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 priest in disarming prejudice.

Before I met Father McGrath in Liverpool I had heard from my uncle of his delightful and saintly character.  He was a ministering angel among our people in his district, which was one of the poorest in Liverpool.  His charity was unbounded.  Going on a sick call and being at the end of his monetary resources—­for let his friends give him ever so much he would never leave himself a penny—­he had been known to give away his own underclothing, and even to carry away his bed-clothes to relieve some case of abject poverty.

He was a thorough Nationalist, and was delighted when we first raised the banner of Home Rule in Scotland Ward and made honest Lawrence Connolly our standard bearer.  As part of the Ward was in his district, he was by far the best canvasser we had.  Day by day he used to call on me to hear of the progress we were making.  With the active personal help and the prayers of a saintly man like Father McGrath how could we lose?

The return of a Home Ruler at an English municipal election was the forerunner of a still greater victory won in the same Scotland Ward, which as a Division of the Parliamentary Borough of Liverpool returned to Parliament some ten years afterwards the only Irish Home Ruler who, as such, sits for a British constituency—­Mr. T.P.  O’Connor.