Reminding the world of God

1‘‘eIRISH CATHOLIC:44. vtanilbstrosan,net ' CENTENARY YEAR ' r..91 rmc hallmark of The Irish Catholic's success in the last 100 years. Since it first hit Dublin's news stands in May 1888, it has had just five editors, and the present incumbent, Nick Lundberg, is only the second since 1936.
The Irish Catholic was founded by TD Sullivan, the fervent patriot and onetime MP and Lord Mayor of Dublin, in the offices of The Nation, the radical organ of Irish nationalism.
TD Sullivan from Bantry in Cork provided the paper with a distinct nationalist identity which has endured for a century. In an early edition, the death of the former leader of the Irish Party, Charles Stewart Parnell, is movingly recounted by a reporter from The Irish Catholic.
Parnell's death came shortly after his affair with Mrs Kitty O'Shea was exposed, causing him to resign in disgrace from the leadership.
"It appears that Mr Parnell caught a chill last week and took to his bed on Friday night" says the report in the issue dated October 10, 1891. "He was attended by Doctors Towers, senior and junior, but died last night at his residence, at half past eleven." Ever sensitive to the human dimension of world events, the paper notes sympathetically that "the event has cast quite a gloom over Mr Parnell's household and Mrs O'Shea is prostrate from the shock."
The following week's edition, of October 17, is similarly detailed in its account of Parnell's funeral, reproducing many of the messages from friends and relatives written on the wreaths placed on the grave.
"On a wreath sent by the Belfast Parnell Leadership Committee, the word 'Murdered' was worked in flowers, chiefly violets, and lower down was the word 'Revenge.' The wreath sent by the Gaelic Athletic Association had on it the words 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth'."
"Shortly after the funeral procession had left the City Hall an unpleasant incident occurred. The horse attached to one of the carriages became restive and endeavoured to gallop away, until held by some members of the crowd standing by. The people in the neighbourhood of the carriage rushed down Cork Hill as hurriedly as the crush would allow. . . some children were knocked down in the stampede."
The leading article suggested that "the death of Mr Parnell is one of those events which reminds the world of God. . . Mr Parnell has died unrepentant for his offences against God and against his country, . . . but yet we can afford to think of a period not so long distant when Charles Stewart Parnell was the true and trusted leader of the representatives of our nation, and no thought of his unworthiness came between him and the love and loyalty of the ris By 1913, when civil unrest boiled over in the streets of Dublin, William Dennehy became the owner and editor of the paper, and on his death in 1918 it became a limited company.
Dennehy had replaced Robert Donovan in the editor's chair and was himself succeeded by. Patrick J Fogarty, who had previously served on the paper as assistant editor. Fogarty remained in charge until his death in 1936, just before The Irish Catholic celebrated its Golden Jubilee, when his son, Lee Fogarty, in turn became managing director until his death in 1977.
His succcessor, John Ryan, managed to surmount the difficulties of the war years with the help of dull grey "emergency newsprint" and his reign extended to translating the complexities of the second Vatican Council in the 1960s WI consi • era e c an y o iS readers.
During his editorship, the offices of The Irish Catholic moved to their present position at 55 Lower Gardiner Street. John Ryan remained at the paper until he died in 1981, after completing 45 years as editor.
To celebrate the centenary of The Irish Catholic, Bishop Donal Murray, Auxiliary in Dublin, gave a lecture looking to the future in the Irish House of Lords in Dublin's College Green in honour of the paper, and there was a civic reception in the Mansion House on Wednesday attended by the present Lord Mayor of Dublin, Carmencita Hederman.
On Thursday May 19 the Primate of All Ireland, Cardinal Tomas 0 Fiaich, will be celebrating Mass for the paper at Blackrock College, and throughout the remainder of the year a Mass will be said by the local bishop in every diocese in Ireland.