Nick Maxwell By Brett Irwin The His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) archive in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) contains many records that tell the story of the penal system of the Ulster counties that now make up Northern Ireland. These are a fascinating source for genealogists and researchers, as the general prison registers, admission/discharge registers … Read more
By Gerard Ronan Irish troops have been involved in UN peacekeeping activities in the Middle East since 1958, when they were first deployed to the Lebanon–Syria border. However, they were neither the first Irish military presence nor the first Irish personnel to be entrusted with a peacekeeping role in the region. During the previous century, … Read more
By Christine Kinealy Many Irish people are aware that in Black ’47, possibly the deadliest year of the Great Hunger, members of the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma raised $170 to help the starving poor in Ireland. This act of generosity from people who themselves had been colonised, impoverished and displaced is the best-known example of … Read more
A new acquisition by the National Library of Ireland sheds light on the final months of Lord Edward FitzGerald’s widow. By Marie Stamp In August 1798 Lord Edward FitzGerald’s widow, Pamela, left the protection of his uncle, the Duke of Richmond, for refuge in Hamburg. ‘Lovely in her appearance, great in her character, persecuted, ruined … Read more
MIKE HENNESSY Thirsty Books £25 ISBN 9781739318185 Reviewed by Niall Whelehan Niall Whelehan is a historian and part of the Modern Irish History group at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. When football and the history of Irish migration to Scotland are mentioned, most minds would turn to Celtic FC, the Glasgow club with the global … Read more