majority, but though
the Irish vote in these wards was expected for Liberal candidates, who
were not Irish or Catholic, in no other ward could a Catholic or
Irishman be elected. We, therefore, commenced to make a change by
putting forward for Scotland Ward one of our own men, Lawrence Connolly,
as a Home Ruler, and elected him _as such_. He afterwards sat in the
Imperial Parliament for an Irish constituency. His election was followed
in succeeding years by that of other Home Rulers, so that there was soon
a considerable Nationalist Party in the City Council, and no lack of
public men to do the honours for the Irishmen of Liverpool when any
distinguished fellow-countryman came amongst them. Their civic utility
was very great.

Though I have been over twenty years out of Liverpool, I have never lost
sight of what has been going on there, and I am pleased to find that the
younger generation--men whom we, the elders, have borne some share in
training--have improved upon our work, and that there are now
considerably more aldermen and city councillors than in our time.

That they are doing good work I am well satisfied, and nothing gives me
greater pleasure than to read from time to time in the papers such items
as a recent one--the presentation of a congratulatory address from the
local branches of the United Irish League to Councillor Thomas Burke on
the occasion of his being made a magistrate of the city of Liverpool. I
am somewhat proud of Tom Burke. I remember having charge of some
election that was going on, and his coming to me, a very small boy, from
Blundell Street, to offer his services. I put him in harness at once,
and he has been at work in the Cause ever since, and it is with pleasure
that I recognise the fact that he is a good type of numerous Irishmen
who were either born in Liverpool or spent most of their lives in that
city.

There was a dear old _Soggarth_ at St. Joseph's, who did good service
for us in our first municipal election in Scotland Ward. He had,
previous to this, been a fellow priest with my uncle, Father Bernard
O'Loughlin, in the Isle of Man. As Father Peter McGrath was a good Irish
scholar, he was soon able to make himself understood by such of the Manx
people as still retained their native speech, its basis being, like the
language spoken in the Scottish Highlands, practically--making allowance
for provincialisms--the Gaelic spoken in Ireland. This was a great help
to him and his brother