Finigan, of whom I speak elsewhere.

While Father Nugent was in America, we used to get great help from a
fine old Jesuit priest and good Irish Nationalist, Father James
McSwiney, then of St. Francis Xavier's, Liverpool. He was never happier
than when smoking his short pipe by the fire in our inner office. With
his help we created a much admired feature in the "Catholic Times" in
our "Answers to Correspondents." With the view of drawing on real
enquiries, he used to concoct and then answer questions on points of
doctrine, etc. Some people were astonished at the profound
knowledge--and others at what they considered "the impudence"--displayed
by Jack McArdle and John Denvir in answering any theological posers that
might be put to us, never dreaming we had behind us one of the ablest
theologians of the Jesuit order.

When Father Nugent took the paper in hands, the readers had such
confidence in it that, from being merely a local paper, we were able
before long to make it a leading Catholic organ for the whole country.

The reverend father was chaplain of the Liverpool Borough jail. He was
respected by all classes, Protestant as well as Catholic, not only for
what he did for the unfortunate creatures who came under his
ministrations, but as a public-spirited citizen and benefactor of the
town. It would be wrong if I did not pay a high tribute to the splendid
service done by him in Liverpool towards elevating the condition of our
own people. I would be ungrateful, too, if I failed to recognise the
great educational work he did in giving opportunities for culture to
many Liverpool Irishmen, myself among the number, which afterwards aided
their advancement in the battle of life. That is why I never regretted
that I gave Father Nugent, when conducting the "Catholic Times" for him,
three of the best years of my life. I never regretted my experiences in
connection with that paper, particularly in the reporting department,
for they were often very pleasant ones. Among these was my having been
introduced to the great Archbishop MacHale, when I went to St.
Nicholas's to report his sermon.

I have many vivid remembrances arising out of my connection with the
"Catholic Times."

It was during the time I was in charge of it that we started the Irish
national organisation on this side of the Channel--the Home Rule
Confederation of Great Britain, formed at our first annual convention
held in Manchester, at which I was elected as th