Nick Maxwell, Author at History Ireland

Garrison games’—Niall Quinn tackles Oscar Traynor

History Ireland editor Tommy Graham chats to former international footballer, administrator, businessman and TV pundit Niall Quinn about his recently completed MA thesis, ‘Oscar Traynor—a re-evaluation of a footballer, rebel, politician and football administrator’. Not only was Traynor an IRA commander in the War of Independence who took the anti-Treaty side in the Civil War and served as minister in several Fianna Fáil administrations but he was also an advocateof the ‘garrison game’, a vocal opponent of the GAA’s ban on ‘foreign games’ and the FAI’s longest-serving president (1948–63). (Recorded live on Fri 16 Aug ’24 @ the Electric Picnic)

The end of an era—the auction at Johnstown Castle, 1944

By Matt Wheeler and Duncan Laurence Situated in the old Anglo-Norman Pale of south County Wexford, Johnstown Castle dates from the 1200s. After the Cromwellian confiscations, the castle was acquired by the Grogan family, whose direct descendants lived there until 1942. The estate peaked in the mid-1800s, with Hamilton Knox Grogan Morgan possessing the largest … Read more

J.J. Keane, ‘the hot-headed Limerick man’, and the 1924 Paris Olympics

By Gerry O’Sullivan When Ireland takes its place at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris this month, it will mark the centenary of this country’s participation in the summer games. In a nice bit of historical symmetry, the 1924 event also took place in the French capital. Few of those present, however, … Read more

‘Not a weapon for soldiers to use’—Gerald Boland and the 1923 Republican hunger strike

By Stephen Kelly July 2024 marks the centenary of Gerald Boland’s release from prison, following his incarceration two years before for his involvement in the Battle of Blessington in the initial weeks of the Civil War. In fact, Boland was interned the longest of all anti-Treaty prisoners, initially in Mountjoy (8 July 1922–October 1923), then … Read more

The rise and fall of the ‘Winged Fist’

By Patrick R. Redmond Since 1896 the modern Olympic Games have been plagued by controversy. Besides Nazi manipulation, political boycotts and terrorism, there has been other low-level petty bickering; accusations of cheating and boorish displays of nationalism have also overshadowed this celebration of global sporting friendship. ONLY NATIONAL TEAMS FROM 1908 The first three Olympics … Read more