Nick Maxwell By Damian Murphy The ecclesiastical origins of Kildare date back to the late fifth or early sixth century and the foundation of a monastery by St Brigid, whose church was described by Cogitosus (fl. c. 650) as ‘very lofty, adorned with paintings [and] containing three oratories’. The original church survived sixteen assaults by the Vikings … Read more
By Brian Casey John Philpott Curran, a member of the Church of Ireland, a lawyer, MP, graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, and supporter of Catholic rights, was born in Cork in 1750. As a student, he attended debates in the House of Commons, College Green, and was inspired by Henry Flood. He was a defender … Read more
By Stephen McGarry The ‘Wild Geese’ was the name given to the 14,000-strong Irish army that withdrew to France following the Jacobite War in 1691. These Irish regiments formed an Irish brigade that served France for around 100 years. It was disbanded after the French Revolution, leading to a split between those officers who supported … Read more
By Micheál Ó Siochrú ‘I am struck by a disinclination in both academic and journalistic accounts to critique empire and imperialism. Openness to, and engagement in, a critique of nationalism has seemed greater. And while it has been vital to our purposes in Ireland to examine nationalism, doing the same for imperialism is equally important … Read more
Sir,—In his review of Precipice by Robert Harris (HI 33.4, July/Aug. 2025), Colum Kenny is like many other historians and commentators who seem to have a strange need to blame Britain for the First World War and its ‘senseless’ loss of life. However, the Central Powers, by their aggression, started the war—Harris is quite clear … Read more