In the Assembly of the League of Nations on Monday
the Irish Free State was admitted to membership. The Irish delegates were President Cosgrave, Professor McNeill and Mr. Desmond FitzGerald. The Chairman of the Assembly invited Mr. Cosgrave to speak. Mr. Cosgrave began his address in Irish, but after a few sentences turned to English. The special correspondent of the Manchester Guardian says that half the delegates in the hall supposed that Mr. Cosgrave in his opening sentences was speaking in English, and as they assumed that his remarks would be entirely correct and appro- priate, they also assumed an intelligent air and nodded their appreciation of what he said. Only gradually did they deduce from the attitude of frank incomprehension among the British delegates that the opening sentences were not after all English.
Previous page
