Letter from Mr. Byrne to The Souther Cross - Feb. 18th 1889

Following, the letter of Mr. Michael Byrne to The Southern Cross, telling some of his impressions his visit to the Hotel de Inmigrantes at the moment when the Irish and English from the SS Dresden where there.

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Buenos Aires, February 18th, 1889.

To the Editor of the Southern Cross.

Dear Sir:

In company with a friend, I visited the “Asilo” on Sunday morning and a more appalling sight I never before saw. I hope I shall never again behold such wretchedness. Long before I reached the Home, I was stopped by groups of half-starved creatures, whose blanched faces told the hardships the poor people were forced to endure. My friend proposed to take the women and children to a “café”, where they all got tea, bread and butter, he paying the bill. On leaving that group pretty satisfied with the “God-sent” breakfast, we crossed to the station , where we met group after group of starving people, who all complained of hunger. After saying a few encouraging words to the poor people, we passed into the Home, where after pushing our way through a motley crowd of Italians, we came in contact with the Irish.

The sight I shall never forget. Never, in this world shall that wretched scene of human misery fade from my mind. Numbers of half-starved men, women, and sickly children lay about in all directions, all crying loudly for something to eat, something to satisfy the intense pangs of maddening hunger. 

Owing to the great number of Italian immigrants who were located in the Home, prior to the women and children were lowed the miserable satisfaction of passing the night in the dining-room, the dirt of which would be hard to describe. However, it was better than those who had to remain under the inclemency of the skies, without a single thing to cover them or a dry place to lie upon. 

Quite a number of women remained walking about all night, their husbands refusing to let them go into the dirty dining-room, which, they told me, was infested with vermin of all descriptions.

On approaching one respectable looking old man with a sickly child in his arms he said: “Musha, Sor, could we get a sup of milk anywhere? Shure, it is not for myself I ax it, but for this poor child that is dying in my arms. Katie, the “creature”, God help her, is sick also, and poor Mary”, he added, pointing to his wife, who sat nursing another ragged child, “is lost entirely with two c ilder”. And with a look full of tenderness on the emaciated form of his wife, he went on “sure, if anything happened her, we were all lost complately”.

Such scenes were witnessed by all who visited the Immigrant’s Home, therefore it is useless to describe them. On moving a little farther I met Mr. John Drysdale went to the cookhouse and ordered that the breakfast be given at once. About 10 a.m. on Sunday morning the poor people got bread and meat for the first time that they had anything, since they left the steamship Dresden. A number of Irish and English ladies and gentlemen put in an appearance, and after a while a good number of the immigrants were taken away. Amongst others I noticed the following who did what they could to alleviate the sufferings of the unfortunate people; Mr. John Drysdale, Mr. E. Casey, Mr. Thomas Duggan, Mr. Michael Dinneen, Mr. J. F. Gahan, Mr. T. A. Gahan , Navarro; Mr. T. Gahan, Suipacha; Mr. W. Ham, Mr. and Mrs. John Cunningham, Father Constantine, Father Gaughren, and Father Adrian, Mr. N. C. Fitzgerald, Mr. James Ham, Mrs. Quiroga, Miss McGuire, Mr. J. Finnigan, and many others too numerous to mention.

Before evening many young girls were removed and the women and children began to stir about giving vent to their disappointed hopes, and repeating the false promises held out to them by the immigrant agents in Ireland. Oh! Mr. Editor, could these worthies behold their unfortunate dupes reeking in misery and want, it would prevent them sending another consignment of our countrymen to endure the perils of a wild goose chase to South America.

I don’t for a moment question these distinguished gentlemen’s right to earn good living, but I think, Sir, that they ought to earn it honestly. Fancy immigrants being told that when they arrived here, houses would be ready for them, lands given them, implements, seed, money, etc., etc; that Father Fahy was still living, and had a bank for supplying money to immigrants . Such gross falsehood may do for a time but must finally fall through. It is the duty of this present batch of immigrants to write home a true account of their hardship to their people, and not till them, will they prevent their countrymen from being so easily duped.

I remain, dear Sir, yours respectfully,

Michael J. Byrne

Wistorical Article Published in Facebook

Ref: Article - The SS Dresden Affair – Wistorical Facebook Page:

Dear Mr Bunbury,

Reading through your article published on your facebook page regarding the case of the SS Dresden Affair would suggest it was based on a flawed publication by Mike Geraghty. Consequently, I would like to highlight and clarify some issues arising.

In your introduction you rightly acknowledge the correct name of the steamship involved in the emigration to Argentina which had previously been misnamed on the RTE Genealogy Show broadcast on the 11^th  May 2014. Just to reconfirm, it was not the City of Dresden, but it was, as Peter Mulvany has already identified, the SS Dresden.

There is another error within the text, for example, the reference to the letter of Archbishop Croke, which states: “Archbishop Croke, patron of the GAA, was appalled by the treatment of the Dresden émigrés and penned a strong letter to the Freeman’s Journal in Dublin: ‘Buenos Aires is a most cosmopolitan city into which the Revolution of ’48 has brought the scum of European scoundrelism. I most solemnly conjure my poorer countrymen, as they value their happiness hereafter, never to set foot on the Argentine Republic however tempted to do so they may be by offers of a passage or an assurance of comfortable homes’.”


This was said by the Archbishop, but not after the Dresden had arrived. He wrote the letter on January 25^th 1889, almost a month prior to the arrival of the SS Dresden to Buenos Aires. Archbishop Croke could not have known about the Dresden émigrés as they had not passed through Buenos Aires at the time of writing, although it is a very interesting letter and presents the case. The question here was what kind of future for the Irish if they had stayed at home, or would they have been better off emigrating like thousand of citizens all over the world, not only to Argentina, but to the USA, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Following you will find the link to the transcription of the original article from the Archbishop (http://descendientesdresden.blogspot.com.ar/2014/05/letters-archbishop-of-cashel-on.html).

You also reported “Argentina was enjoying an economic boom at this time, with 20,000 new arrivals every month, including 1,000 Italians who arrived on the same day as Dresden.” This is true, partially. At that time Argentina was experiencing one of it’s economic crisis that ended in 1890 with the resignation of President Juarez Celman following a revolution encouraged by the Radical Party. The so called boom was not good for the Argentine economy because it was about to explode. However it is true that immigrants were coming in their thousands every day and it was said that at the time, that if you entered a bar where there were ten people, nine would be foreigners, and only one would be Argentine.

Then there are two paragraphs within the article that should also be considered which state; “Amongst them were several "decrepit octogenarians" as well as an unspecified number of convicts plucked out of Limerick and Cork jails on condition they would not return to Ireland.”  “According to The Southern Cross, ‘young girls of prepossessing appearance were inveigled into disreputable houses – a swell carriage with swell occupants drives up, promises of a splendid situation are made and accepted, and away go the unsuspecting girls’. And, as Michael John Geraghty put it, ‘so began a long tradition of Irish whores in the squalid, now-gone-red-light district down at the port area of Buenos Aires’. Some of the city’s most famous "madams" were Irish women.” This could be possible, but I did not find any extant records which would confirm Geraghty’s analysis that there were convicts and whores on the list. Older people are mentioned in many articles (La Prensa, The Standard, The Southern Cross and Buenos Aires Herald). But it would be a good point to prove this from Ireland. You may have much more knowledge as to where I can find records of convicts in order to cross that information with the SS Dresden passenger list. Perhaps you can advise?. There is only one article in the La Prensa published in Feb. 21^st 1889 which reported the following “Llamaban la atención varias mujeres ebrias que ofrecían espectáculos poco edificantes, que no hablaba muy bien a favor del acierto en la elección de esos inmigrantes y que deberían prevenirse por quien corresponda. It drew attention that several drunken women featuring unedifying spectacles, that doesn’t spoke very good for the confidence in the choice of these immigrants and should be prevented by the appropriate parties.” But it never said anything about whores. It was true that at the time many articles were describing the Immigrants from the SS Dresden stating they were not the “happy and successful irish-argentine farmer”. But I think that it is very different from what the article affirms.

You also said  “Upon arrival, they were informed that their luggage – sent on ahead – had been lost, and that, unless they happened to have a tent in their pocket, the only accommodation available was under trees and in ditches.” Fr. Gaughren describes very well the trip and the arrival to Napostá and he doesn’t mention anything regarding lost luggage. See Buenos Aires Herald published March 15th 1889, (http://descendientesdresden.blogspot.com.ar/2014/05/letters-from-rev-f-matthew-gaughren-omi.html).

A final paragraph that might be considered for revision states “Fr. Matthew Gaughren lived amongst the Napostá Irish for several months. By March 1891, the colony had collapsed and 520 men, women and children began the long trek back to Buenos Aires. Over one hundred of them had died in Napostá; there would be more deaths on the road to Buenos Aires. Many of those who made it back either returned to Ireland or moved on to the USA.” It should be noted,  Fr. Gaughren was not in Argentina in 1891. He said these words when he sent a letter to a newspaper telling them what he has seen as an “eye witness” at the Hotel de Inmigrantes, when they arrived in Buenos Aires in February of 1889. In the following link you will find some letters of Fr. Gaughren that were published in different newspapers during that time.. (http://descendientesdresden.blogspot.com.ar/2014/05/letters-from-rev-f-matthew-gaughren-omi.html).

Another paragraph states “Father Matthew Gaughran O.M.I., a Dublin-born priest in the city at this time, recalled seeing people passed out with hunger and exhaustion on the cold flags of the courtyard, while their children ran around them naked. ‘To say they were treated like cattle would not be true’, he wrote, ‘for the owner of cattle would at least provide them with food and drink, but these poor people were left to live or die unaided by the officials who are paid to look after them’. That is true.

Mike Geraghty’s article was excellent for many reasons. Thanks to him, the story was once again the subject of discussion among everyone here in the Irish Argentine community. But, as I talk with Mike, this story deserves a much deeper study. As there is now no access to direct sources, we only have what was published on the news, some personal letters of F. Matthew Gaughren that I have, some records found on books like Gainor’s or Mulhall or Murray, and the most important thing, the memories and stories of the descendants.  With all this we may gain a better insight into what is commonly referred to as the Dresden Affair.

Those times were hard and not only in Argentina, but in every part of the world, including the USA. How many deaths occurred in the Irish colony will not change the end of the story. The fact is, many kids died there (and adult people too). If you look at the place in Google maps, you will see nothing around the train station... so, the question arises where were they buried? It may be their remains were moved to the local cemetery in Bahia Blanca, but that is unproven. Irrespective those lost lives deserve to be remembered.

What happens after 1891 when the Society La Viticola Argentina, declares bankruptcy, is another question to be answered. Mike Geraghty reported in his article that surviving emigrants started their way back to Buenos Aires, walking. That could be true. To imagine hundreds of people walking all together to Buenos Aires, is a rare picture. I think each one did their best. One of the first things that I did when I started researching this project, was to check the names on the passenger list with the actual White Pages of the phone book. I discovered that many of the names are in a 500 km radius of each other. This includes Mar del Plata and Balcarce (where the Nealon, McCarthy and Stephens families were finally established).

Argentina was and is a very particular and complex case to study. The language was not a minor thing in this entire story. In this regard, I recommend “Historia de la Inmigración en la Argentina” Fernando Devoto, 2003, Editorial Sudamericana and “Cómo fue la inmigración irlandesa en Argentina” Hilda Sábato and Juan Carlos Korol, 1981, Buenos Aires, Plus Ultra.

Interestingly many of the emigrants return to Ireland because there were credits to travel back. This was a very common thing between the English-speaking community. Many of them, as I have discovered contacted some descendants and kept on going. The case of the Tracey family was one. They went back to Ireland, remained there for a while, and shortly after, went to the USA where they finally stayed.

The batch of immigrants was nearly 1800. From this only 800 went to the Bahia Blanca, ten days after their arrival. What happens with those 1000? That’s a good question.

The case of the SS Dresden deserves to be studied seriously here in Argentina, and in Ireland too. This history involves many people, many descendants and many others like O’Meara, Dillon, Gartland, etc. that are now being judged (good or bad) without knowing exactly what did happen. The Proyecto Los Desciendentes del Dresden   /Dresden Descendants Project want to invite everyone that may agree that the experience of these forgotten emigrants deserves a better and deeper research effort by all concerned to support our objectives.

Once again thanks so much for making this case known and to give everyone the space to interact on this matter.

Gran abrazo desde La Patagonia!

Juan Pablo Alvarez

Proyecto Los Desciendentes del Dresden   

descendientedresden@yahoo.com.ar

Letters from Rev. F. Matthew Gaughren - OMI

Feb. 20th 1889 - The Standard

The Irish Immigrants - To the Editor of the Standard :
Sir, Allow me, as an eye-witness to give your readers some idea of the treatment wich the newly-arrived immigrants have received at the Hotel de Inmigrantes. Anything more scandalous could not be imagined. The 1800 passengers from the Dresden were allowed to land on Saturday when the authorities well knew that there was no accommodation for them. Many hundreds of these poor people had not received orders for the Hotel before leaving the ship, and weary hours were spent in the struggle to get the table where these orders were issued.
Then the orders obtained, strong men could fight their way through the throng of Italians into the dining-hall, but the weak, the women and children were left supperless. It was soon evident that unless some special arrangements were made even the shelter of a roof could not be obtained. At the instance of Mr. Johnston, the Director promised to clear out the dining hall after suffer to allow the women and children to sleep there for the night. The promise was not kept. Men, women and children, hungry and exhausted after the fatigues of the day, had to sleep as best they might on the flags of the court-yard . To say that they were treated like cattle it could not be true, for the owner of the cattle would at least provide them with food and drink; but this poor people were left to live or die unaided by the officials who are paid to look after them, and with out the slightest sign of sympathy form these officials. I am told that as a result, a child died during the night of exhaustation.  In England those responsible would be persecuted for manslaughter but in this land of liberty no one minds.
On Sunday things were nearly as bad and were it not for the generosity of Mr Duggan, Mr. Johnston and other charitable gentlemen, who themselves provided food and helped to served it out other deaths night have had to be no corded. No one who witnessed these scenes of helpless, hopeless, despairing misery can forget them until his dying day; and all must pray that, until de arrangements which humanitary and decency would prompt have been made, no more immigrants from the British Isle may arrive in Buenos Ayres.
As many of these poor people are badly clad and in want of bed-clothes, the Superiores of the Irish Convent, Calle Tucuman 1905, kindly consents to receive clothes, blankets, etc. for the immigrants.
I remaind Sir,
Your obedient servant,
M. Gaughren, OMI
Buenos Ayres 18th February, 1889

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Feb. 26th 1889 - Buenos Aires Herald

To the Editor of the Herald :
Sir, I may be pardoned for replying to the letter of “An Irishman” in your issue of Saturday last. He controverts the statements which I made in a letter to the Standard a few days ago. Allow me to ask him a few questions.
1st. Is it, or is it not, a fact that when the English and Irish immigrants came ashore on Saturday last the Hotel de Inmigrantes was already over-crowded with people of other nationalities? I have learned from official sources that the hotel was built to accommodate 2000 persons, and that on Saturday night last there were about 5000 within the enclosure.
2nd. Is it, or is it not, a fact that the vast majority of the passengers by the Dresden were obliged to sleep on the flags of the court-yard of the Hotel or to walk about all night?
I saw with my own eyes many hundreds of men, women and children huddled together on the pavement sleeping their sleep of exhaustion after the fatigues of the day.
3rd. Is it, or is it not, a fact that the great mass of the newly arrived English-speaking immigrants, and especially the women and children, were unable to fight their way to the dining hall on that night and were in consequence left supperless?
I appeal to Mr. J. Gahan, who, seeing them hungry, charitably distributed a quantity of bread among them, for a confirmation of my statement .
4th. Is it, or is it not, a fact that hundreds of these poor immigrants for no food on the following morning and would have been left without food all day were it not for the charity of a number of gentlemen, like Mr T Duggan, Mr Johnston, Mr. Methven and others, who not only paid for food for them but served it out with their own hands?
If these things are facts, -and there are numbers of witnesses besides the Immigrants who can vouch for them- what excuse can the Argentine Government offer for meting out such treatment to those whom they brought out here under promise of good care and high wages.
I have yet learn that Ennis is in England or that the savagery and lawlessness of Balfour justifies brutality in the Argentine Republic.
Yours truly, M. Gaughren, O.M.I.

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March 15th 1889, Buenos Aires Herald

Colonia Irlandesa, Naposta, March 5th, 1889

To the editor of the Southern Cross.

Dear Sir,

Both you and your readers will, no doubt, feel some curiosity to know how the poor exiles of Erin, to whom you bade God-speed at The Plaza Constitutian on Tuesday evening last, have fared since then. Most of them, within a few hours from their leaving Buenos Aires, found in “Nature’s sweet restorer, balmy sleep”, a temporary reprieve from their miseries. The railway arrangements as regards space were fairly good, and there was nothing that could be called overcrowding. When day dawned, however, and seven hundred hungry mouths craved for breakfast, the first untoward incident of the journey occurred. It was found that the meat supplied by the Government had gone bad during the night, and the bread fell very far, short of the quantity required. Mr. Gartland considerately endeavored to eke out the scanty Government supply by the help of the resources of a wayside station. Tea, coffee, and bread were obtained for the women and children until the refreshment rooms could provide no more. Later on a quantity of bread was got which helped to fill that vacuum which nature is said to abhor, until towards evening we arrived within the hospitable boundary of Mr. Casey’s estate, when, through his generous forethought, a supply of bread, meat and milk awaited us, which gave the poor travelers a satisfying supper. Through unpardonable mismanagement somewhere we did not reach our journey’s end till after seven o´clock. As we alighted from the train darkness was just closing in, and the scene of confusion which ensued in consequence can well be imagined. The wagons had to be unloaded without delay, and there were no lights in the train to guide the workers. Men, women and children were landed on unknown ground, over which they had to grope their way. It was too dark to permit of the tents which had come with us being pitched, and all had to resign themselves to the prospect of passing the night in the open air. I must confess that my heart sank within me when I beheld the number of helpless women and children, enfeebled by the long voyage and by the miseries of their stay in Buenos Aires, thus condemned to fresh wretchedness without a possibility of relief and the more so as some lightning flashes in the horizons seemed to threaten a storm. Fortunately, the beds and tent-canvases formed some protection against the dampness of the ground and the dews of the night. But of what use would they have been had a thunder-storm come on? A large quantity of roast beef was again distributed among the immigrants, thus forestalling the pangs of hunger. Then all settled down for the night as best they could, to that of repose which even their misfortunes and sufferings could not rob them.

Morning dawned bright and cheerful, and the gloomy foreshadowings of the previous night melted away with the rising sun. Divine Providence had taken pity on the poor and removed the storm far from them. The buoyant and Celtic temperament asserted itself, and soon the miseries of the past were forgotten and hopes rose high at the prospect of the future. And if the future of the immigrants at all resembles the landscape which the first rays of that morning’s sun unfolded to our view, there is reason to leave sorrow behind. The country is really beautiful. It consists of a series of undulations in the land, not high enough to be called hills, but which in England would have the name of downs. It reminds me very much of the counties of Kent or Sussex. There is no part of Ireland that I know of like it. In the far distance rise up the peaks of the mountains of Curumalan. If the land is only equal in quality to the landscape, and if the seasons prove favourable the lot of these poor immigrants will have been cast in pleasant places. Of the quality of the land I am not a competent judge, but if I might form an opinion from the result obtained from the Vine-Culture Company after five months working, I would say that much of it is very fertile.

Early on the morning after their arrival the colonists moved of to the spot selected for their encampment. Waggons provided by Mr. Gartland conveyed the luggage, stores, tents, etc. An unfortunate accident, by which some women sitting on the luggage in a bullock cart were thrown off resulted in the death of a child whom one of them held in her arms. Before night all the tents ere pitched, and order began to prevail where chaos had hitherto reigned. Friday and Saturday were spent in completing arrangements, in securing a proper distribution of food, and building a temporary chapel.

On Sunday I had the happiness of celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the poor people, under the shelter provided on the hillside, and hearts and bands were raised towards heaven as fervently as if the sacred rites were solemnized within the precincts of some glorious cathedral. May the prayers of these poor, simple but faithful people bring down upon them abundant blessings, temporal and spiritual!

On Wednesday work began. Some were told off to build houses, some to sink wells, some to construct corrals for the cattle, and those who had previous experience in tilling to plough the ground. As soon as their houses will be completed the farms will be distributed by lot and each family will be left to shift for itself, provisions, however, being supplied until the crops come in.

Many of the poor people have not yet recovered from the effects of the hardships which they have gone through, and illness, especially diarrhea, prevails to a great extent among the children. Three deaths have already resulted from it, and some more are sure to follow. In several cases mothers are too debilitated to suckle their infants. Although Mr. Gartland has provided fourteen milk-cows the supply of milk is not equal to the demand, and children who have been accustomed to it have to go without. Of course, after a little time, each family will have its own cow, but meanwhile the want is felt, as our people have, rightly or wrongly –wrongly say the natives here- an idea that milk is the most beneficial food for their children.

The Government supplies have been supplemented by a liberal allowance of flesh-meat; rations of biscuit, tea, sugar, salt, etc., are being dealt out, and if the commissariat is not ideally perfect, it is such, at all events, as to obviate any danger of starvation.

Notwithstanding the efforts made by so many charitable friends to supply their wants, many of these poor people are still sadly in need of clothing of all kinds, and as the nights are getting quite cold, blankets will be required for a considerable number amongst them. Donations of these necessary articles will be much more useful than money.

I remain, dear Sir, Yours very truly,

M. Gaughren, O.M.I.

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Nov. 1st 1889, The Southern Cross

Naposta Oct. 25, 1889
To the Editor of the Southern Cross.
Dear Sir,
The life of a quiet agricultural colony does not help much to the making of history, and, in consequence, I have but few items to give you in reference to local events. But these few are of a cheering character.
In the first place, Monday the 14th instant witnessed the inauguration of the school for the children of the colony, which owes its inception to the generosity of Mrs. Edward Morgan of Giles. Ninety one names were entered on the register the first day. That number has since been raised to over a hundred. Considering the distances which some of the children have to walk –in many instances more than three, and in some cases more than four miles- that is about as large a number as can be expected to attend. Parents are delighted to have the opportunity of education offered to their little ones, and the children themselves are, mostly, just as pleased to renew their acquaintance with the school-work so long interrupted. The class hours are from ten to three o’clock, with half an hour allowed for luncheon; but, long before the hour of opening, the youthful pupils gather in, eager to begin the work of the day.
The better to secure the durability of the work, and to give the colonists a greater interest in it, a School Committee has been formed, which will exercise a general supervision over the school, look after cases of parental neglect and, later on, provide a fuller staff and more complete educational apparatus.
I have had the pleasure, too, …nding a temperance society  -a branch of the League of the Cross under the invocation of St. Patrick, which counts already more than one hundred members. All the best men in the colony have associated themselves with the society, it will, I trust, draw to itself increasing numbers, whose good example will exert a beneficent influence upon those who have get the courage to join it. The …ers which you and a few other friends have sent form the …leus of supply for a reading room, to be, I hope, supplemented later on by a lending library of good books. The pulperia will have fat wetractions for men who have learned to occupy themselves with useful or interesting reading.
The second wagon-load of clothing, sent through the agency of the British Immigration Society, reached me on Thursday. The local committee immediately took steps to assort and divide the articles sent, and yesterday a general distribution took place according to the wants of the different families and the means of supplying them. Every family in the colony received something, I believe for all were more or less in need. The great mass of the people are exceedingly grateful of the charitable donors. “Where else than in Buenos Aires”, many have remarked to me, “could we meet with such generosity from those to whom we are total strangers?” And, when yesterday, in our temporary chapel, I asked the prayers of the crowded congregation for their benefactors, mentioning the names of the two good ladies who have done so much for them –Mrs.Thos. Duggan and Mrs. Morgan- many a low murmured but fervent “God bless them” went up to the throne of the Giver of all good gifts.
We have had two deaths in the colony during the past week. In one case a good old woman, who had accompanied her son out to this country, but who has been ill since her landing, was called away. The other case is that of a boy who has been ailing for a considerable time. Otherwise the health of the colony is remarkably good.
Notwithstanding the difficulties arising from the want of suitable cattle, the work of tillage goes on apace. I confess I am amazed at the amount of excellent work done under the circumstances. Were the colonists supplied with horses fit for the plough, very many of them would have had their entire farms broken up long since.
I am strongly of opinion that many of the despised Naposta colonists could give lessons in both industry and agriculture to some of those who talk slightingly about them but who know little of their struggles and their labours. Perhaps even the eloquent gentlemen who discoursed so learnedly before the Literary Society, and who illustrated his lecture by pointing to the colonists of Naposta as beings whose zoological knowledge did not enable them to discriminate between a horse and a goat (vide report in the “Standard”) might, did he deign to visit the people of whom he talks so glibly without knowing them, carry back to Scotland useful hints as to how difficulties in a strage country are to be overcome.
Divine Providence has favored the colonists with the finest of weather for farming operations. Of late, rain and sunshine have alternated and blended in such a way as to remind one of the Emerald Isle, where “Shining through sorrow’s stream, Sadddening in pleasure’s beam, her suns, with doubtful gleam, weep while they rise.
The result so far has been most beneficial. The wheat-crop is making a rapid growth and the land is in excellent condition for ploughing.
I remain, dear Sir, Yours very truly,
M. Gaughren, O.M.I.

Matthew Gaughren, OMI (1843 – 1914)

Fr. Matthew Gaughren

Nacido en 1843 en Dublín, Irlanda, fue uno de tres hermanos religiosos. Ordenado sacerdote en 1867, es destinado a Holly Cross en Liverpool. Allí fundó en 1884 los “Círculos Apostólicos”, cuyo objetivo era el de mantener el noviciado y el colegio de misioneros oblatos. Estos círculos estaban compuestos de doce contribuyentes, quienes se reunían asiduamente para orar y hacer donaciones.
En 1888 estuvo en el Reformatorio Glencree, en Irlanda. De ahí pasó a Tower Hill en Londres antes de convertirse en Provincial. Fue durante su ministerio en Tower Hill que visitó la Argentina “… y recolectó fondos en Sud América para disminuir la deuda de una iglesia ahí…” tal como nos informa Fr. Michael Hughes , OMI, quien nos brindó transcripciones de la correspondencia entre F. Matthew Gaughren y sus superiores.
Ésta misma correspondencia nos da una interesante descripción de la vida de los irlandeses que por aquellos días habitaban nuestro suelo. Máxime teniendo en cuenta que su testimonio es lo único que llega hasta nuestros días avalando la existencia de la desaparecida y mítica Colonia Irlandesa de Napostá, al norte de Bahía Blanca.
En Julio de 1888 Fr. Gaughren llega a la Argentina en el vapor SS Galicia. En Agosto comienza su peregrinaje por las Pampas Argentinas, en principio por Capilla del Señor, siguiendo por Zárate y luego por los alrededores de Buenos Aires. Durante su viaje, organizaba con los pobladores irlandeses los horarios para las misas y las confesiones.
Claramente discrimina en sus cartas el trabajo pastoral, que lo describe como algo que disfruta, y la colecta de plata, cosa que por esos días era difícil debido a la situación económica del país (presidencia de Juárez Celman).
Describe a los habitantes Irish-Argentine, a los que los llama como “nuestra gente”, como tradicionalmente hospitalarios, de profunda fe y corazón generoso. “En todos los lugares a los que he sido recibo gran benevolencia”. Su colecta por ese entonces sumó dos mil setecientas cincuenta pesos moneda nacional, una cifra para nada despreciable por ese entonces.
En Diciembre vuelve a Buenos Aires para pasar la Navidad, rara por demás para él, ya que estaba acostumbrado a la fría y nevada Noche Buena del viejo continente. En tanto aquí el calor, la humedad y los días largos le jugaban una mala pasada.
Ya empezado el nuevo año de 1889, las noticias respecto del desembarco de un enorme contingente irlandés había puesto a la sociedad angloparlante en alerta. En consecuencia se formaron comisiones que harían los arreglos necesarios para controlar y ver que nada les falte a estos inmigrantes. Un proyecto de colonia irlandesa se gestaba a través de Mr. Gartland, representante de la Vitícola Argentina, empresa que emplearía a los irlandeses en esta viña cercana a Napostá.
El 16 de Febrero amarra en el muelle de las Catalinas el Vapor SS Dresden. Más de 1700 inmigrantes, en su mayoría irlandeses, son llevados al viejo Hotel de Inmigrantes, en Retiro.
Fr. Gaughren formaba parte de una comisión que se encargaría de verificar que nada les falte en el hotel y que estuviesen bien atendidos. Luego él, junto con otros integrantes de la comisión, los acompañaría en un tren especial que los llevaría hasta Napostá.
Los retrasos y problemas comienzan a surgir. El hacinamiento en el hotel de inmigrantes se hace insostenible. Gente viviendo en condiciones infrahumanas. El gobierno, que se veía superado por la cantidad de inmigrantes arribados también de otras nacionalidades, hacía agua, y los artículos de los diarios dejaban clara evidencia de que esto era el resultado de una pésima gestión de los agentes de propaganda apostados en toda Europa. Estaba muy claro que se había infringido todas las prohibiciones de la Ley 817 de Inmigración y Colonización. Otro golpe más para el gobierno de turno.
Finalmente y luego de varios días de atraso, parte desde Plaza Constitución el 27 de Febrero de 1889 el tren rumbo a Napostá, donde cerca de ahí se establecería la colonia. Se había dejado por escrito un contrato, redactado por la Comisión, en el cual se detallaban todos los pormenores del establecimiento de las familias en los territorios de la colonia. En principio iban a ser previstos de carpas y materiales para la construcciones de sus casa.
Al llegar, el paisaje desolado los recibió sin sus pertenencias y debieron pasar la mayor parte del tiempo en precarias construcciones y tiendas de acampar. Esta situación se prolongaría más de lo previsto.
En una de sus cartas donde el Padre M. Gaughren le cuenta a su provincial Padre Tatin lo que vivió por más de un mes en esa colonia. Eran cerca de setecientos irlandeses a los que luego se les sumaron ciento veinte ingleses más. La mayoría de ellos seguía viviendo en tiendas en la ladera de una colina. Un poco más arriba había un pequeño techo de chapa galvanizada, donde se había improvisado una pequeña capilla donde Fr. Gaughren daba misa. Esa era la capilla de la colonia.
Su trabajo pastoral estaba centrado en la Pascua, para la cual preparó con anticipación, dándoles clases, a veintiséis chicos para que tomen su primera comunión.
Decía además, “He tenido un buena cantidad de tumbas que bendecir debido a que ha habido una gran mortalidad entre los niños principalmente por diarrea, debido a los cambios de clima y comida”.
A finales de Marzo, F. Matthew Gaughren dejó la colonia. “Había un gran pesar entre la pobre gente de la colonia cuando yo me fui debido a que es incierto cuando ellos podrán volver a ver a un cura. Si puedo manejarlo llamaré para volver a verlos nuevamente antes de dejar la provincia aunque es un largo viaje – 20 horas en tren desde aquí.” La realidad fue que la colonia siguió sin un sacerdote.
Nuevamente volvió a sus tareas de recolección de fondos por los campos de Argentina, tal como había empezado. Pero aún seguía con la intención de volver a la colonia. En reiteradas cartas, le pide permiso a su superior para volver.
Finalmente en Marzo de 1890 se embarca rumbo a Ginebra, y de ahí a Paris, donde le comunica el mismísimo Superior General de la orden que será nombrado Provincial. Su sorpresa fue notable. En su carta fechada 16 de Junio de 1890, dirigida al quien había sido su provincial en Tower Hill, Fr. Tatin, él le comenta: “…Se imaginará mi sorpresa cuando, en mi arribo a Paris, el mismo Padre General me anunció mi nombramiento. Usando la histórica expresión de Fr. Pinet, “me cayó como una bomba”. Apenas podía creer lo que oía y por algún momento me inclinaba a pensar que solo se trataba de una broma…”
En 1893 tras una serie de negociaciones tratadas entre el Arzobispo de Sydney, Patrick Cardinal Moran, y los Oblatos de Inchicore en Dublín, entre los que él se encontraba, acuerdan que debían dirigirse a una misión Oblatos a Fremantle, Australia, en la que habría que organizar una casa de misioneros y una escuela industrial. En una carta fechada el 17 de Marzo de 1893, en la que el Padre Matthew Gaughren le escribe a F. Gibney, OMI (Obispo de Perth), dice “Nuestro Superior General estuvo de acuerdo, me ha dando permiso para enviar cuatro padres a esta provincia para encargarse del doble trabajo que el Cardenal nos propuso. Para la misión de Fremantle (Australia), en la que Su Eminencia ha estado confiado en que esté a nuestro cargo, proponemos enviar tres padres. Para la escuela industrial solo un padre con cuatro o cinco hermanos será suficiente inicialmente. La dificultad de mantener la escuela industrial es un punto que representa en si mismo un estreno.” Allí, en Fremantle, permaneció como padre párroco hasta 1895. Por ese entonces las distancias y las comunicaciones parecían entorpecer las tareas de los misioneros. Debía atravesar enormes distancias, en condiciones poco saludables. Los primeros padres en llegar a Fremantle fueron Fr. Matthew Gaughren, Roger Hennessy y Daniel O’Ryan. De éste último rescatamos una de sus cartas dirigidas a Fr. Tatin, en la cual se refiere a las condiciones en las que se encontraban misionando en este lugar: “Viviendo condiciones suficientemente duras. En el arribo a Fremantle los Oblatos encontraron simplemente lo que supo ser alguna vez una edificación sólida. Luego tuvimos que repararlo a un costo de trescientos ocho libras con cuatro peniques. Todo este dinero fue gastado en la casa misma, independientemente de algún mueble. No había más que dos viejas camas en la casa. No teníamos ningún cuchillo para usar en la cena, ni una taza para tomar, ni siquiera una silla donde sentarnos.”
Encontramos luego, una narración de uno de los testigos de la misión que la vio crecer y dar algunas frutos en el corto tiempo: “Hace solo tres meses atrás que el Provincial de la Orden de Gran Bretaña llegó aquí (NA a Fremantle) con otros dos padres – hombres jóvenes – buenos predicadores – fuertes hombres activos – quienes hicieron explotar las cosas aquí… la primera cosa que hicieron fue sostener la misión, luego establecieron la Liga de la Cruz (League of the Cross) luego instituyeron una misa adicional para alivianar el acomodamiento en la última misa. La escuela de los chicos está nuevamente disponible para nuestro uso para reuniones de entretenimiento y un escenario fue erigido en él y un concierto semanal es realizado bajo el auspicio de la Liga de la Cruz…()… El Provincial, Muy Rev. Fr. Gaughren brinda un curso de sermones de Doctrina Católica.”
Luego de un año, el Provincial Fr. Matthew Gaughren volvió a Irlanda y el padre Thomas Ryan de 37 años lo suplantó.
Tiempo más tarde fue consagrado Obispo en la iglesia de St Mary’s Star of the Sea en Leith, Escocia, donde permaneció hasta 1902.
Luego de la muerte de su hermano, F. Anthony Gaughren, OMI, quien fuera el primer Vicario Apostólico de Kimberly (Ciudad del Cabo – Sudáfrica), fue elegido como su sucesor, desempeñándose como Administrador del Vicariato de Transvaal (NE de Sudáfrica) hasta su muerte el 1 de Junio de 1914.
Bajo la jurisdicción de ambos obispos, el Vicariato de Kimberley vio multiplicar sus escuelas e iglesias. En 1910 contaba ya con 16 iglesias y capillas, 19 sacerdotes y un colegio donde 300 niños recibían una completa educación.
Actualmente sus restos se encuentran enterrados en Kimberly, Sudáfrica.


FUENTES
Correspondencia del Padre Matthew Gaughren 1888 – 1889
http://www.omiworld.org/
http://www.newadvent.org/
http://www.sistersofmercy.ie/
http://www.oblates.iinet.net.au/