The Life Story of an Old Rebel

s, or, as it was more generally called, "Copperas Hill Chapel," where I used to serve as an altar boy. I must have been a very small boy at the time when I first remember the Lib

g the many years when he was passing through Liverpool, going to and returning from Parliament, and on other occasions when

ator addressed a great multitude, who filled the whole square in front, and overflowed into the adjoining streets. My recollection of him on this occasion is that of a big man, in a long cloak, wearing what appeared to me some kind of a c

Royal Amphitheatre there was an attempt by an armed body of Orangemen to storm the platform, on which were all our leading Irishmen. Among the most active of these was Terence Bellew MacManus, who had all his lifetime been a devoted follower and

ysical encounters against all comers. We have generally had some organisation or another-whether constitutional or unconstitutional-but, apart from this, the nature of the employm

ok work in the "lump" and employed men for loading and unloading ships. Digney and other friends would find their way for consultation and the making of the necessary arrangements beforeh

ourse, it is different now-and a sure sign that our people are rising in the social scale-but i

e, were mostly Irish. They had not exactly the same name as Patrick, for it was not so customary to use the O' or Mac in those days as it has since become. Not that Hughey and Ned Hanlon did not know that they were entitled to the honoura

hy men, without an ounce of spare flesh, but they had sinews of iron. Hughey used to come to our house with other neighbours every week to hear the "Nation" read, and the songs in it sung to th

place for our gatherings was the Adelphi Theatre (previously the "Queen's"), which was in somewhat better standin

sence on the platform of Jack Langan-of whom I have already spoken-a warm-hearted and generous supporter of the great Dan, and the Cause of Repeal. Indeed, we boys regarded t

ould be welcoming on the same pla

r a long time the "leading man" in the stock company at that theatre was Edmond O'Rourke (stag

Street, where, among the speakers on the Sunday nights I can best remember were Teren

on between Ireland and Great Britain, took active parts in the "Young Ireland" movement. Dr. Reynolds was another of the Young Irelanders. So also

urther, and the condition of the already overcrowded parts of the town in which our people lived became terrible, for the wretched people brought with them the dreaded Famine Fever, and Liverpool became a plague-stricken city. Never was heroism greater than was shown by the devoted priests

ugh he was only a boy, should feel it a duty stronger than life it

ns of public opinion, but too faithfully represented the feelings of many of our rulers. The "Times" actually gloated over what appeared to be the impending extinction of our race. Young as I then was, but learning my weekly l

m of builders, who was also an architect, seeing that I had had a good education, and, through attending evening classes at the Catholic Institute and Liverpool Institute, had a considerable knowledge of mathematics and architectural drawing, gave me employment which was more profitable to the firm and congenial to me than that of an ordinary office boy or junior clerk. Besides helping in the ordinary clerical work in the office, I was put to copying and making tracings of ground plans, elevations and

that I could see the men belonging to our firm drilling as special constables in the

nto the hands of the Irish Confederates. Special constables, as in the case of our own firm, were being sworn in all over the town, and the larger firms were putting pressure upon their employees to be enrolled. Indeed, some 500 dock

ad a positive genius for conspiracy. Whatever the movement was she must have a hand in it. On one occasion-I forget exactly what it was-some compromising documents had to be got out of the way for the time being. In those days sloops used to come over from Ireland with potatoes, and t

t he was a man of advanced proclivities, I may mention that he wrote to the "Nation" suggesting the formation of the "Felon Repeal Club" in Newcastle-on-Tyne. From then up to the last day of his life he was the same generous whole-souled Irishman he had been from

terian neighbours of Lowland Scots extraction. But this is only on the surface, and Bernard MacAnulty was a typical example of this. No braver or more generous Irishman ever breathed, and he had a fund of humour which would have done credit to the quickest-witted Connaughtman or Munsterman that ever lived. Though the Ulster accent is generally regarded as a hard one, I nev

His purse was always available for every good National object, whether "legal" or "illegal," and I know as