GAELIC LEAGUE IS PROSPEROUS

The Butte Miner, Butte, 1907-11-04, p.6

Summary

Sub-head: "SPLENDID RECORD HAS BEEN MADE IN STUDY OF OLD IRISH LANGUAGE / Election of Officers Is Held, Work of First Year Is Reviewed and Forecast Made of Future Plans. President Is Reelected." Review of progress by the Butte Gaelic League in the nine months since organization (founded c. Feb 1907). Sunday Nov 3 1907 annual meeting. **Officers elected:** - President — James P. Moriarty (reelected for second term) - Vice president — John M. McCarthy - Recording secretary — Dennis Shea - Financial secretary — Thomas Belford - Treasurer — Daniel O'Neill - Librarian — John J. McCarthy - Chaplain — Father O'Kennedy of St. Joseph's parish Biographical detail on officers — all Gaelic-language-credentialed: - **President Moriarty** is "one of the best Gaelic scholars in the country today." - **Vice-President McCarthy** is "a capable instructor." - **Recording secretary Dennis Shea** is a graduate of the national schools in Ireland. - **Treasurer Daniel O'Neill** is also a graduate of the national schools in Ireland. - **Librarian John J. McCarthy** is also a graduate of the national schools in Ireland. - **Financial secretary Thomas Belford** is a graduate of the University of Dublin. - **Chaplain Father O'Kennedy** was educated at the famous college of Maynooth and was editor of a paper published in Gaelic. "He is the only priest in Montana having command of the ancient tongue of Erin." ~300 members across various classes. Fifth grade just completed — corresponds to 8th grade of public schools. Course completed in 9 months by members "having never seen the Gaelic alphabet until this year." Program: Irish dances — four-hand reel by Con Creede, Daniel Coleman, Miss Katie Murphy, Miss Annie Shea; hornpipes Miss Frances Buckley and John Leahy; jig and reel John Leahy, James Connell, Miss Nora Sullivan, Miss Frances Buckley; violin solo William Hickey. Songs in English and Gaelic: "Come Back to Erin" Mrs. Rose Sealy; Gaelic song Peter Moynihan; "Eileen Alannah" Miss Kate Kelly; Gaelic song J. H. McCarthy; "Who Fears to Speak of '98?" William Powers; Gaelic song John Sullivan; Irish patriotic song Con Sullivan; Gaelic song John Leahy; "Kathleen Mavourneen" Miss Frances Buckley; and "The Harp That Once Thro' Tara's Halls" and "The Minstrel Boy" sung in Gaelic by the junior class. Closing: President Moriarty gave an original ode in Gaelic and closed with an address congratulating the organization on its progress, urging greater zeal in revival of Irish traditions and language. ARCHIVE SIGNIFICANCE. (a) **EARLIEST documented Butte Gaelic League activity** — organisation founded c. February 1907, 300 members by November 1907. Pushes the Butte Irish language-revival back to early 1907. (b) The Moriarty/McCarthy/Shea/Belford/O'Neill/O'Kennedy leadership is overwhelmingly Cork/Munster-coast Irish-born and Maynooth/Dublin-credentialed — i.e., serious Gaelic scholars, not amateur enthusiasts. The Butte Gaelic League is run by Irish national-school graduates and a Maynooth priest. (c) **Miss Katie Murphy** participates in the four-hand reel — another Butte Murphy woman in the Irish cultural scene. (d) **Junior class sings "The Harp That Once Thro' Tara's Halls" and "The Minstrel Boy" in Gaelic** — i.e., the Butte Gaelic League's children's program by Nov 1907 had children fluent enough to sing Thomas Moore's romantic-nationalist songs in Irish, not English.

Also mentioned

James P. Moriarty · gaelic_league_president_reelected
John M. McCarthy · gaelic_league_vice_president
Dennis Shea · gaelic_league_recording_secretary
Thomas Belford · gaelic_league_financial_secretary_dublin_university
Daniel O'Neill · gaelic_league_treasurer
John J. McCarthy · gaelic_league_librarian
Father O'Kennedy · gaelic_league_chaplain_st_josephs_maynooth_only_gaelic_speaking_priest_in_montana
Per this clipping, the only priest in Montana 'having command of the ancient tongue of Erin.' Maynooth-trained, was editor of a Gaelic-language paper before emigration.
Miss Katie Murphy · four_hand_reel_dancer
Another Butte Murphy in the Irish-cultural scene. No middle initial or distinguishing detail beyond first name + dancer role.
Con Creede · four_hand_reel_dancer
Daniel Coleman · four_hand_reel_dancer
Miss Annie Shea · four_hand_reel_dancer
Miss Frances Buckley · hornpipe_jig_reel_song_kathleen_mavourneen
John Leahy · hornpipe_jig_reel_gaelic_song
James Connell · jig_and_reel
Miss Nora Sullivan · jig_and_reel
Recurring Butte Norah/Nora Sullivan.
William Hickey · violin_solo
Mrs. Rose Sealy · come_back_to_erin_song
= the Mrs. Rose Sealey who is in the 1911 Irish-American Ball chorus.
Peter Moynihan · gaelic_song
Miss Kate Kelly · eileen_alannah_song
J. H. McCarthy · gaelic_song
William Powers · who_fears_to_speak_of_98_song
John Sullivan · gaelic_song
Con Sullivan · irish_patriotic_song

Places

Butte, Montana (primary)

Themes

Story threads

Source type

news_item, public_meeting_report, list_of_officers

Related sources

Transcription

transcription: complete · confidence high

# GAELIC LEAGUE IS PROSPEROUS ## SPLENDID RECORD HAS BEEN MADE IN STUDY OF OLD IRISH LANGUAGE ### Election of Officers Is Held, Work of First Year Is Reviewed and Forecast Made of Future Plans. President Is Reelected. *The Butte Miner, Monday morning, November 4, 1907, p. 6.* Review of the progress made by the Gaelic league in the nine months since its organization was in order at yesterday's meeting, at which officers for the ensuing year were elected. James P. Moriarty was chosen president for another term, and the other officers are: John M. McCarthy, vice president; Dennis Shea, recording secretary; Thomas Belford, financial secretary; Daniel O'Neill, treasurer; John J. McCarthy, librarian; and Father O'Kennedy of St. Joseph's parish, chaplain. The officers chosen are enthusiasts in the study of Gaelic, and are numbered among the experts for their proficiency in the ancient language. President Moriarty is one of the best Gaelic scholars in the country today, and Vice-President McCarthy is a capable instructor, who has devoted much time to the study prior to the organization of the league in Butte. Dennis Shea, the recording secretary, is a graduate of the national schools in Ireland, as is also Daniel O'Neill, the treasurer, and John J. McCarthy, the librarian. All three have completed their education in this country. Thomas Belford, the financial secretary, is a graduate of the University of Dublin and Father O'Kennedy was educated at the famous college of Maynooth, where he was editor of the paper published in Gaelic. He is the only priest in Montana having command of the ancient tongue of Erin, and is especially competent to take a leading part in the work of the league. There are about 300 members in the various classes, and a remarkable amount of work has been accomplished. The fifth grade has just been completed and the students are ready to take up more advanced instruction. The fifth grade corresponds to the eighth grade of the public schools, and this course has been completed in nine months by the class, many of the members having never seen the Gaelic alphabet until this year. The program yesterday had as the first part a number of Irish dances — a four-hand reel by Con Creede and Daniel Coleman, Miss Katie Murphy and Miss Annie Shea; hornpipes by Miss Frances Buckley and John Leahy; and a jig and reel by John Leahy, James Connell, Miss Nora Sullivan and Miss Frances Buckley. William Hickey played a violin solo. Songs were given both in English and Gaelic, as follows: "Come Back to Erin," Mrs. Rose Sealy; Gaelic song, Peter Moynihan; "Eileen Alannah," Miss Kate Kelly; Gaelic song, J. H. McCarthy; "Who Fears to Speak of '98?" William Powers; Gaelic song, John Sullivan; Irish patriotic song, Con Sullivan; Gaelic song, John Leahy; "Kathleen Mavourneen," Miss Frances Buckley; and "The Harp That Once Thro' Tara's Halls" and "The Minstrel Boy," sung in Gaelic by the junior class. President Moriarty gave an original ode in Gaelic, and closed the meeting with an address in which he congratulated the organization on the progress already registered, and urged the members to even greater zeal in the revival of the Irish traditions and language.

Open questions

James P. Moriarty as Butte Gaelic League president 1907-08 — JJM becomes "President Murphy" of the Gaelic League by Aug 1911 per the 1911-08-28 picnic clipping. The 4-year interval (Moriarty 1907 → JJM 1911) suggests JJM took over sometime 1909-1911. Worth tracking.
Father O'Kennedy = "the only priest in Montana having command of the ancient tongue of Erin" (Nov 1907) — a notable Cork-Gaelic-scholar Catholic priest. Recurs through the JJM cluster as a speaker, banquet attendee, picnic footballer.