Nick Maxwell Sir,—Following Sylvie Kleinman’s review in the last issue (HI 33.1, Jan./Feb. 2025) of Nicholas K. Robinson’s Caricature and the Irish, I would like to offer up this crowded exposition of Catholic Emancipation (which I have hanging on a wall at home). In 1829 Thomas McLean (1788–1875), a publisher and dealer in London’s Haymarket, published ‘FUNERAL … Read more
Sir,—David Mould’s fascinating article on Corkman James Hastie’s involvement in Madagascar (HI 33.1, Jan./Feb. 2025) brought to mind a story of the capture of Mauritius by the British in 1810. The French recruited Irish POWs from captured British forces to bolster their defences: what happened to them after the French defeat is still debated. One … Read more
BY DONAL FALLON RORY GALLAGHER REMEMBERED A new statue to Rory Gallagher has been unveiled outside Belfast’s Ulster Hall, a fitting memorial to the Ballyshannon-born musician who continued to play there regularly during the Troubles, becoming a hero to the youth of the city. In an interview Gallagher insisted that, ‘In an Irish tour, I … Read more
BY AODHÁN CREALEY MARCH 14/1880 Hazel Martyn was born in Chicago, the daughter of Edward Jenner Martyn, a wealthy industrialist. Hazel’s early life was dominated by her mother, whose ambition for her daughter was a refined education, a suitable marriage and consequently a prominent place in the city’s fashionable society. She succeeded at first, sending … Read more
Carlisle Memorial is a former Methodist church in Belfast and an active regeneration project of the Belfast Buildings Trust. Many people in the city recognise the building, but few know its story. Its name derives from its benefactor, James Carlisle. Born into poverty in rural County Derry/Londonderry in 1810, he moved to Belfast for work … Read more