Sad memory brings the light Of other days around me." With infinite - patience Moore assembled the fragments of the old Irish airs. wedded them to his own beautiful words and imparted to them something of the melody of the cadence of the Atlantic as it strikes and moans upon the rockbound shores of his native land. It is not surprising that his memory is imperishably enshrined in the affections of Americans of Irish lineage. For we cannot forget that the immigrants who came here. from Ireland. more than a century ago. havIng been driven from the soil that held the hearthstones of their kindred and the ashes of their sires. were comforted in their exile by the songs of Thomas Moore. Wandering through pathless wastes. under burning skies and in the teeth of icy blasts. they sang those songs and as they sang they were able to dream dreams of happier days In this free land. under the protection of American institutions. I appreciate the honor of participating in this tribute to a gifted poet. a chivalrous gentleman. and a great Irishman.
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