Nick Maxwell Soldiers and chiefs, the Irish at war National Museum of Ireland Collins Barracks, Dublin Tues.–Sat. 10am–5pm, Sun. 2pm–5pm (closed Mon.) by Tony Canavan This is an ambitious exhibition that undertakes to present the history of the Irish at war from 1550. It is suitably located in Collins Barracks, where it occupies 1,700 square metres of … Read more
The earldom of Desmond, 1463–1583: the decline and crisis of a feudal lordship Anthony M. McCormack (Four Courts Press, ?45) ISBN 1851828826 The Gaelic lordship of the O’Sullivan Beare Colin Breen (Four Courts Press, ?45) ISBN 1851829555 Labourers in various fields of endeavour periodically feel called upon to sketch out agendas of desiderata. Historians are … Read more
Trials of Irish history: genesis and evolution of a reappraisal, 1938–2000 Evi Gkotzaridis (Routledge, £75) ISBN 0415329183 This is the oddest yet most engaging examination so far of the so-called ‘revisionist school’ of Irish historians, whose precepts, motives and performance have been subjected to an often rancorous but largely sterile debate over the past two … Read more
Aiken: gunman and statesman RTÉ 1, Tuesday 12 December, 10.15pm Hidden Histories Directed by Steve Carson by Eamon O’Flaherty RTÉ’s Hidden Histories series is currently concentrating on a ‘founding fathers’ theme, looking at the lives of major figures in the formation of the independent Irish state. The latest offering—focusing on Frank Aiken—illustrates some of the … Read more
Among the various ‘ghosts’ invoked in the build-up to 1916 the name of Robert Emmet was central to the imagining of a ‘New Ireland’. As important was the influence of the Emmet family in America, where sympathy for the advanced nationalist cause in terms of both funds and propaganda was vital to any potential political … Read more