by the Bishop, J.E. Redmond, M.P., and Alderman O’Mara of Limerick. Canon Doyle expresses his disrespect for the document and its signatories, stating that if not for the respect he holds for the Bishop, he has a disdain for the document.
Canon Doyle speaks particularly harshly about Mr Redmond, saying he wants nothing to do with the so-called “Irish party.” According to Canon Doyle, the party’s actions have caused embarrassment and suffering for the country for the last ten to eleven years. He asserts that the party does not have the qualities necessary to enact significant change or build a bright future for Ireland. He argues that their existence only dims the potential of the nation.
As new churches, monasteries, convents, and schools are constructed, the strength, youth, and beauty of the Irish people continue to fade at an alarming rate. Canon Doyle implies that the future of their nation requires divine intervention to reveal and inspire the kind of leaders needed to revitalize the Irish spirit.
The unauthorized Dublin Convention is another issue addressed in the letter. It reportedly sends Willie Redmond, M.P., and Joseph Devlin, M.P., to seek financial support to maintain “the drunkards, blackguards, and blacklegs and spongers” in the British Parliament. Canon Doyle pleads with his relatives and friends in North and South America and Canada not to give any financial assistance to the Irish party, who he believes have been a curse and a calamity to their unfortunate country for the last eleven years.
Instead, Canon Doyle urges for a better representation of the Irish in Parliament, saying there is one man worthy of returning as Ireland’s representative. This individual, along with a few existing members from the Commons, would receive Canon Doyle’s financial support, but he would give nothing to the current Irish party as it is constituted. Furthermore, he pleads with his friends and family to sever all connections with the party and cease any financial contributions to its cause.
Lincolnshire Chronicle – Friday 21 March 1902
