Nick Maxwell Sir,—In 1938 a book was published entitled Wolfe Tone and the UnitedIrishmen—for or against Christ?, under the name of Leo McCabe. Sometimebefore that another book by the same author was published that dealtwith Henry VIII and the English Reformation. The theme of the 1938 bookwas that Irish separatism from the time of Tone onwards was … Read more
Sir,—Your Winter 1997 issue, the first I have read, made fascinatingreading and reminded me how involved in Irish history my own family hasbeen. It is sixty years since my parents and my brothers and sisterscame to England in January 1938, after my father’s farm failed, but itis only in my recent retirement years that there … Read more
Sir,—General Lopez de Santa Anna, who so admired the St Patrick’sBattalion, did not forget the martial qualities of the Irish soldier.In 1866 while living in exile in New York he offered his support to theMexican Republic in its fight against the French. This was rejected buton 29 September 1866 the New York Herald, under the … Read more
Sir,—The series of sometimes romanticised narratives about our Gaelic past that have been passed down to us are fun to read. The bardic accounts of raids and battles, the many chronicles of fratricidal fights for power, the stories of passionate love affairs of kings and princesses from rival clans, are timeless and colourful narratives that … Read more
A.F. O’Brien lectures in medieval Irish history at NUI, Cork; Jim Smyth lectures in sociology at Queen’s University, Belfast; Patrick Maume lectures in Irish history at Queen’s University, Belfast; Robert Fisk is Middle East correspondent of the London Independent.