Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 10 June 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Michael O'Riordan

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This letter was written by Monsignor Michael O'Riordan (1857-1919), rector at the Irish College in Rome, to Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer (1842-1917), who served as the Bishop of Limerick from 1888 until his death. O’Riordan begins this letter by referring to O’Dwyer’s ‘famous correspondence’ with General Maxwell (1859 – 1929). This included O’Dwyer’s letter to Maxwell on 30 May 1916 in which he denounced the shooting of the insurgency leaders of Easter Week 1916 ‘in cold blood’ and the deporting of thousands without trial, and declared Maxwell's regime ‘one of the worst and blackest chapters in the history of the misgovernment of this country’.In the letter O’Riordan also describes an event during which he was branded a Fenian by Bishop Dontonville and the subsequent fallout between the two.

 Limerick Diocesan Archive LDA/BI/ET/I/239/2/1 https://letters1916.ie/item/2675 English Michael O'Riordan 1916-06-10 Irish College, Rome, Italy Edward Thomas O'Dwyer Male 1919 Easter Rising Ireland 1916 Easter Rising Ireland 1916

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 Irish CollegeRome 10th June 1916 My Lord Bishop, I write to thank youfor sending me the 'cutting' aboutthe famous correspondence. Since thenone from the Evening Mail was sentme from Dublin, and I have seen italso in the Catholic Times. Nothingthat pays, disedifies the Irish Timesor the Mail; and thus The Freemanpays for its piety. I have also readyour Lordship's reply to the Limerick Guardians. It nicely supplementsyour reply to Sir John Maxwell.Those good persons have been broughtup, and are so much in the habitof thinking of, & of dealing withthe Anglican Church as a departmentof the Civil service, that he thoughthe was making quite a natural& rightful claim in on you. That heappealed to you lest he should have toarrest the two priests is simply anuntruth; for I suppose that he hasno greater regard for a Limerick priestthan for a Dublin one; and a Fr Flanaganof Ringsend was one of the first prisonersmade; and I believe that Fr Nevin of thePassionists was also taken prisoner.They were so blinded with anger thathe was as a mad bull rushingblindly through the Country — [questionable reading],as the poor old Doitinused to quote from a Latin Grammarhe once learned. I suspect his is nowa sadder, and I hope a wiser man. People are going mad — I thoughtI was a very mutual person, till theVui — Rutn told me some days ago thatBp Dontonvialle (lately Bp in Canada,now of the Oblates) had said toa lady What can you think when theRutn of the Irish College is a Fenian!I laughed at it; but I wrote to himat once however. He wrote very apologeticallysaying he did not remember it, & that hewas ready to do anything I asked — nota very satisfactory, nor a very consistent answer I wrote back today that what I wantedwas not an apology, but evidence of myFenianism; that presumably I should pass itoff without caring, but inasmuch as I amintimately connected with a College here,and with a hierarchy in Ireland, I cantlet it pass, specially as it was said byone in his Lordship's position. He paidme two visits in the mater. Although wewere very friendly, he will be more cautiousin future. I told him that I wanted noapology; that he cant now prevent personswhispering it as his authority. But if Ihear being whispered, I shall loga formal complaint before the Pope andLord . De Lai. Here is another symptom of currentlunacy. they have been saying that thePopes' recent telegram to Logue wasdictated by me. When they saw from Irish CollegeRome the papers that I had an audiencea few days ago, they said Thatdarn man has been with the Popeagain, after Lord Asquith They [questionable reading] similarly because I happenedto have an audience a day or twoafter Mr Asquith. And other thingsequally foolish. It's not enoughto say nothing to or of them. Onedeleted text must become a phonographor a parrot to speak their words,deleted textand a toy worked of wires to danceto their tunes. We are very friendly;but it is now new to them to find anIrishman daring not to trouble aboutthem & have his own way. This would be a rare occasionto start a strong daily paper inIreland — strongly & truly national, andHouse with Catholic instincts. If itwas controlled by a small but strongCommittee, giving a good Editora good deal of independence, itwould take the Country. I supposeit could not be safely begun withouta capital of £50,000 or £60,000.For it should make a strong spurfrom the very start. If the Bishopsshould think of such a project, youcan put me down for shares tothe extent of £200 or £300,or more if necessary. If the Bps shouldthink of such a project, Dr Cleary, the Bishop of Auckland will be soon in Ireland. He will be a help for he is apractised newspaper man I enclose a Sermon I preached in St Patricks Church on St Patrick'sDay. I was asked to prepare it forpublication; for I had not all writtenbefore I preached it. But what is publishedis practically the same as I spoke; infact is, I think nearly so, sentence forsentence; for I had some parts writtenout & committed to memory, and the restthought out with great care.The Vice— Rector sent a few passagesto the Catholic Bulletin; but the Censorexcised some sentences abut the famine— I draw a line about them on Page 22& 23. & lest you should read them, &have spirit & historical truthdamaged. I thought I was speakinga well-known truth; but evidentlythe Government representatives still thinkthe Irish famine was a real one, & notone manufactured by them and their Garrisonin Ireland. I have a long note on the matter, onpages 32 — to 35, letter from CardinalPerrauds' — L'Irlande Contemporaire. It is printed accurately enough.But there are several errors inthe notes; but they are quite illegible. I am my LordYours obediently M O Riordan Michael O'Riordan Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 12 May 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 27 May 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 10 June 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 23 October 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to the Right Rev. Monsignor Denis Hallinan, 23 October 1916 Edward Thomas O'Dwyer Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 12 May 1916Letter from Eoin McNeill to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 18 April 1916Letter from C. Moran to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 15 August 1916Letter from W. H. Grattan Flood to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 15 September 1916Letter from R. Barry O'Brien to Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer, 12 February 1916Letter from General John Grenfell Maxwell to Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer, 6 May 1916Letter from General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell to Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer, 12 May 1916Letter from Arthur to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 14 January 1916Letter from Fr. C. F. Maher to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 16 April 1916Letter from Fr. Peter C. Yorke to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 26 June 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 27 May 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 10 June 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 23 October 1916Letter from M. M. Carroll to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 1 June 1916Letter from the Limerick City Regiment of the Irish Volunteers to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 14 September 1916Letter from Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer to General John Grenfell Maxwell, 17 May 1916Letter from Patrick Carey to Edward O'Dwyer, D.D., 29 November 1915 Irish College, Rome, Italy Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 12 May 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 27 May 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 10 June 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 23 October 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to the Right Rev. Monsignor Denis Hallinan, 23 October 1916