A BOOK FOR THE POPE

Last year we printed at the News Printing Works Dr. Grattan Flood's admirable History of the Diocese of Ferns.  A copy of this work was prepared specially for presentation to His Holiness the Pope.  We learn that this copy of the book has had a voyage round the world-through some accident-and it found its way to London a few months ago.  Bishop Cleary of Auckland, who has been visiting the Co. Wexford, and who has just started for the Eternal City, has kindly offered to present the book personally to the Holy Father.

"ST JOHN BRENON"
Dr.Grattan Flood writes:-
"I read with unusual interest your account of Edward St.John Brenon who died recently.  He was a mean type of fraud, and his unsavoury conduct in regard to poor Boyce of Tallow (as revealed at the trial in June 1909) will not easily be condoned.  His real name was Neo Brennan.  He was the son of William Brennan, Protestant schoolmaster at St. Matthias' School in Dublin.  I met him a few times and was amazed at his pretensions as a musical critic".

We are informed this morning by the Tory Press that "Ulstermen are much gratified to gather from the Chancellor of the Exchequer's answer to Mr. R. Mac-Neill that even if a majority of the Convention declare in favour of Home Rule for all Ireland there would be no coercion of Ulster against the exclusion of the six counties"
If this has any meaning it is that Partition is the real object of the Convention and this being so, the Irish Party must write themselves down either as knaves or fools.

YOUNG IRISH SINGER'S SUCCESS.

At the recent Feis Ceoil held in the Mansion House, Dublin, Miss Kathleen Egan, Kilkenny, won first place (gold medal) for soprano solo singing in Irish.  We congratulate the Marble City on this distinction gained for it by its young citizen; and we also congratulate her gifted teacher, Madam Orr Robertson, A.R.C.M. (herself a Royal College gold medalist), whose many pupils in and around Waterford will be gratified by the recognition of her undoubted merit.

WALLACE AND A VIOLIN.

The present Editor of "The Waterford News", remembers both John and Otho Hamilton.  They were friends of his father, William Downey, who received lessons in violin playing from Otho at the same time as the future composer of "Maritana".
Many years later the valuable violin belonging to Hamilton, on which Wallace received his first lessons, was acquired by William Downey, and after his death in 1882 it came into the possession of the present Editor of "The Waterford News" who treasured it for the many associations connected with it.  The instrument was stolen from his residence in Newtown in 1908 and has never since been traced.   

THE HAMILTONS

Many old and probably many middle-aged, Waterford citizens will remember that in their younger days two eminent musicians, John and Otho Hamilton, resided in Waterford.  Between the year 1825 and 1827 William Vincent Wallace received lessons on the violin from Otho Hamilton.  Dr.Flood, whose interest in Irish music and Irish musicians is well know, informs us that recently while examining a file of "Faulkiner's Dublin Journal" for the year 1770, he came across the following notice:- "Died at Waterford on Tuesday last (February 13th), in the 83rd year of his age, Otho Hamilton, Lieutenant-Governor of Placentia in Newfoundland and formerly Major of the 40th Regiment of Foot.  He served in several campaigns under the great Duke of Marlborough in Flanders"