Dear friends,

	Fr Hartigan 1878-1952

My Easter has been spent in the Riverina town of Narrandera, the place and parish that was home for about 25 years to that legendry Irish-Australian priest and poet, Patrick Joseph Hartigan, who is perhaps better known under his pen name of John O'Brien author of Around the Boree Log and Other Verses (1921) and The Parish of St Mel's (1954). A month or so ago CathNews carried a story of the plans to create a museum out of the old Presbytery in Narrandera dedicated to the memory of Fr Hartigan and the important role he played in helping forge the identity not only of our nation but also of Catholics. In his era the Church was predominantly of Irish hue.

In the 1985 Aquinas Lecture delivered at the Australian Catholic University in Brisbane, the nephew of Fr Hartigan, Fr Frank Mecham, gave some insight into his uncle's influence...

"John O'Brien" is the witness to the Irish-Australian, in whom the power, energy and initiative of the youthful Australian spirit is combined with the age-old traditions of the Irish. Central to that tradition is Catholic piety and it is interesting that no church in the world outside of Ireland was ever as Irish as the Australian Catholic Church of "John O'Brien's" time. Even as late as the 1930s, 90 per cent of Australian Catholics were of Irish descent. No comparable poet in America has done a similar work for the Irish-Americans, which is perhaps why "John O'Brien" has been so popular in America and why the Columban Fathers produced an American edition of Around the Boree Log. At a conference of Mercy Sisters at Philadelphia some years ago, one of the Australian representatives, Mother Cyril of Bathurst, recited some of "John O'Brien's" poems and for every one she recited, the American Cardinal Wright matched her with another from Around the Boree Log. [Boree Log: Early Australian History in the poems of "John O’Brien" see text of lecture by Frank Mecham at: my.acu.edu.au/download.cfm/11341FB6-C480-4384-B951A1C6549D0B6B/x/1985.pdf]

My own favourite of all the O'Brien verses is "'We'll all be rooned,' said Hanrahan". To me it is quintessential Australian humour and that self-mockery that I like in the Aussie national character. In a funny way it is also a story of hope. In these times of both drought, and the challenges the institutional Church is going through, this story is a reminder that no matter whether we are facing times of feast or drought, in the bigger picture of "God's good time" everything does turn out well in the end provided we keep our sense of hope, balance and perspective.

Use this player to hear the poem "'We'll all be rooned,' said Hanrahan"

"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
In accents most forlorn,
Outside the church, ere Mass began,
One frosty Sunday morn.

	Around the Boree Log and other Verses was published in 1921
	His second book, The Parish of St Mel's was published in 1954, two years after his death.

The congregation stood about,
Coat-collars to the ears,
And talked of stock, and crops, and drought,
As it had done for years.

"It's looking crook," said Daniel Croke;
"Bedad, it's cruke, me lad,
For never since the banks went broke
Has seasons been so bad."

"It's dry, all right," said young O'Neil,
With which astute remark
He squatted down upon his heel
And chewed a piece of bark.

And so around the chorus ran
"It's keepin' dry, no doubt."
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

"The crops are done; ye'll have your work
To save one bag of grain;
From here way out to Back-o'-Bourke
They're singin' out for rain.

"They're singin' out for rain," he said,
"And all the tanks are dry."
The congregation scratched its head,
And gazed around the sky.

"There won't be grass, in any case,
Enough to feed an ass;
There's not a blade on Casey's place
As I came down to Mass."

"If rain don't come this month," said Dan,
And cleared his throat to speak -
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"If rain don't come this week."

A heavy silence seemed to steal
On all at this remark;
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed a piece of bark.

"We want an inch of rain, we do,"
O'Neil observed at last;
But Croke "maintained" we wanted two
To put the danger past.

"If we don't get three inches, man,
Or four to break this drought,
We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

In God's good time down came the rain;
And all the afternoon
On iron roof and window-pane
It drummed a homely tune.

And through the night it pattered still,
And lightsome, gladsome elves
On dripping spout and window-sill
Kept talking to themselves.

It pelted, pelted all day long,
A-singing at its work,
Till every heart took up the song
Way out to Back-o'-Bourke.

And every creek a banker ran,
And dams filled overtop;
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"If this rain doesn't stop."

And stop it did, in God's good time;
And spring came in to fold
A mantle o'er the hills sublime
Of green and pink and gold.

And days went by on dancing feet,
With harvest-hopes immense,
And laughing eyes beheld the wheat
Nid-nodding o'er the fence.

And, oh, the smiles on every face,
As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee-deep on Casey's place
Went riding down to Mass.

While round the church in clothes genteel
Discoursed the men of mark,
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed his piece of bark.

"There'll be bush-fires for sure, me man,
There will, without a doubt;
We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

In 2008, St Mel's Parish in Narrandera is planning a major celebration for the Centenary of the Parish and the 130th anniversary of the birth of Father Hartigan.

Blessings, Brian

Links:
Boree Log: Early Australian History in the poems of "John O’Brien", Text of 1985 Aquinas Lecture, ACU Brisbane, by Fr Frank Mecham: my.acu.edu.au/download.cfm/11341FB6-C480-4384-B951A1C6549D0B6B/x/1985.pdf
The John O'Brien Annual Festival website: www.johnobrien.com.au/
Hartigan, Patrick Joseph [John O'Brien] (1878-1952), Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Ed:
www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A090224b.htm
St Mel's Parish, Narrandera information from Wagga-Wagga Diocesan website:
www.wagga.catholic.org.au/default.asp?d=55956
Website with information about O'Brien's books, Around the Boree Log and Other Verses (1921) and St Mel's Parish (1954): www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/obrienj/obrienj.html#bibliography

Photo Credits:
The graphic of Fr Hartigan used in the headline is originally from The Bulletin magazine and reproduced in the Aquinas Lecture pdf file (see link above).
 

Brian Coyne is the editor and publisher of Catholica Australia.

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©2007 Brian Coyne

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