RETURNED MEMBERS ADD INTEREST TO THE GAELIC GATHERING

The Butte Daily Post, Butte, 1912-07-06, p.4

Summary

The relevant subsection from a column on Butte civic news. Friday evening July 5 1912 monthly social of the Gaelic League school at Hibernia hall, enhanced by the return of four members: - Michael O'Donoghue (back from California after more than a year) - Daniel Leahy (back from Colorado two-month vacation) - Morty McCarthy (back from Colorado two-month vacation) - John Leahy (back from British Columbia) "The night was more to honor the returned Gaels than as a social session." **Mr. O'Donoghue's address:** Spoke on the Irish language and industries movement in California; "strongly advocated the formation of a central council in Butte to forward the interests of the Gaelic League throughout the west and southwest." Attacked English government policies forbidding Irishmen to write names on wagons in Celtic characters; attacked anti-Irish spirit of Irish courts; pleaded for active support of Gaelic League by Butte Irishmen and women. **President John C. Murphy was chairman of the evening** at the Hibernia hall gathering and briefly introduced each item. **Program:** - Children of Gaelic League — four-hand reel, music by Peter McBrien - Misses Helen Downing, Mary McCarthy, Nellie Burke — danced "The Rocky Road to Dublin" - Miss Mary Burke — sang "Ireland, I Love You" - Miss Kitty Harrington — sang "Where the River Shannon Flows" and (encore) "My Wild Irish Rose" - Patrick Guihan — danced "Irish Hornpipe" and "Irish Washerwoman" - Miss Josie McCarthy — sang "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" (acc. sister Mary McCarthy) - **Four-hand reel:** John J. Crowley and Katie Holland; Daniel Leahy and Norah O'Sullivan; Patrick Guihan and Mary Burke; **John C. Murphy and Julia Harrington**. - Miss Nora O'Sullivan and Mrs. Mulin — reel - Misses Abbie and Katie Downey — sisters jig - Helen Lowney (acc. sister Madge) — song - Crowley, Leahy and Guihan — hornpipe - "The Wearing of the Green" in Gaelic — children of the Gaelic league ARCHIVE SIGNIFICANCE. **MAJOR DISAMBIGUATION:** This clipping identifies the President of the Butte Gaelic League in July 1912 as **John C. Murphy** (not James J. Murphy). The 1911-08-28 Gaelic Leaguers' picnic clipping (which I previously processed) refers to a "President Murphy" without first name, and the previous metadata speculatively attributed that role to JJM-Centerville-AOH. **That attribution is now questionable** — the July 1912 evidence shows the Gaelic League president to be John C. Murphy. JJM-Centerville-AOH may never have been Gaelic League president; the "President Murphy" of Aug 1911 may have been John C. Murphy all along, or there may have been a turnover between Aug 1911 and Jul 1912 from JJM-Centerville to John C. Murphy. Flagging the earlier identification for correction on back-pass. Per the user's directive to be vigilant about overstating source claims: the 1911-08-28 clipping prints "President Murphy" with no first name; the contextual lump-bias to JJM-Centerville is now CONTRADICTED by the July 1912 clipping. Revise downward. Other surrounding items on this page (peripheral to the Gaelic League subsection): items on Matt Sabbi (assault case); John Morgan estate settlement; "MRS. FITZPATRICK OLD FRIEND OF BISHOP CARROLL" (Mrs. Agnes C. Fitzpatrick sudden death on the Northern Pacific special Elk train, Dubuque → Portland, at Harlowton; Bishop Carroll of Helena an intimate friend of the family); "BLAKESLEE WILL MANAGE EMPRESS FOR FEW WEEKS" (George Blakeslee from Spokane managing Butte Empress theater); women's fashion ad with illustration.

In its time

Narrative

The monthly social of the Gaelic League school at Hibernia hall, with John C. Murphy presiding as chairman, is turned into an evening honoring returned members: Michael O'Donoghue back from California, Daniel Leahy and Morty McCarthy from two months in Colorado, and John Leahy from British Columbia. O'Donoghue speaks on the Irish language and industries movement in California, urging a central council in Butte to advance the Gaelic League across the west and southwest, and attacks English government policy and the courts of Ireland. The program runs through reels, hornpipes and jigs by the children and adult dancers, songs from Miss Mary Burke, Miss Kitty Harrington, Miss Josie McCarthy and Helen Lowney, music by Peter McBrien and John Hartigan, and a closing chorus of "The Wearing of the Green" in Gaelic by the children.

“He bitterly attacked the policies of the English government which forbids an Irishman to write his name on his wagon in Celtic characters”
“The night was more to honor the returned Gaels than as a social session.”
“Chorus, "The Wearing of the Green," in Gaelic by the children of the Gaelic league.”

AI-generated (claude-opus-5). Verify against the transcription before quoting.

People

John J. Crowley (Butte AOH; president of Division No. 1, 1916)(as printed: John J. Crowley)
role: four hand reel · family confidence: 0 not family
Dan Leahy (Daniel Leahy), Butte Gaelic League dancer and AOH Division 1 member(as printed: Daniel Leahy)
role: returned member colorado · family confidence: 0 not family
John C. Murphy (Butte Gaelic League president; AOH Division 1 recording secretary, 1913)(as printed: John C. Murphy)
role: gaelic league president chairman · family confidence: 0 not family
Nora Sullivan (Ellen Murphy's niece, b. ~1888 Ireland; later m. John Hanley)(as printed: Nora O'Sullivan)
role: four hand reel and reel · family confidence: 95 certain

Also mentioned

Michael O'Donoghue · returned_speaker_california
Recently returned from California after more than a year. Advocate for a Butte 'central council' for west/southwest Gaelic League work.
Morty McCarthy · returned_member_colorado
John Leahy · returned_member_british_columbia
Peter McBrien · music
Miss Helen Downing · rocky_road_to_dublin_dancer
Mary McCarthy · rocky_road_to_dublin_dancer_and_accompanist
Nellie Burke · rocky_road_to_dublin_dancer
Miss Mary Burke · song
Miss Kitty Harrington · song
Patrick Guihan · hornpipe_and_four_hand_reel
Miss Josie McCarthy · song
Katie Holland · four_hand_reel
Julia Harrington · four_hand_reel_dance_partner_with_john_c_murphy
Mrs. Mulin · reel
Misses Abbie and Katie Downey · sisters_jig
Helen Lowney · song
Madge Lowney · accompanist
Mrs. Agnes C. Fitzpatrick · peripheral_sudden_death_on_elk_train
Bishop Carroll of Helena · peripheral_friend_of_fitzpatrick
George Blakeslee · peripheral_empress_theater_manager

Places

Butte, Montana (primary)

Themes

Story threads

Source type

news_item, public_meeting_report

Related sources

Transcription

transcription: complete · confidence high

# RETURNED MEMBERS ADD INTEREST TO THE GAELIC GATHERING *The Butte Daily Post, Saturday, July 6, 1912, p. 4. (Subsection within a column of mixed Butte civic news.)* The monthly social of the Gaelic LeagueIrish societiesGaelic Leaguefounded 1893Founded in Dublin by Douglas Hyde and Eoin MacNeill to keep Irish a spoken language. Branches in American cities ran language classes, dances and concerts and raised money for the work in Ireland.More in Key terms → school was enhanced last evening by the presence of Michael O'Donoghue, who recently returned from California after more than a year's absence; Daniel Leahy and Morty McCarthy, who spent the past two months in Colorado on a vacation, and John Leahy, who has come back to Butte from British Columbia. The night was more to honor the returned Gaels than as a social session. Mr. O'Donoghue spoke on the Irish language and industries movement in California and strongly advocated the formation of a central council in Butte to forward the interests of the Gaelic League throughout the west and southwest. He bitterly attacked the policies of the English government which forbids an Irishman to write his name on his wagon in Celtic characters, arraigned the anti-Irish spirit of the courts of Ireland and made an earnest plea for active support of the Gaelic league by the Butte Irishmen and Irishwomen. There was a large gathering at Hibernia hallIrish societiesHibernia HallThe meeting hall of Butte’s Hibernians and a venue for other Irish societies; meeting notices name it again and again.More in Key terms → and President John C. Murphy was chairman of the evening. He briefly introduced the various items. The program was: The children of the Gaelic League, four-hand reel. Music by Peter McBrien. Misses Helen Downing, Mary McCarthy and Nellie Burke danced "The Rocky Road to Dublin." None of the children are over 13 years. John Hartigan and Pete McBrien played the music. Miss Mary Burke sang, "Ireland, I Love You." Miss Kitty Harrington sang "Where the River Shannon Flows," and to an encore, "My Wild Irish Rose." Patrick Guihan danced the "Irish Hornpipe" and "Irish Washerwoman." Miss Josie McCarthy sang "When You and I Were Young, Maggie," accompanied by her sister, Mary McCarthy. The four-hand reel: John J. Crowley and Katie Holland; Daniel Leahy and Norah O'Sullivan; Patrick Guihan and Mary Burke; John C. Murphy and Julia Harrington. Miss Nora O'Sullivan and Mrs. Mulin, reel; Misses Abbie and Katie Downey, sisters, jig; Helen Lowney, accompanied by her sister Madge, song. The dancers, Messrs. Crowley, Leahy and Guihan, danced a hornpipe. Chorus, "The Wearing of the Green," in Gaelic by the children of the Gaelic league.

Dotted underlines mark key terms on first mention — hover or tab to one for a reference note. The wording is the source’s own.

Open questions

**BACK-PASS CORRECTION NEEDED on 1911-08-28 clipping.** The "President Murphy" identification with JJM-Centerville-AOH should be downgraded — the July 1912 evidence shows the Gaelic League president as John C. Murphy. Update the 1911-08-28 metadata to reflect the ambiguity (could be JJM-Centerville, but could equally be John C. Murphy a year before this dated chairmanship).
Promote John C. Murphy to a Butte-Murphy candidate person record — he is now a documented Gaelic League president 1912, AOH attendee 1912, picnic committee 1920. Worth a record under the lump-bias rule.