Early Freemasonry In Ireland.

EARLY FREEMASONRY IN IRELAND .

BY AVILLIAM JAMES HUGHAN . Dedicated to the R . W . Bro . James Homer Neilson , of Dublin . ONLY quite recently attention has been again draAvn to the early history of Freemasonry in Irelandby the happy discovery through my friend and BrotherJ .

, , H . Neilson , of the old Records of the " Hig h Knight Templar ' s Lodge , " Dublin , which , though chartered as a Craft Lodge by the ancient " Mother Kilwinning , " soon struck out an independent path of its OAVU , and worked the " high degrees . " These Minutes , however , only refer to the latter part of the last century , but it is to a period at least sixty years earlier that our remarks have to do , about AA'hich but little seems to be known , and that little not having as yet received the attention it deserves .

The best book on the subject Ave have ever read is one HOAV before us , kindly forwarded for our perusal by the R . W . Brother Neilson . It is entitled " Historieo-Masonic Tracts , " and is by "Robert Milliken , R . A . M ., H . K . T ., KM ., 4 c . " Cork , 1848 . There is a deal of fanciful Avriting in it , but Avhen the author conies to . deal Avith the actual history of Freemasonry in Ireland , he speaks either from personal knowledge or from the testimony of those who took part in many of the proceedings narrated , and who were knoAvn to him . Bro . Milliken himself Avas initiated about 1790 , and Avhen

57 years a Mason , aud in the 80 th year of his age , addressed the work in cpiestion " To the Freemasons of Ireland . " - In speaking of the Province of Munster , Bro . Milliken says : " This Grand Lodge granted Warrants , ancl performed all the functions of a National Grand Lodge , perhaps from necessity , on the cessation of a superior poAver . " The fact is , its origin is uncertain , but in our opinion was clue to the action of certain members of the premier Grand Lodge of England ( of A . D . 1717 celebrity ) . The Records came into Bro . Milliken's

possession about the year 1824 , having received them as a present from Bro . the Rev . James Pratt , Rector of Ovens Parish , who had bought them , Avith other old books , at an auction . They were presented by our Brother soon afterwards to Brother Justin McCarth y , "then Deputy to the Earl of Shannon , Provincial Grand Master of Munster ; and contains Transactions of the Provincial Grand Lodge , and of No . 1 , the first Lodge of Ireland . " It appears that "from the last date in the Transaction Book to the next document as yet discovered , bearing date 1769 , there is a lapse of about forty years , " excepting a Minute of a Committee of No .- 1 of the year 1761 , formed to investigate the validity of that old Lodge , Avhich had been called in question , so Ave are told , by some Dublin Brethren . " The Committee was held at the instance of the

brand Secretary , John Calder , Avho also at the same time laid before the Committee a charge against Lodge 95 . " The Brethren ( composed of the Masters and Wardens of nine Lodges ) declared the Warrant of No . 1 to be valid , and confirmed the members of No . 95 in their privileges . The " mal-practices " of No . 95 " it is supposed had reference to the initiation of the Hon . Mrs . Aldworth , who became a Mason in that Lodge . This Lodge must have held very high rank—Avhen the early respectability of Lodges is

considered—her brothers , members of a noble family , and her husband , equally high in societ y , being members . Mrs . Alchvorth presented No . 95 , her parent Lodge , a chair of elegant construction , the first Masonic chair seen in Cork , Avhich is still in Cork . " Bro . Milliken is , we think , in error as to the reason for the Committee being appointed in 1761 , as Mrs . Aldworth must have been initiated before 1744 , we having discovered the name of our Sister amongst the list of subscribers to Dr . Dassigny ' s '' Enquiry " of that year ( 1744 ) , all the rest of the many subscribers being Brethren . The work itself is very scarce , the only known copy being UOAV in the magnificent library of the Hon ,