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| O'CONNELL MEMORIAL CHURCH, CAHIRCIVEEN, CO. KERRY. -This artistic memorial church, erected in honor of Daniel O'Connell, within a short distance of the place of his birth, is mainly the result of arduous and unselfish labor on the part of the Very Rev. Canon Brosnan, parish priest of Cahirciveen. Although far advanced exteriorly, it is not yet completed, chiefly owing to lack of funds, but, when it is entirely finished, it will be one of the most classic memorial structures in Europe. The edifice is situated in a highly romantic country, and every spot of the ground in its neighborhood is connected with some tradition of the Irish Liberator, as he was somewhat grandiosely styled by his amities. He deserved the title of Emancipator of the Catholics, but he utterly failed in his effort to liberate Ireland from the British connection, as established by the "Union" act of A. D. 1800. O'Connell, where residing at Derrynane abbey-his Kerry home-frequently attended mass at Cahireiveen chapel. In the words of Richard Lalor Shiel, he loved, in his mountain retreat, "to listen to the murmurs of the great Atlantic; to inhale the freshness of the morning air, and, encompassed by the loftiest images of liberty on every side, look out from some high place far and wide into the island whose greatness and glory shall ever be associated with his name." |
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