Cultivating a return: tillage farming, food security and the lessons of the early twentieth century

By Mícheál Ó Fathartaigh Over the past few months, the Irish minister for agriculture, Charlie McConalogue, has suggested on several occasions that Irish farmers could and should be growing more crops. Theoretically, he is right. Securing sustainable food supplies for the population has never been more important. Since the mid-twentieth century, Irish agriculture has gradually … Read more

THE LIMERICK SOVIET 1919

By John Lonergan A soviet is an elected workers committee functioning as a political and military organisation. The Limerick Soviet was the first and only self-declared soviet in Ireland or Britain, existing from 14to 27 April 1919. It resulted from a strike declared by the Limerick United Trades and Labour Council, protesting against the proclamation … Read more

Who speaks for Ulster? Similarities between elections in Derry 1913 and Northern Ireland 2022

By M.C. Rast The May 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly elections were historic. Sinn Féin became the largest bloc with twenty-seven seats and the cross-community Alliance Party third largest with seventeen. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) lost three seats for a total of twenty-five, forcing it into second place. These results are significant, but this is … Read more