Patriotism v. Provincialism

When one has joined the ranks of those working in a great movement for the common weal it is advisable that from time to time one ask oneself : "What am I working for? Why am I working, and how am I working?" It is so necessary to keep before the mind a clear conception of the goal in view, and it is so easy to grow confused and distracted by side issues, which sometimes assume a fictitious importance, and, looming large on our mental horizon, overshadow the central idea till it gradually becomes unrecognisable.

Those who first threw themselves into the Irish Ireland movement did so because they saw therein embodied a noble ideal, one of the noblest it has ever entered into the mind of man to conceive.

This ideal was the rescue of a nation from an ignominious and self-inflicted death; the restoration to a once proud and honoured but now feeble and despised people of those attributes which had once made their greatness; a distinctive civilisation, a national language, a creative power in the realms of art and industry, a spirit of virile self-reliance. The revival of the native speech was the chief weapon on which they relied, and they made use of many lesser and varied means, from the singing of an Irish song to the weaving of a piece of Irish cloth, to realise their ideal, Ireland re-made Irish.

But they never lost sight of the goal. Through keeping the end steadily in view, and subordinating to it all temporal considerations they achieved results bordering on the miraculous. With neither money, influence, or numbers, with all the forces of the settled order—the established fact, which as our Vice-President once wrote is the idol of all true Britishers, —with, in a word, everything but the hearts of the young against them, they changed the whole face of the country and accomplished an intellectual revolution.

The pioneer Leaguers achieved this extraordinary victory because they were men of clear-sighted vision and unflinching patriotism who saw their goal and moved direct for it, turning neither to the right nor to the left, and never losing sight of the one broad issue at stake. They had their ideé fixie, and everything great that has been achieved in this world of ours has been the work of men and women animated by one idea, impelled by one fixed purpose.

But now that the adherents of Irish Ireland are daily growing more numerous and are being recruited from every side one cannot help noticing that some sincere but mistaken Leaguers are disposed to devote to minor unimportant issues the energy and zeal which might be expended to such good purpose in furthering the main object of the Irish Revival. It seems as if we had reached that stage in the movement when we might all of us with advantage examine our national consciences and ask : "What am I as a Gaelic Leaguer working for? Why and how am I working?" We are in a parlous state if we cannot honestly answer : "I. I am working for the revival of the national language and the fostering of true national ideals. II. The reason I am doing this is because I am concerned for the honour of Eire. III. The way I am doing this is I trust single-mindedly and whole-heartedly."

It is to be feared that some could not declare that they are working for the honour of Eire, for they never speak and never seem to think of Ireland as a whole. It is of their own parish or of their own province alone that they always speak. There are Gaelic Leaguers I have been in the habit of meeting for several years, and during all that time I have never once heard them mention Ireland ! I have never once heard them say : "Let us do such or such a thing because it would be good for Ireland." They invariably advocate measures on the ground that they would benefit particular localities.

Patriotism is degraded into provincialism, and provincialism in turn gives way to parochialism. No one should deprecate a just pride in local traditions, achievements, and aspirations. Such a feeling is natural and healthy. One loves one's own county with a more intimate love than the rest of the country, feeling as if one were part of the very soil. But it is when such local partiality is allowed to stifle the growth of the larger, nobler sentiment of patriotism, and destroy the sense of citizenship that it calls for protest.

Senor Bulfin, in the address he gave in Dublin last autumn, urged the Irish farmer to remember that he had a country as well as a farm. Gaelic Leaguers should not forget that they have a country as well as a province. In some instances the champions of a particular district seem to regard the natives of other districts in the light of hated foes, instead of friendly rivals engaged in a good-humoured, brotherly contest as to who may best serve their mother, Eire.

Derogatory remarks and carping criticism are showered on every Feis and Cruinniughadh and Craobh that does not happen to originate in their own districts. It actually seems as if persons of this peculiarly limited vision did not wish the movement to succeed outside their own locality, for they express anything but pleasure at hearing praise given to quarters other than their own. More than once it has occurred to me when partisan discussions of an embittered tone have been carried on by Gaelic Leaguers in my hearing that if it should happen that an Englishman came forward to compete for some honor or post in the gift of the Irish people, the fierce denouncer of this Cuige or that Cuige would vote for the Englishman in preference to a fellow-countryman of his own, if the Irish candidate belonged to a Province other than that of the irate speaker.

And is not this one of the morals taught us by our mournful history, foreigners benefiting by our dissensions ?

"Hapless Nation : Hapless Land!
Heap of uncementing sand,
Crumbled by a foreign weight

And by worse domestic hate.
Monstrous and unhappy sight !
Brothers blood will not unite,

Holy oil and holy water
Mix and fill the world with slaughter."

Our country has been rent by many divisions, class, sectarian, racial, and now that the Gaelic league seemed about to at length bring unity and co-operation among all sections are we to be threatened with a new disintegrating element— Provincialism? Let us most earnestly hope that such a misfortune shall be averted. Surely those who give some ground for such a fear do not realise how injurious, how disastrous to true national ideals their thoughtless behaviour is. Every enemy of Ireland would rejoice to hear that our magnificent all-Ireland movement was drifting on the rocks of Provincialism.

We ought to always bear in mind that there are only two great parties; those who are for Ireland and those who are against her. Should we not extend the right hand of fellowship to all who are of the first party, even if we do not see eye to eye with them, and join in helping them to thwart and overthrow the second party, which is still, alas! very powerful?

Those who live altogether in an Irish atmosphere do not realise, perhaps, the deadly hatred of Ireland’s name and fame prevailing in anti-Irish quarters. There is some thing positively demoniacal in this hatred. Nothing is too bad to say of Ireland and the Irish. These anti-Irish people,—and some of them are renegades of our own race,—do not refer to the people of this country as Munster men or Ulster men, they do not refer to Connacht, Laighin, or Midhe.

No, they speak simply and solely of "those detestable Irish." Let us take a lesson from our enemies, and as they have but one object against which they hurl all the forces of their malignant hatred, let us have but one sovereign liege—Ireland to love and Serve.

Máire de Buitléir