Nick Maxwell On Monday 12 April l920, the Irish Labour Party and Trade Union Congress called a twenty-four-hour general strike for the following day. The aim of the stoppage was to voice indignation at the detention of republicans on hunger-strike. Sixty-six prisoners being held in Mountjoy without charge or trial had begun the hunger-strike for political status … Read more
Work has been completed on the £1 million restoration of the MillmountMartello Tower, Drogheda, which dates from the Napoleonic War. Therestoration was part of Drogheda’s millennium celebrations and providesmagnificent views of the town and the historic Boyne Valley. A graphicdesigner is currently working on an exhibition of Millmount’s militaryhistory and a collection of Fenian guns—a … Read more
In 1709 several hundred families of German origin settled in Ireland. Known as the Palatines, they established roots mainly in Counties Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary and Wexford. From there they emigrated to many parts of the English-speaking world—Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand and the USA. Since its inception in March 1989, the Irish Palatine Association has … Read more
Born in Cologne, Germany, in 1577, Mathew de Renzi claimed descent from Albania’s national hero, George Castriott, also known as Scanderberg (d.1468), who defended his homeland against the Turks. De Renzi was a cloth merchant and operated from Antwerp, one of many foreigners who controlled trade in that city. But Antwerp’s trade declined as a … Read more
Alan Parker’s film version of Frank McCourt’s childhood memoir of his poverty-stricken upbringing in Limerick in the 1930s and ‘40s seems destined to bring Angela’s Ashes to an even wider audience than the phenomenally successful book. Since it was published in 1997, Angela’s Ashes has won the Pulitzer prize, spent over two years at the … Read more