[Renewed cheers.] Speaking here in
Dublin, I may perhaps address myself for a moment particularly to the
National Volunteers, and I am going to ask them all over Ireland--not
only them, but I make the appeal to them particularly--to contribute
with promptitude and enthusiasm a large and worthy contingent of
recruits to the second new army of half a million, which is growing up
as it were out of the ground. [Cheers.] I should like to see, and we all
want to see, an Irish brigade, [cheers,] or, better still, an Irish army
corps. [Loud cheers.] Do not let them be afraid that by joining the
colors they will lose their identity and become absorbed in some
invertebrate mass, or, what is perhaps equally repugnant, be
artificially redistributed in units which have no national cohesion or
character. We wish to the utmost limit that military exigencies will
allow that men who have been already associated in this or that district
in training and in common exercises should be kept together and continue
to recognize the corporate bond which now unites them. ["Hear, hear!"]
And of one thing further I am sure. We are in urgent need of competent
officers, and we think that if the officers now engaged in training
these men are proved equal to the test, there is no fear that their
services will not be gladly and gratefully retained.
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