Mike and I were glad to rest quietly all that day within the high walls that surrounded “Shaneville.” Here we were safe from interviewers, curious people, and an excited populace.
When aeroplaning is as common as motoring now is, it will be much more pleasant. Nowadays an aeroplane makes as much excitement as a comet, and I expect that even this record will read like a novel to some. There are people who might enjoy the notoriety which an aeroplane gives, but we were not anxious to get famous in that way.
During our pleasant day at “Shaneville,” I renewed my conversation with Mr. O’Neill in regard to his native land, and, in his library that afternoon we had a long talk again on Ireland.
I noticed that the coat of arms of “Shaneville” was a red hand, with the cross of St. George, and I had remarked that I saw that coat of arms somewhere before. Mr. O’Neill laughed heartily, and assured me he was confident I had seen it often. He told me that was the coat of arms of Ulster, now, and was seen everywhere in the North of Ireland. It was his family which gave Ulster this sign. Long centuries before when his ancestors came over from Scotland to Ireland, the invaders agreed amongst themselves that whoever touched the shore of Ireland first with his hand would be King. An O’Neill amongst them, when the boat stranded on the beach, promptly drew his sharp sword, and cut off his left hand and threw it high on the beach, and was at once hailed as King by the rest. Since that the O’Neill emblem has been a red hand. Mr. O’Neill related how his family held power from that time until the beginning of the 17th century, when a rebellion against England cost them their power and estates in Ulster. It was at this time that Ulster was colonized anew from Scotland.
James I. confiscated nearly all Ulster, and partitioned out the land to new settlers, mostly from Scotland. Although this act had meant the ruin of his house. I could see no bitterness in O’Neill’s voice as he spoke of this “plantation of Ulster,” as he called it. He said that these new settlers had made good, industrious citizens, and that Ulster was the most prosperous part of Ireland today. He spoke highly of the character of these Scotch-Irishmen, and added:
“You know, sir, away back our own people came from Scotland.”
Still, I could see that O’Neill looked on these great real estate transfers by the kings of England as wrongs to the native Irish.
O’Neill told me there were three reforms going on in Ireland in which he had hearty sympathy. These are the improvement of Irish agriculture, the revival of the Gaelic tongue, and the suppression of intemperance amongst the Irish people.
“One splendid result of the agitation for these reforms,” he said earnestly, “is that Irishmen are beginning to see that there is one Ireland after all. All creeds in Ireland are united in promoting these great reforms, and it is creating a national sentiment which is bringing all Irishmen into sympathy with each other.”